Part 3: How to Reverse the Decline in Living Standards

In Parts 1 and 2 of this series, we looked at the decline of living standards in the UK, Canada, and Australia, and the natural incentives driving it. Each actor — governments, corporations, media — is acting in its own self-interest. The problem is that their incentives combine to punish ordinary households.

The question now is: what can society do to stop it?

1. Rethink Immigration

Immigration policy should serve the well-being of households, not just GDP targets. That means:

• Setting intake levels to match infrastructure capacity, housing supply, and job opportunities.

• Prioritising integration, so newcomers strengthen social cohesion rather than stretch it.

• Shifting the focus from propping up headline GDP to raising GDP per capita — the measure that actually matters to living standards.

If the incentive for government performance was tied to per-capita wellbeing, the policy settings would look very different.

2. Restore Housing as Shelter, Not a Speculative Asset

The housing crisis is the single biggest drain on households. Solutions include:

• Removing tax incentives that fuel speculation.

• Freeing up land supply in a controlled, infrastructure-ready way.

• Exploring new construction technologies — such as modular or 3D-printed housing — to reduce costs.

The key shift is to realign incentives so that political success is measured by housing affordability, not rising property values.

3. Rebalance Energy Policy

Energy policy needs to keep two goals in balance: affordability and reliability. Climate targets are meaningless if families cannot afford to heat their homes or industries are forced offshore.

That means:

• Investing in reliable baseload power alongside renewables.

• Considering nuclear (including modular thorium reactors) as a long-term clean option.

• Redirecting subsidies away from corporations chasing handouts, toward technologies that actually lower bills and stabilise supply.

Success here should be measured in cents per kilowatt-hour, not just political virtue signalling.

4. Realign Media Incentives

The media thrives on division. But it also depends on trust. Audiences are slowly waking up to bias and sensationalism, turning instead to independent voices. Supporting alternative platforms and demanding accountability from legacy outlets helps create pressure for change.

Society should reward journalism that informs and unites, not just provokes outrage.

5. Protect Free Expression

Governments inevitably want to silence dissent. But real social stability comes not from suppression, but from airing grievances openly and addressing them.

Protecting free speech — online and in public spaces — is critical. If politicians faced stronger political costs for censorship, they would be less inclined to reach for it as their default tool.

6. Incentivise Policy Around Households

The thread running through all of this is incentives. At present, the metrics governments and corporations care about — GDP growth, share prices, property values — are disconnected from household wellbeing.

What if political success was judged by:

• Rising median household income

• Lower cost of living

• Improved social trust metrics

• Higher housing affordability

These would shift incentives in ways that directly align with ordinary people’s lives.

A Call for Change

The decline of living standards in the UK, Canada, and Australia is real. But it is not inevitable. Nor is it orchestrated by a shadowy cabal. It is the product of misplaced incentives.

Change the incentives, and you change the outcomes.

Society must demand that governments, corporations, and media measure success not by abstract numbers or fleeting headlines, but by the daily realities of the households they serve.

Only then can we begin to reverse the slide, restore trust, and rebuild prosperity.