Dealing with another week in Britain's troubled psyche - my anarchic Sunday sermon

If Britain was on the couch, I think the psychologist running the session would be extremely worried about her psyche at the moment.

It seems we can't agree on any sort of approach to the multiple crises engulfing us - or rather if we can, the people who hold the power and ultimately make the decisions are hell-bent on ignoring us and driving us towards the edge of the cliff.

It all started quite well, with viewing the Channel 4 documentary "Is it time to break the law?" by Chris Packham.

In the film Packham wrestles with himself over very similar questions we have been grappling with at the Power Station...

"What should I do, to have maximum impact in this crisis?"

(It's on Channel 4's catch up if you want to see it)

He quoted that in his lifetime there has been a staggering 69% loss of biodiversity.

I was struck by a short sequence in which he inferred that he felt that as a conservationist he had failed in his job because he hadn't been able to halt the destruction.

He must feel a hell of a weight for what's happening around us - and given that he hasn't resolved the crisis through broadcasting alone, he wants to try his hand at another tactic.

He cited Cop 26 in Glasgow as being a pivotal moment for him - witnessing David Attenborough addressing the delegates passionately whilst noting that by the next day that message was forgotten and ignored.

He realised that the solutions to climate change would have to come from outside the political system...

This has led him to an investigation into various tactics of direct action, witnessing at very close hand the slow marching of Just Stop Oil and travelling by train to meet the Swedish writer & activist Andreas Malm whose book "How to Blow Up a Pipeline" is a rallying cry for people to stand up and dismantle the infrastructure of fossil capitalism here and now and by whatever means necessary.

In an exchange where Packham's anxiety over what he should do was clear and intense, Malm counselled that he's not saying everyone has to get arrested and go to jail but that everyone should be doing whatever they can do at this critical time.

Ultimately the question is how do you have impact? What should we do, the people who understand the urgency of altering the way we power ourselves?

Next day, we saw Sunak decide to "row back on his Green policies".. I was up very early that morning and had been dragged to the supermarket by my son who apparently had to be there at 7am to buy flowers for his mum.. I saw the headlines outside covered in plastic with rain drops on, like the elements had been crying onto them.

There's been this false choice put forward by the tabloids - you can either try and sort out the cost of living crisis or the environment. As if you had to choose between going on holiday or redecorating the kitchen...

This argument is a total misnomer. Based on the idea that investment creates jobs, money and consumer demand, any sane government would be investing like mad in a green economy - not peddling false economic arguments to try and get away with squeezing every last drop of oil and gas out of the North Sea.

This is too important to play politics with...

But what do we do with all this darkness, all this soul-searching, all these broken promises, personal crises?

The answer must be that we keep standing up and putting one foot in front of the other in places where we can make a difference.

In our communities, on our own doorsteps - doing what we can with our own unique talents, getting together in groups like this...

We must keep on sharing knowledge, changing people's hearts, working with scientists, economists, poets, filmmakers, artists and making stories of hope. That's all I can think of...

Ultimately I reject despair, because it leads to disempowerment - and the maniacs and vandals in control are the only ones who will benefit from this.

Next week we will get our crowdfunder launched and I really hope it will be successful - I don't know about you but I definitely feel the need of a story brimming with hope. Still getting 100 new subscribers a day!