Everythingism: an essay

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The State has been paralysed by a powerful force: Everythingism.  

Everythingism is the belief that every proposal, project or policy is a means for promoting every national objective, all at the same time. 

Because of Everythingism, we never do any one thing well, we do everything badly. Housing policy becomes the main route for fixing the nitrogen imbalances in local rivers, and creating more social housing the main way of subsidising the welfare state. Trains must look after bats. Climate policy is to support the services sector. 

It isn’t just that everything is going wrong, or that everything needs to be fixed. The problem is that we’re relying on everything to fix everything else, everywhere, all at once. And so nothing works. 

Defeating Everythingism is a crucial step to rewiring the government and building state capacity. And greater state capacity is essential for solving Britain’s problems, given how closely the modern state is intertwined with the levers needed to build a successful future – a growing economy, defence of the nation, and reliable public services. 

Everythingism: the pathology holding back the State makes the case for a government which is radically focused on the key policies to delivering its agenda, and rejects a culture which makes every policy responsible for the success of every other policy.