Gordon Brown Releases Book Strategy to Combat Global Populism

Gordon Brown, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, has released a new book titled The Future Starts With Us. In the text, Brown argues that the rise of global populism is directly linked to the collapse of local civic ties, including trade unions, community groups, and churches, which has led to a broader retreat from multilateralism and the international rules-based order.

To counter these trends, Brown proposes creating a virtuous circle where strengthening local social bonds increases public trust and security, thereby providing the necessary foundation for collaborative international governance. He advocates for addressing economic grievances specifically within post-industrial communities and calls for the establishment of a new universal charter for responsible countries to restore global stability.

The strategy is supported by polling data from 32,000 people across 20 developed nations. This research allows Brown to distinguish between a civic core open to compromise and those who view politics through a zero sum lens. He asserts that for liberal politics to compete with demagogues, it must move beyond the art of the possible and show it can make the desirable possible.