A panoramic photograph of Malham Cove in North Yorkshire.

Rage against the machine.

Tom Forth,

In April I was invited by a UK national government department to a meeting to help them "get out of London" and understand the needs of the country. The other people invited mostly lived in North England.

The invite did not specify a location, so I asked.

In May I learned that the meeting to "get out of London" will be held in London. This is so typical that it was not unexpected. It is so deeply ingrained in the UK's national institutions that such a meeting would happen in London that they hadn't even specified it in the invitation.

This happens to me and friends every week. It is endemic within almost every one of our national government departments, national bodies, national media organisations, and national think tanks. It is just a small symptom of a deep and deepening disease in our society.

I am furious that this is still happening after Scotland's close Independence Referendum and Brexit. Both should have kicked this country up the arse.

I have written a longer piece with more details, but I have decided not to publish it here. It would cost me and people I work with too much work. Ask a friend who doesn't live in London — this happens all the time, they'll tell you.

This has to change. Some of the people reading this could push that change. Act soon. We are running out of time.

 

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