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Alex Smith

@alexsmith1982.bsky.social

Senior Advisor & Inaugural Fellow, Obama Foundation • Visiting Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School • Trustee & Board Member • Ex: The Cares Family, Ed Miliband, LabourList.

88 Posts444 Follower459 Folgt
Alex Smith@alexsmith1982.bsky.social · last wk.

Covid changed everything, not for a while but forever. The fear, the loss of collective innocence, the twinned freneticism and boredom. Isolation is always tragic but combined with such dramatic global change it was, and remains, trauma. And we barely even took a moment to reflect.

The Fig Economy@figgityfigs.bsky.social · last wk.

One of my Crank Theories of Everything, at least of Everything in the Recent Past, is that we are dealing (badly) with COVID trauma we’d mostly prefer to pretend never happened.

Alex Smith@alexsmith1982.bsky.social · last mo.

'Pay attention to this impulse, because it may be what gets us out of this darkness. People wanting to be joyful. People wanting to feel passionate. People wanting to be together with other people.'

Alex Smith@alexsmith1982.bsky.social · last mo.

'People want to be together in public spaces. People are hungry for community and solidarity... People do want to share something in common with different people.' Love this from @rhodesben.bsky.social on his travels in the US and beyond, and the value in third spaces: substack.com/home/post/p-...

Alex Smith@alexsmith1982.bsky.social · last mo.

I love the Obama Presidential Center for its stories of hope, its teachings on the art of the possible, its promise of inclusion and belonging. Such a joy to be part of the opening last week, and such a privilege to help build The Obama Foundation every day.

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Alex Smith@alexsmith1982.bsky.social · 2mo ago

'𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘥 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵. 𝘍𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.' www.theguardian.com/books/2026/j...

‘Far right groups prey on it’: Olivia Laing on the weaponisation of loneliness

A decade after The Lonely City was first published, the writer reflects on what’s changed – and how the feelings that drove them to write their bestseller are key to understanding our turbulent politi...

theguardian.com

Alex Smith@alexsmith1982.bsky.social · 2mo ago

The UK was a global leader in taking action to reduce loneliness – and it can be again. It was great to be part of this @shorensteinctr.bsky.social @jocoxfoundation.bsky.social webinar. Here's a summary of the conversation in the Harvard Gazette: news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...

How loneliness became major public health issue — Harvard Gazette

U.K., U.S. experts trace rise in awareness through research, political involvement, pandemic

news.harvard.edu

Alex Smith@alexsmith1982.bsky.social · 4mo ago

‘If Brexit had one true legacy, it was that a country which had for years blamed Brussels for its problems now had the freedom to make its own mistakes.’ Finished Tim Shipman’s 2,600 page history of Brexit: a daunting but gripping chronicle of the times we’re still living.

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Alex Smith@alexsmith1982.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Great to see the politics of agency in the mainstream – here on Amol Rajan's Radical w/ @jameskanag.bsky.social. The sense of a lack of control can be met with a new age of community and belonging. These ideas are timeless but need turbocharging in times of change. www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...

Radical with Amol Rajan - Why ‘Agency’ Could Be The Next Big Idea In Politics

Leading pollster James Kanagasooriam explains how a sense of powerlessness amongst voters is shaping politics.

bbc.co.uk

Alex Smith@alexsmith1982.bsky.social · 6mo ago

‘Libraries, youth centres and community centres – stripping away these things is storing up issues for the longer term.’ Community spaces are key for our social fabric. Their decline is a major factor in the collective sense of national malaise. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Out of the red, but at what cost? Birmingham council asset sales have left city reeling, say residents

As council declares it’s ‘no longer bankrupt’, people say closure of services have added to social isolation and crime

theguardian.com

Alex Smith@alexsmith1982.bsky.social · 7mo ago

‘For us, everything can change so suddenly that futures like those of our grandparents don’t have enough ‘now’ to last the pace.’ Loved this from Giuliano da Empoli on the freneticism and instant gratification of modern life, and how these can recondition perceptions about time.

Alex Smith@alexsmith1982.bsky.social · 8mo ago

The benefits of intergenerational friendship are absolutely huge: reduced isolation, better health outcomes, shared learning in a rapidly changing world, a more cohesive society, economic growth. So good to see efforts like this continuing to get support: www.thetimes.com/article/1290...

Harry Judd: We must tackle loneliness crisis across generations

The McFly drummer speaks out about young men lacking a sense of purpose and how the charity Kissing it Better is helping them stay happy and healthy

thetimes.com

Alex Smith@alexsmith1982.bsky.social · 8mo ago

‘We’re supporting grassroots charities, which, through their vital work in local neighbourhoods, nurture community and positive change, and provide a powerful antidote to polarisation, distrust and hate.’ A prescient and necessary campaign, well timed: www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Communities are our defence against hatred. Now, more than ever, we must invest in hope

For this year’s Guardian charity appeal we are asking readers to donate to Citizens UK, The Linking Network, Locality, Hope Unlimited Charitable Trust and Who is Your Neighbour?

theguardian.com

Alex Smith@alexsmith1982.bsky.social · 8mo ago

30% of rooms listed are in properties with no living room; 49% of renters say theirs is used as a bedroom; 44% say this affects mental health. Just another example of how, even in homes, shared spaces and chances for human interaction are diminishing. www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

The death of the living room: ‘It’s hard to invite people over – not everyone wants to sit on a bed’

The number of rental properties without a lounge is surging, and people are having to eat and socialise in kitchens, bedrooms and stairwells. How can you relax and build community without a communal a...

theguardian.com

Alex Smith@alexsmith1982.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Purpose is a continuum, something passed down generations, and today's work is the unfinished business of those who came before us. Thanks Beautiful Truth Magazine for the chance to talk about purpose, belonging, and building connection in disconnecting times: thebeautifultruth.org/my-life-on-p...

Alex Smith: The Long View of Belonging — The Beautiful Truth

Alex Smith talks to Hannah Finch about building bridges across generations, tackling loneliness, and why the future depends on our ability to stay connected.

thebeautifultruth.org