If you want change, it's up to you

By Tony Watts - Editor - 28/11/2007

It’s three years since the new team took over the reins and in that time we’ve doubled our circulation up to 200,000. We’re now a truly national paper.

More importantly (I think, anyway) the paper is now achieving what we set out to do: to make it the “voice” of our readers. Features like “Tell Gordon Brown” as well as packed letters pages every month show just how many of you out there are itching for change, and feel frustrated that the “powers that be” don’t /won’t/can’t be bothered to listen to you.

Personally, I don’t believe that we cannot effect change by protesting our case effectively and persistently.

Change happens – all the time. We might not see it in the short or even medium term, but we don’t always see the first leaves falling in Autumn.

We live in a radically different society today than we did when I grew up in the 50s and 60s. A lot of you will say “so much for the worse”, and in some ways you’d be right. It’s a much less safe and certain world. But there has been positive change too: our society is less narrow in its perspective and more tolerant of each other’s differences. Britain is not so snobbish either, and more mobile.

Many of us are unimpressed with the changes wrought by modern technology. I don’t agree with that view: I see my children talking to each other (and me!) and sharing knowledge more freely than we ever could.

But a lot of change has come about from people pushing against the established order. In every local paper you’ll find mums with banners complaining about the siting of a zebra crossing or the need for more play facilities: it’s democracy at work. People pressure. It works.

People pressure comes from individuals and groups prepared to put their heads above the parapet, to lobby Parliament, raise petitions, write into newspapers – newspapers that are far less deferential to the Government than they were a few decades ago. The current pullout from Iraq is down to pressure from the public. The howls of outrage that met Gordon Brown’s 75p pension rise forced a U turn. The poll tax was reversed because of protest, because of people pressure.

We can even drink decent beer in our pubs because of the wonderful work of CAMRA: anyone who can remember Watneys Red Barrel should drink to those guys’ health.

In the 20 years I’ve been editing newspapers for older people, I have always maintained that the real power for change that you could unleash has never really been harnessed. There are 20 million people in this country aged 50 and over: the knowledge, experience and wisdom you possess between you is the vast untapped resource this country needs to make real change happen: not fiddling around the edges change, but change going right to the heart of our society.

Not just stuff for ourselves either, like better pensions and healthcare, as important as that is. But fundamental things, like respect for each other; patience and persistence in relationships; a desire to make the world a better, more caring, less materialistic place. Idealistic tosh? Possibly. But you have to dream and sometimes dreams come true.

Humans have evolved as a race because we’ve managed to survive long enough to teach the next generation what we know: that’s what YOU can do. So don’t lose the faith that you can be a part of positive change, that you can help your children and grandchildren inherit a better, fairer world.