It occurs to me, watching the news stories on such things as Scottish devolution and Europe, that I hold a rather contradictory view on humanity and society. It’s strange: on the one hand, I support localism. If we are all equal, we all deserve an equal say in what goes on in our communities, and the best way to do this is through direct, localised democracy. This way, local variety and culture can be best preserved; ht is why I love the idea of Manchester and other cities getting their own mayors, and think the creation of a northern powerhouse to counterbalance the megalopolis of London would be a good move. At the same time, I believe humanity should be coming together, getting rid of national borders and working together as one species. That requires a large centralised government which can coordinate resources and make sure the strong don’t overpower the weak. That’s why I favour the EU and opposed Scottish independence, and view the news that we seem to be heading further and further towards an exit from Europe, and may no longer be welcome there soon, as very bad indeed. These two views contradict each other, yet both stem from the same principles of democracy and equality. This strikes me as odd; how does humanity unite yet retain its variety and avoid autocracy? This might seem an academic question, but, with our resources staring to dwindle, I think it is one we will soon have to tackle.