Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
This Easter, the message of hope, renewal, and resurrection stands in direct contradiction to the world being built around us. A narrow elite, which is overwhelmingly male, white, and self-identifying as Christian, is deliberately promoting division and conflict to concentrate wealth and power in our wolrd at the expense of collective well-being.
The ideological roots of this agenda lie in neoliberal economics, shaped by Friedrich Hayek and Milton Friedman, and actively promoted today by organisations such as the Atlas Network and the Tufton Street network of think tanks. Their programme deliberately weakens social cohesion, normalises inequality and insecurity, and strips public services to the bone. The Tory government between 2010 and 2024 put this into practice as a matter of deliberate policy and Labour has done precious little to reverse it.
Economic stress fuels resentment, and the elite redirect that resentment toward scapegoats from minority ethnic groups, to women, and LGBTQ+ people, all to maintain their hold on power and wealth.
The result is the rise of authoritarian politics across the UK and beyond. It is profoundly revealing that recent polls suggest large numbers of Church of England attendees would vote for Reform, a party whose values are, in every meaningful sense, completely alien to the Christian tradition.
Easter's core command is not complicated: love your neighbour as yourself. That is not a partisan slogan. It is a universal ethical imperative shared across religions and humanitarian traditions alike. If Easter means anything, it requires us to choose renewal over division, to rebuild public services, to resist the politics of exclusion, and to name the forces that profit from our fragmentation.
Check out our poll below: youtube.com/post/UgkxjbX6bOedPKW5SylZatib8ABKNsB6AN84
00:00 — Easter message: hope vs today’s reality
00:40 — Rising division, conflict, and political toxicity
01:30 — How division is being created and exploited
02:10 — Targets of division: marginalised groups and scapegoating
02:50 — Neoliberal roots: Friedrich Hayek and Milton Friedman
03:20 — Think tanks and influence: Atlas Network and Tufton Street network
03:50 — Inequality, austerity, and social breakdown
04:30 — Faith vs politics: contradiction in modern Christianity
05:00 — A personal view: ethics, care, and the teachings of Jesus
05:30 — The failure of compassion in global conflict
05:50 — Conclusion: choosing hope, renewal, and a politics of care
TRANSCRIPT
A transcript for this video is available at: taxresearch.org.uk
IF YOU WANT TO WRITE TO YOUR MP ABOUT ISSUES IN THIS VIDEO
If you want to write a letter to your MP on the issues raised in this blog post, there is a ChatGPT prompt to assist you in doing so, with full instructions, here. taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/06/20/chatgpt-prompt-for-a-letter-to-your-mp
HOW TO SUPPORT US
Please consider donating: ko-fi.com/taxresearch
ABOUT RICHARD MURPHY
Richard Murphy is Emeritus Professor of Accounting Practice at Sheffield University Management School. He is director of Tax Research LLP and the author of the Funding the Future blog. His best-known book is ‘The Joy of Tax’.
This video was edited by Thomas Murphy.
RICHARD MURPHY ON BLUESKY:
https://bsky.app/profile/richardjmurphy.bsky.social
OR
ON MY BLOG: taxresearch.org.uk/Blog
HIT SUBSCRIBE & GET NOTIFICATIONS
Subscribe and get notified of new videos released.
INTRODUCTION: youtube.com/watch?v=HdHsRPy3060
PLAYLISTS:
The Wealth Series
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgobQLeyZYAagFDMjEFTKbhRD
Ecenomics
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgob54Gs-fOL-8OAQ-IpduwB4
Britain
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgobwTT4ATvJjsf8OO6S7wD10
Tax
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgoaMni_12J6ULp3yUJisUZoY
MMT
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgoZ6jvRGSW5YXu8qogE6aClX
Money
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgoYnLk1c7syTvoIo8bKYUs5m
Climate Change
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgob4_wsYaVivWd2WumpPLYwJ
USA
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgoYYd3dSyU2Oyl3x7bWJOP7H
Labour
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgoa-KhzG-fnjDSg1WROL1zMw
The Trump Administration
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgobz41-GLimTho27A3flVWQx
#Easter #Hope #PoliticsOfCare #PoliticalEconomy #Neoliberalism #SocialJustice #UKPolitics #EconomicInequality #FaithAndPolitics #Christianity #MiddleEast #GlobalConflict #SocialDivision #PublicPolicy #EconomicReform #HumanRights #Compassion #Ethics #ModernPolitics #EconomicDebate #Community #Peace #Inclusion #AntiFascism #CareEconomy #SocialCohesion #PoliticalIdeas #MoralLeadership #Equality #Renewal
This Easter, the message of hope, renewal, and resurrection stands in direct contradiction to the world being built around us. A narrow elite, which is overwhelmingly male, white, and self-identifying as Christian, is deliberately promoting division and conflict to concentrate wealth and power in our wolrd at the expense of collective well-being.
The ideological roots of this agenda lie in neoliberal economics, shaped by Friedrich Hayek and Milton Friedman, and actively promoted today by organisations such as the Atlas Network and the Tufton Street network of think tanks. Their programme deliberately weakens social cohesion, normalises inequality and insecurity, and strips public services to the bone. The Tory government between 2010 and 2024 put this into practice as a matter of deliberate policy and Labour has done precious little to reverse it.
Economic stress fuels resentment, and the elite redirect that resentment toward scapegoats from minority ethnic groups, to women, and LGBTQ+ people, all to maintain their hold on power and wealth.
The result is the rise of authoritarian politics across the UK and beyond. It is profoundly revealing that recent polls suggest large numbers of Church of England attendees would vote for Reform, a party whose values are, in every meaningful sense, completely alien to the Christian tradition.
Easter's core command is not complicated: love your neighbour as yourself. That is not a partisan slogan. It is a universal ethical imperative shared across religions and humanitarian traditions alike. If Easter means anything, it requires us to choose renewal over division, to rebuild public services, to resist the politics of exclusion, and to name the forces that profit from our fragmentation.
Check out our poll below: youtube.com/post/UgkxjbX6bOedPKW5SylZatib8ABKNsB6AN84
00:00 — Easter message: hope vs today’s reality
00:40 — Rising division, conflict, and political toxicity
01:30 — How division is being created and exploited
02:10 — Targets of division: marginalised groups and scapegoating
02:50 — Neoliberal roots: Friedrich Hayek and Milton Friedman
03:20 — Think tanks and influence: Atlas Network and Tufton Street network
03:50 — Inequality, austerity, and social breakdown
04:30 — Faith vs politics: contradiction in modern Christianity
05:00 — A personal view: ethics, care, and the teachings of Jesus
05:30 — The failure of compassion in global conflict
05:50 — Conclusion: choosing hope, renewal, and a politics of care
TRANSCRIPT
A transcript for this video is available at: taxresearch.org.uk
IF YOU WANT TO WRITE TO YOUR MP ABOUT ISSUES IN THIS VIDEO
If you want to write a letter to your MP on the issues raised in this blog post, there is a ChatGPT prompt to assist you in doing so, with full instructions, here. taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/06/20/chatgpt-prompt-for-a-letter-to-your-mp
HOW TO SUPPORT US
Please consider donating: ko-fi.com/taxresearch
ABOUT RICHARD MURPHY
Richard Murphy is Emeritus Professor of Accounting Practice at Sheffield University Management School. He is director of Tax Research LLP and the author of the Funding the Future blog. His best-known book is ‘The Joy of Tax’.
This video was edited by Thomas Murphy.
RICHARD MURPHY ON BLUESKY:
https://bsky.app/profile/richardjmurphy.bsky.social
OR
ON MY BLOG: taxresearch.org.uk/Blog
HIT SUBSCRIBE & GET NOTIFICATIONS
Subscribe and get notified of new videos released.
INTRODUCTION: youtube.com/watch?v=HdHsRPy3060
PLAYLISTS:
The Wealth Series
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgobQLeyZYAagFDMjEFTKbhRD
Ecenomics
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgob54Gs-fOL-8OAQ-IpduwB4
Britain
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgobwTT4ATvJjsf8OO6S7wD10
Tax
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgoaMni_12J6ULp3yUJisUZoY
MMT
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgoZ6jvRGSW5YXu8qogE6aClX
Money
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgoYnLk1c7syTvoIo8bKYUs5m
Climate Change
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgob4_wsYaVivWd2WumpPLYwJ
USA
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgoYYd3dSyU2Oyl3x7bWJOP7H
Labour
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgoa-KhzG-fnjDSg1WROL1zMw
The Trump Administration
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgobz41-GLimTho27A3flVWQx
#Easter #Hope #PoliticsOfCare #PoliticalEconomy #Neoliberalism #SocialJustice #UKPolitics #EconomicInequality #FaithAndPolitics #Christianity #MiddleEast #GlobalConflict #SocialDivision #PublicPolicy #EconomicReform #HumanRights #Compassion #Ethics #ModernPolitics #EconomicDebate #Community #Peace #Inclusion #AntiFascism #CareEconomy #SocialCohesion #PoliticalIdeas #MoralLeadership #Equality #Renewal
