Sam Page
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What are we aiming towards, as a country?

Founder life and leadership4 min readSam Page

I think we need a new vision.

It feels tough in the UK at the moment. That’s what I hear time and time again when chatting to people, whether it’s in a professional or personal context.

The economy is flat, the cost of living is up, and trust in politics is down. Most weeks feel like hard work - yes we're getting by, but doing so is taking a huge amount of additional effort and resilience compared to a few years ago.

It’s not just about the economy

When things feel this difficult, I don’t think it’s just about the economy, money, or politics. It’s about a lack of energy. A lack of confidence and positivity. A lack of direction and vision. Something to inspire us all.

Right now, it feels like that’s missing.

No shared story

Beyond organisations and individuals, there’s no shared story we’re part of. No idea we can all build towards. Nothing we can fall back on to give us perspective, or a sense of greater good or purpose.

When that sense of national direction and purpose is missing, organisations and people tend to turn inwards. Cynicism creeps in, and we end up behaving in a “protect and defend” way. At worst, we stop believing that things can get better. When there’s no vision, it’s hard to feel hopeful. The situation spirals downwards. Reality becomes what we believe it is.

It doesn’t have to be this way

You can see it in other countries that are trying to change the narrative.

  • Ireland has Project Ireland 2040 - linking planning and investment to long-term goals around climate, equality and growth.
  • The UAE has a Vision 2031, built around a forward-thinking society, economy, diplomacy and ecosystem.
  • New Zealand has developed a 2040 vision centred on “achieving a sustainable, inclusive, and productive nation,” with key goals including a low-carbon economy, biodiversity protection, and improved wellbeing.
  • America still carries the narrative of the American Dream, giving many people a sense of identity and direction.
  • Singapore routinely plans with a 20+ year horizon.

I’m not suggesting any of these are perfect, or right for the UK. But they do something important: they offer people a story to be part of. They’re forward-looking. They give people hope. A shared purpose. Something to believe in that creates direction, positivity and confidence.

So what about the UK?

The UK needs its own version of this.

We don’t have one right now. Other than siloed strategies in different departments - the Net Zero plan, the Innovation Strategy, the Industrial Strategy (although I’d imagine most people, myself included, know little about any of these).

And I don’t mean a party manifesto or a marketing campaign. Not a short-term, self-fulfilling initiative. I mean a meaningful, unifying idea that gives us a future direction and builds confidence and positivity.

What would it take?

It needs to be honest about where we are, and where we’ve come from, while being bold about where we could go.

It needs to rise above politics.

Something bigger than a five-year plan or a party line.

Something like a UK National Vision for 2040.

It would need to be created through conversation that’s based on listening and understanding - not statements and assumptions. Co-created with a cross-section of people: communities, businesses, young people, older people, thinkers, doers, carers, critics.

Questions we would need to ask

  • What kind of country do we want to be known as?
  • What do we want life in the UK to feel like?
  • What is our contribution to each other, and to the world at large?

And it probably needs to span the economy, climate, education, technology, identity, and wellbeing.

But most importantly, it needs to give us something to move towards - together.

I know it wouldn’t be easy

Vision work never is.

But sometimes naivety in believing something can be achieved goes a long way to making it happen.

It will require humility from leaders.

It will require imagination and trust between people who don’t always agree.

It will take time. It will face resistance.

It will be messy.

But all change worth making is hard at first and messy in the middle at some point.

What’s the alternative?

The alternative is what we have now. A low-level discontent. A lack of confidence and energy. A country that feels like it’s treading water.

I know this article doesn’t offer a blueprint. But I hope it acts as a prompt - an invitation to consider the idea. To ask different questions. To dream a little bigger than we are at the moment.

Deep down, I don’t think we’re just looking for stability.

I think we’re looking for meaning. A sense of purpose.

And a direction that gives us confidence.

That starts with having something in the future we can believe in.

What do you think?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

What would you want to see in a National Vision for the UK? What would it mean to you to have one?

First published on LinkedIn.

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---
title: "What are we aiming towards, as a country?"
url: https://sam-page.com/thinking/what-are-we-aiming-towards-as-a-country
date: 2025-05-11
author: Sam Page
type: Post or article
categories: [Founder life and leadership]
reading_time: 4 min
summary: "It feels tough in the UK at the moment. That’s what I hear time and time again when chatting to people, whether it’s in a professional or personal context."
first_published: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-we-aiming-towards-country-sam-page-xvthe
---

# What are we aiming towards, as a country?

*I think we need a new vision.*

It feels tough in the UK at the moment. That’s what I hear time and time again when chatting to people, whether it’s in a professional or personal context.

The economy is flat, the cost of living is up, and trust in politics is down. Most weeks feel like hard work - yes we're getting by, but doing so is taking a huge amount of additional effort and resilience compared to a few years ago.

### It’s not just about the economy

When things feel this difficult, I don’t think it’s just about the economy, money, or politics. It’s about a lack of energy. A lack of confidence and positivity. A lack of direction and vision. Something to inspire us all.

Right now, it feels like that’s missing.

### No shared story

Beyond organisations and individuals, there’s no shared story we’re part of. No idea we can all build towards. Nothing we can fall back on to give us perspective, or a sense of greater good or purpose.

When that sense of national direction and purpose is missing, organisations and people tend to turn inwards. Cynicism creeps in, and we end up behaving in a “protect and defend” way. At worst, we stop believing that things can get better. When there’s no vision, it’s hard to feel hopeful. The situation spirals downwards. Reality becomes what we believe it is.

### It doesn’t have to be this way

You can see it in other countries that are trying to change the narrative.

- Ireland has *Project Ireland 2040* - linking planning and investment to long-term goals around climate, equality and growth.
- The UAE has a *Vision 2031*, built around a forward-thinking society, economy, diplomacy and ecosystem.
- New Zealand has developed a 2040 vision centred on “achieving a sustainable, inclusive, and productive nation,” with key goals including a low-carbon economy, biodiversity protection, and improved wellbeing.
- America still carries the narrative of the *American Dream*, giving many people a sense of identity and direction.
- Singapore routinely plans with a 20+ year horizon.

I’m not suggesting any of these are perfect, or right for the UK. **But they do something important: they offer people a story to be part of. They’re forward-looking. They give people hope. A shared purpose. Something to believe in that creates direction, positivity and confidence.**

### So what about the UK?

The UK needs its own version of this.

We don’t have one right now. Other than siloed strategies in different departments - the Net Zero plan, the Innovation Strategy, the Industrial Strategy (although I’d imagine most people, myself included, know little about any of these).

And I don’t mean a party manifesto or a marketing campaign. Not a short-term, self-fulfilling initiative. I mean a meaningful, unifying idea that gives us a future direction and builds confidence and positivity.

### What would it take?

It needs to be honest about where we are, and where we’ve come from, while being bold about where we could go.

It needs to rise above politics.

Something bigger than a five-year plan or a party line.

Something like a ***UK National Vision for 2040*.**

It would need to be created through conversation that’s based on listening and understanding - not statements and assumptions. Co-created with a cross-section of people: communities, businesses, young people, older people, thinkers, doers, carers, critics.

### Questions we would need to ask

- What kind of country do we want to be known as?
- What do we want life in the UK to feel like?
- What is our contribution to each other, and to the world at large?

And it probably needs to span the economy, climate, education, technology, identity, and wellbeing.

But most importantly, it needs to give us something to move towards - together.

### I know it wouldn’t be easy

Vision work never is.

But sometimes naivety in believing something can be achieved goes a long way to making it happen.

It will require humility from leaders.

It will require imagination and trust between people who don’t always agree.

It will take time. It will face resistance.

It will be messy.

But all change worth making is hard at first and messy in the middle at some point.

### What’s the alternative?

The alternative is what we have now. A low-level discontent. A lack of confidence and energy. A country that feels like it’s treading water.

I know this article doesn’t offer a blueprint. But I hope it acts as a prompt - an invitation to consider the idea. To ask different questions. To dream a little bigger than we are at the moment.

Deep down, I don’t think we’re just looking for stability.

I think we’re looking for meaning. A sense of purpose.

And a direction that gives us confidence.

That starts with having something in the future we can believe in.

**What do you think?**

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

What would you want to see in a National Vision for the UK? What would it mean to you to have one?