Lessons from King Alfred

The latest economic figures show that in per capita terms, the UK became poorer over the last quarter — yet again. Our growth rate between Q1 2008 and Q3 2024 was a paltry 0.15 per cent. In other words, we’ve stagnated. Badly. 

Whilst overall economic growth may have edged up very slightly, this means very little for the prosperity of ordinary households across the country. As Samuel Johnson wrote in 1775, “[…] they whose aggregate constitutes the people, are found in the streets, and the villages, in the shops and farms; and from them collectively considered, must the measure of a general prosperity be taken.” 

The world looks on in disbelief and disappointment. The American economy has rocketed over the last decade by comparison. Their concerns are not merely economic. No less a figure than Vice President JD Vance just highlighted the UK’s “backslide away from conscience rights” which has undermined “basic liberties”. We’re the motherland—the cradle of the English language, the common law, and the industrial revolution. Our inheritance is spectacular, and yet we are squandering it. We could be so much better than this. 

At the Prosperity Institute, we recognise that research, policy, and legislation can only take us so far in fixing this mess. We need leaders with vision, courage, and selfless perseverance to drive forward a new season of renewal. This year we are launching a new programme, the Edington Fellowship, to equip and encourage future leaders in politics and public policy. Fellows will meet regularly to learn from works of ancient wisdom, grapple with the policy challenges of our time, and practice the skills of statecraft. 

We take inspiration from Dr. Johnson’s friend Edmund Burke. Looking at the newly-formed National Assembly across the channel in his classic Reflections on the Revolution in France, he described how the character of people within institutions is “of ten thousand times greater consequence than all the formalities in the world” and that “no name, no power, no function, no artificial institution whatsoever, can make the men, of whom any system of authority is composed, any other than God, and Nature, and education, and their habits of life have made them.”

In that same work, Burke also emphasised how a “powerful prepossession towards antiquity” in the minds of “lawyers and legislators” is especially important, since it enables us to recognise our “most sacred rights and franchises as an inheritance”. That is, something of great value with which we have been entrusted. It enables us to feel the weight of our responsibility: that we must prevent it from stagnation and decay such that it can be entrusted to the future. 

It is to that end that the programme is called the Edington Fellowship — a name that pays tribute to a critical moment in our history, but one that has sadly fallen out of our collective consciousness. It was a moment when our forebears were prepared to stake it all to bring the nation back from the brink: the Battle of Edington, Alfred the Great’s last stand against the Vikings. 

Seemingly out of luck and out of time, his Kingdom reduced to a rump, Alfred and his court were stuck in the swamps of Athelney. It couldn’t have been more embarrassing for a King, as illustrated by the infamous story about him being berated by a disgruntled swineherd for burning her cakes. Edington was one last, daring, and ultimately successful battle against the Vikings’ Great Heathen Army. 

It was a turning point after which he established a legal code inspired by Biblical law, created burhs (fortified towns) to strengthen security and commerce, and invested heavily in promoting a culture of literacy and learning. In other words, it enabled Alfred to build national prosperity on a foundation of Christian values. 

It’s not for nothing that Churchill called him the greatest Briton. His statue stands proudly atop the Royal Courts of Justice. William Blackstone, among our greatest jurists, writing of “Britannia’s law” which embodies “the wisdom of a thousand years”, said that “mighty Alfred’s piercing soul pervades, and regulates the whole”. He alone is “the Great” among our monarchs, and we’d do well to look back to his life and draw inspiration for our own time.

Crucially, his courage sprang from a deep well of inner conviction. He read and translated works by Boethius and Gregory the Great — the Pope who first sent missionaries to Britain — that advised those in authority to be humble and selfless, mustering all their strength to bring the light of truth, goodness, and beauty to the world. 

If we’re to breathe new life into our nation and become prosperous once again, we need a new cadre of leaders who take inspiration from Alfred’s courage, perseverance, and inner conviction. Our Fellowship programme aims to identify and equip them. We encourage anyone interested to read more and apply at our website.