I don’t know what possessed me to agree to read this book. Zac Goldsmith is, after all, Tory candidate for Richmond Park, a major donor to the Conservative Party and, although his personal fortune stands at a cool £200m, he is alleged to have avoided paying £6m in tax by adopting non-domicile status. But I was intrigued to read how this green adviser to David Cameron would set about running the economy. Did the “constant” of the title refer to no more boom and bust? Or did it mean to be “faithful” as in a Mills & Boon novel? Did “stable” really mean stagnant?
Whatever my prejudices, it was a massive undertaking, for Goldsmith manages to tell us how to run the world from the swamps of the Amazon to the flood plains of England – in a green way – in just 187 pages. He begins by arguing the case for abolishing GDP as a means to measure economic growth and move towards a “progress commission” which would “track signs of unhappiness such as suicide and the use of antidepressants”. It would look at “fish stocks, air pollution, biodiversity, energy and food diversity” and living standards, health and access to public services. People power, he argues, should be increased with people being able to challenge and propose new laws using ballots and referenda.
Food production, energy generation and consumption and transport are all given the environmental treatment. He argues for a zero-waste economy, for higher emission standards for cars, for a tax on polluters, against nuclear power, against airport expansion and against building on flood plains. He has become the farmers’ champion.
I have to admit, albeit grudgingly, that it’s well-written and an easy read. Goldsmith is obviously knowledgeable and doesn’t shrink from criticising the chemical industry or the big multinationals. But it is the political establishment that gets most of the flack for constantly being in denial about the effects of the widespread use of chemicals and other pollutants. That may be the clue as to why he decided to go into politics.
But many of his views are in direct contradiction to Conservative Party policy. Indeed, the Tories have voted against them, so he may turn out to be quite the rebel. Is he a confused idealist? Maybe. But I couldn’t recommend buying the book – Zac Goldsmith already has more money than he will ever spend. Borrow it from your public library instead.
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