Meet Simon Duffy PhD, Social Innovator

President of the Citizen Network, a global non-profit cooperative working to create a world where everyone matters.

Today I had the chance for a fascinating catch up with my old friend Simon Duffy. I have known Simon since 2016, and have always been inspired by his drive for a more connected, inclusive and fair society.

Dr Simon Duffy is a philosopher and social innovator who works to create a world where everyone matters. Simon is President of Citizen Network, which is a global non-profit cooperative, with members in 34 different countries. Simon is also Director of Citizen Network Research (formerly the Centre for Welfare Reform). His work focuses on the ideal of citizenship and how each of us can be fully equal and unique. Simon is a regular public speaker, writer and policy advisor.

Here is the raw recording of our chat for you to listen in. I hope you find it revealing, inspiring and illuminating as I did! Enjoy.

Here is a summary of our conversation with timestamps:

00:00 - 07:52 - Introduction
Brian and Simon introduce themselves and their backgrounds. Simon talks about living in Sheffield since 2002 and running Citizen Network, a think tank focused on empowering ordinary people.

07:52 - 15:28 - The UK's power structure
They discuss the highly centralised power structure in the UK, which Simon attributes to the country's imperial history. He argues this has led to the economic decline of northern regions compared to the wealth concentration in London and the Southeast.

15:28 - 24:07 - Democracy and decentralization
Simon advocates for real democracy with decision-making devolved to the local level, using Iceland as an example of a decentralised democracy. He critiques the UK's system where power rests with a tiny elite in Westminster/Whitehall.

24:07 - 32:10 - Tackling disempowerment
Simon explains his work on personal budgets to give people with disabilities more control over supports and services. They discuss how to counter top-down, paternalistic approaches by enabling community empowerment.

32:10 - 42:31 - Core values
Brian talks about Love Sheffield's values of kindness, compassion and creativity. Simon emphasises the universal value of active citizenship, with people coming together to create change.

42:31 - 54:56 - AI's opportunities and risks
They discuss the potential of AI tools like ChatGPT to either concentrate power and wealth, or help decentralise expertise. But Simon argues morality and wise decision-making ultimately rely on human judgement.

54:56 - 1:14:55 - Establishment groupthink
Simon critiques how institutional group-think and power politics distract elite decision-makers from society's real problems. But he sees hope in emerging alliances between citizens and local leaders.

1:14:55 - end - Citizen power and public servants
Brian and Simon conclude that lasting change requires public servants and local politicians embracing their own power to support engaged citizens. Simon ends on a hopeful note about Sheffield's future.

Here are the books which Simon mentioned through our conversation :

• 1:09:40 - "On Violence" by Hannah Arendt: Simon references this book when discussing the nature of power. He highlights Arendt's argument that what is conventionally considered "power" is more akin to violence.

• 1:10:50 - "Citizens" by John Alexander: Simon mentions this book in the context of discussing the need to shift from consumerism to active citizenship. He summarizes the story Alexander tells of having a moment of self-disgust at his role promoting consumerism.

• 1:19:40 - "The Romance of the Rose" (medieval book, no author mentioned): Simon references this book when arguing that the meaning of life is not found in material wealth, quoting a line about "to be rich is to have enough." He uses it to illustrate the point that enough resources to live a meaningful life is what matters, not excess.

Here's a nice clip of Simon explaining his idea of citizenship.

If you know an inspiring character in Sheffield, who is acting with their own purpose to create a positive difference in the world, please help us to meet them - we would love to bring their story to our friends here.