Apologies in advance, this is a long one! But here goes anyway... Watching British politics defending the indefensible, ignoring existential threats in favour of short-term private profit, and across the major parties, blaming immigration for problems rooted in its our political and economic failures, ironically, I've never felt less British. Increasingly over the last couple of years and months, and certainly these last few weeks, I've felt more aligned with people across the world than with the version of Britain our government seems determined to create. With the French, Albanians, and Brazilians, standing up for what they believe in. With Americans resisting the brutality of the Trump administration. With Greenlanders defending their right to determine their own future. With Ukrainians, whose extraordinary resilience and determination have seen them stand their ground against a global giant, defying the odds and refusing to surrender their sovereignty or their future. With Canadians, whose brilliant wit, quiet defiance and refusal to be bullied have somehow managed to make a self-proclaimed strongman look about two feet tall. With people across Africa, and the wider Global South, living with the consequences of a world that's been profoundly unequal for centuries, and where those who've contributed least to the climate crisis are suffering its most devastating consequences, while wealthy, heavily polluting nations continue to delay meaningful action. With people in Sudan, Congo and countless other places whose suffering barely registers in our political discourse, despite lives being devastated by conflict, exploitation and humanitarian crises. With people in Cuba, Venezeualla, and across Latin America, whose sovereignty and right to self-determination are once again being threatened by US imperialism, with the lives and futures of millions subordinated to American power and interests. And with Palestinians, whose very existence, freedom and right to self-determination have somehow become matters for other governments to debate, negotiate and vote upon, while their lives, homes and communities are being destroyed. And with those here in Britain who refuse to accept that cruelty, division and indifference are what our country should stand for. But perhaps more than anyone, I've felt for young people everywhere. A generation inheriting a world of escalating crises they had no part in creating, with their futures being decided by people who seem incapable of looking beyond the next election, the next quarterly report, or the next political battle. It's made me question why we allow nationality, borders, religion and political ideology to divide us so profoundly. We're all people. All inhabitants of the same planet. And all here for an extraordinarily short period of time. We all want fundamentally similar things. To live in peace, to feel safe, to love and be loved, to laugh, to experience life, to raise our children well, and to leave them the best shot at a future worth looking forward to. Yet somehow we've constructed a world where the pursuit of wealth, power and national interests takes precedence over those most basic human aspirations. And in a world that feels increasingly dark, where might and money dictate whose lives matter, whose voices are heard and whose futures are protected, I keep coming back to something that gives me enormous hope. The millions, and millions of people across the planet who are actively working to make it better. Not for personal wealth. Not for power. Not for recognition or political advantage. But for people they'll probably never meet. For communities on the other side of the world. And for children who haven't even been born yet. People dedicating their time, energy, knowledge and sometimes risking their own lives, simply because they believe the world can and should be better for everyone. And just imagine what we could achieve if we stopped allowing those driven by wealth and power to dictate our collective future, and started putting that extraordinary human compassion, knowledge and determination at the heart of how we shape it. Perhaps the greatest shift we need isn't political at all, but in how we see ourselves and one another. Not as British, French, American, Canadian, African, Ukrainian, Palestinian, or any of the countless nationalities and identities that make up our world first. But as human beings first. Surely the purpose of civilisation should be to make this brief existence better for everyone fortunate enough to experience it. Imagine what the world could become if, instead of fighting over who deserves a future, we finally started building a better one together. 🌍🫂❤️