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EnglishArabicBengaliBosnianBulgarianCatalanChinese (Simplified)Chinese (Traditional)CroatianCzechDanishDutchEstonianFilipinoFinnishFrenchGermanGreekHindiHungarianIgboItalianJapaneseKoreanKurdish (Kurmanji)LatvianLithuanianLuxembourgishMacedonianMalayMalteseNepaliNorwegianPersianPolishPortuguesePunjabiRomanianRussianSerbianSlovakSlovenianSomaliSpanishSudaneseSwahiliSwedishThaiTurkishUkrainianUrduVietnameseWelshYorubaMy role is to lead Macc, developing the role we play in the life of our city. I keep a watch on policy issues, speak up on behalf of our diverse, passionate and fantastic local voluntary, community and social enterprise sector and I am always working to build creative, collaborative relationships with a wide range of partners. I support our Trustees in ensuring Macc leads by example, lives by our values and, along with the rest of the VCSE sector, makes a real difference for all the communities of Manchester.
I originally started writing this over the weekend, wanting to capture my rising sense of anger and anxiety at what we’ve been seeing. I've gone back to it a few times, feeling a need not to just roll out some fairly obvious words at a time like this. This isn’t meant to be a ‘briefing’ or a ‘statement’ - it’s a reflection and some thoughts I would encourage you to consider.
It’s an old question: “have you ever wondered what it would be like if….?” (Bit of a cliché in fact, but go with me, it’s the end of a long difficult year...)
On the day I’m writing this, we’re asking that question about the work of local charities, community groups, faith groups, voluntary organisations and social enterprises. Have you ever wondered what it would be like if they just weren’t there?
We are in a time where everyone is expecting to hear bad news at some point. We’re also in a time where more than ever we need to support each other, to work together and unleash all the skill, creativity, kindness and compassion we can muster. So hearing the news of the sudden passing of Councillor Sue Murphy is a shock and a sad and cruel loss for those she loved and for all of us who were working with her to respond to these strange and anxious times.
Was that only a week?
I'm going to try to spend a little time every week writing a weekly blog sharing what I've seen, learned, what we've done and what we still need to do.
One of the things I’ve said many times over the years is the need to think about volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity as a way of coping with a rapidly changing world. I’m not going to tell you to stop doing that! With a new Government with such a large majority we now know that after years, things will start moving fast…or at least it will look and feel as if they are. That big majority means acceleration. We’re just still waiting to see what direction it will take. Who knows what version of ‘One Nation Conservatism’ we will actually see?
I’ve been wondering what else we could do to encourage the voices of leaders of charities, voluntary organisations and community groups around Brexit. My impression is that charity sector leaders would certainly want to speak up but are unsure how to go about it in the right way. Is Brexit simply too difficult for us to talk about?
I started writing something shortly after the new Prime Minister has made his first speech on the steps of Downing Street. Another premiership set to be dominated by Brexit. It has paralysed national policy and politics for the last 3 years and it looks like this is set to continue for the foreseeable future...but the phrase which is ringing in my ears from the speech is “the doubters, the doomsters, the gloomsters”. I suspect many politicians would put charities and campaigners in those categories.
Recently I had a very nice letter inviting me to write for a publication (quite high status) and a follow-up phone conversation to explore further. In the course of this, the London-based publisher emphasised that wanting to reach outside their heavily London-focused circle was a big priority for them. Who can guess the next bit of the conversation?
One thing - among many - which has puzzled me about the Brexit debate is the sheer number of people who have focused entirely on trade (transactions): there has been virtually nothing about international co-operation and broader relationships. This has been to such an extent that people are shocked when they hear about things like medical supplies being affected (a moment marked by the closure last week of the London HQ of the European Medicines Agency which is moving to Amsterdam).
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