Deborah Meaden, best known for her role on Dragons' Den, has called on the British public to submit ideas to help unite the country. Writing after England's World Cup match against Mexico, she noted that three-quarters of people feel the nation is divided and that politics has failed to address community cohesion.
National Mood and Division
Meaden wrote that summarising the national mood, football aside, is troubling. She stated that “three quarters of us feel our country is divided and a lot of the time it feels like nothing works properly.” She added that hostile states cause fear, extremists try to divide society, and the online world can feel toxic. Football, she said, is one of the few remaining unifying forces, but it cannot hold the country together year-round.
Call for Ideas
Meaden launched a campaign asking the public to pitch their ideas for bringing people together. She emphasised that this is not a task for politicians alone, saying, “this is too important to leave to politicians.” The campaign was launched on TikTok to engage younger generations, but she welcomes ideas from everyone. She urged people to visit thenationalconversation.org.uk and share their vision for the country and one idea to reunite it.
Community and Common Purpose
Meaden highlighted the importance of community, common purpose, and togetherness, as experienced in pubs cheering on the team. She argued that politics has neglected community infrastructure, leaving society fractured. Her campaign aims to gather grassroots solutions from the public.
“I’ve seen a lot of pitches in my time, but these will be the most important,” Meaden wrote, encouraging people to have their say on the country they want to live in.
