Our Prime Minister thinks that devolved government is a waste of time. Laws such as the Future Generations Act prove him wrong on this matter. You may feel that has nothing to do with a review of this book but, not only is the subject refreshing, the style is too. When was the last time that you have heard, or read, a politician admitting to mistakes?

This book takes us through the Future Generations Act, from its earliest stages as a concept, through false dawns to the passing of the Act. Our author was a major figure, from the early days and is happy to say when she needed persuading to change direction. The first half of the book is absolutely riveting.

I suppose that a look at how the Act is fairing was required to round off the work but, it is too soon to see real benefits and, I felt, that this section was too long (hence the loss of half a star).

The Act itself is something of which Wales should, rightly, be proud and I am ashamed that the UK (English) Government have left the creation of a bill on the matter to back benchers. ( )

DavidWineberg below pretty much sums up my reaction to this book too. Is it a political biography or a report on a particular law? It doesn't do either very well. For politicals nerds only I think. ( )

Wales is leaving the UK and pretty much the rest of the world in its dust. It has passed a law called The Well-being of Future Generations Act. It is a first of its kind Act that requires government to consider the effects on future generations before blundering ahead. Jane Davidson, who developed and shepherded it, is justifiably proud of it. Her book #futuregen extols the accomplishment from every angle, except one. The one that counts.

As England loosened the chains on Wales (as well as on Scotland and Northern Ireland), the country has moved off in its own green direction. In 2008, it became the world’s first fairtrade country. The fact it did that, led many to have a better appreciation of the planet and Wales’ place in it. A study showed that the Welsh consume three times their per capita share of global resources. In a bid to reduce that to a more equality-minded rate of consumption, politicians like Davidson talked in terms of One Wales, One Planet. It was the right time; the Welsh were receptive.

By 2015, they had passed the Well-being Act, and sustainability became the actual central principle of the government. This is of course unique in the world and a huge accomplishment, impossible in most nations. But a handful of countries are learning from it and noodling around doing it themselves. If enough countries implement philosophies like this, the human race would actually have a chance.

Unfortunately, the book is almost entirely self-congratulatory, with dozens of voices expressing their satisfaction at this development, and thoughts for the future. What is glaringly missing is how the Act has changed Wales and the Welsh in the five years since passage. There are no figures showing how Wales’ carbon footprint has plunged. There are no studies showing Welsh companies changing the world with innovative green solutions. About the only statistic in the book is the amount of disposable bags dropping by 90% in just one year after Davidson imposed a 5p tax on them. This was after a long period of cajoling had little to no effect.

There are mentions that schools are instilling these forward-thinking values, but nothing that shows kids’ attitudes are markedly different because of it or how their own trajectories have changed. There is a lot of debate on carrot vs stick, centered on the powers given to the well-being commissioner, who seems to have only the power of browbeating.

Wales also claims a podium spot for its recycling efforts, which are not described either. How they are different or more effective is not mentioned. There are brief mentions of companies trading with each other, avoiding cash outlays, and of houses built of wood instead of stone and mortar, but not how widespread these things are, how much money or energy is being saved, or even whether they are spreading or merely experiments.

So #futuregen is not a how-to, and not a report on results. It is a rose-colored description of how the Act came to be and how proud everyone is of it. To me, that’s not enough for a book. Especially five years later.

David Wineberg ( )