Hostage Nation is about escaping four words: ‘we can’t afford it’. Four words that have stunted our nation’s ambition, destroyed communities and damaged our collective pride. Most people want climate action, lower bills, decent jobs, and affordable homes, and they want to see a plan to deliver it. We’ve looked under the bonnet of the economy; the money is there, the powers are there, but the political bravery is missing.
The government is in a unique position to rebuild Britain where privatisation has failed, with the health and security of the British people as the bottom line. If we continue to allow volatile international bond markets to dictate whether we build railways or schools, we are hostage to the whims of foreign trading floors. If our only response to global energy prices is to hike mortgage rates and business lending, then we are just compounding our citizens’ misery. If every £1 spent on retrofitting a house saves the NHS 40p, perhaps there’s another way. It turns out the cheapest way to heat a home is also the quickest way to decarbonise a country.
This is a plan that protects the people of Britain from the next inevitable economic shock.
Author
Jamie Driscoll is a Green Party Councillor in Newcastle and the former North of Tyne Mayor. During his time as Mayor he created 5,377 jobs, 2,133 homes, ran projects in 240 schools, including child poverty prevention. He also negotiated a £6.1bn devolution deal with the then Tory government.
He was blocked by the Labour Party in 2023 from standing as North East Mayor, a decision that drew criticism from many in the party, including Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram. He ran an independent campaign which secured 126,652 votes, the second-highest number of votes for an independent candidate in UK political history.
In 2024, he founded Majority, a grassroots organisation focussed on developing the competent and compassionate leaders needed on the progressive left.
Editor
Hugo Fearnley is a long-time political adviser to Jamie Driscoll, having first worked together at the North of Tyne Combined Authority. He is a former Research Fellow at Northumbria University and previously led press and communications at public ownership campaign group We Own It.
In 2024, he co-founded Majority with Jamie Driscoll and other North East activists.
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