If younger citizens cast their vote with altruism in mind, they deserve our respect'

After so much searing political negativity, it’s uplifting to think young people might have renewed hope for a more just society

There’s nothing new under the sun. This general election, we've seen the same old arguments, accusations and counteraccusations rolled out by the major parties.

But there have been two departures.

The first, Jeremy Corbyn’s personal triumph, is rolled up with the second: the way in which the campaign reverted to an old-fashioned argument between left and right. The centre ground, skilfully colonised first by Tony Blair and subsequently by David Cameron, was largely abandoned.

I thought I spotted something new a couple of weeks ago in a report about a recently published book, 80,000 Hours: Find a fulfilling career that does good. The "80,000 Hours" in the title refers to the number of hours in a career – calculated at 40 hours a week, 50 weeks a year for 40 years. It is also the name of an ethical careers advisory service founded in 2011 by students from the University of Oxford (one of whom also wrote the book with his team).

The book acknowledges – indeed, takes as its starting point – that young people seem increasingly to be seeking jobs in which they can make a difference, improve the lot of others, give something back.

Such aims risk sounding glib and clichéd, but 80,000 Hours appears to respond to a concern that bright young people are turning away from traditional high-powered professions to pursue more philanthropic and ethical goals.

There are four strands of work that people can pursue, all of which can attain those noble ends, but not necessarily in conventional ways:

Earning to give

Advocacy

Research

Direct work

The fourth strand, direct work, is the one with which the book takes issue. Sure, idealistic young people can go directly into not-for-profit, charitable or social work, but it poses a question: are you irreplaceable and will you be any better at it than anyone else? The pathway is contrasted with the first idea, that of earning to give.

Examples are cited of bright young people entering careers such as medicine or high finance. These have considerable earning power, allowing people to give significant, even substantial, sums on a regular basis to good causes.

One 28-year-old doctor is quoted as giving a quarter of his salary to charities.

Roman Duda, a member of the 80,000 Hours team, recommends that “some graduates spend a few years working in the corporate sector before they transition into roles with more direct social impact”.

All of this makes sense and is rather cheering, given its positive and altruistic starting point. Moreover, it reflects the zeitgeist, particularly among the young.

The swing towards Jeremy Corbyn in recent weeks saw those pledging allegiance to Labour, particularly younger voters, supporting (as ITV’s Robert Peston observed) an additional £46 billion in higher taxes, although the promise of abolishing university fees cannot be discounted.

Nonetheless, that spirit of altruism is nothing new. The concept of the affluent (and frequently the powerful) using their wealth in acknowledgment and fulfilment of their civic duty is as old as the hills.

At my school in Newcastle upon Tyne, I’m two minutes’ walk from two fine examples of altruism. On the old Great North Road, there’s a fine 19th-century drinking fountain, erected by public subscription, with acknowledgement to the movers and shakers who got it going.

A hundred yards away stands a dedication in the brickwork of a school for the deaf. Again, some 150 years ago, civic leaders in Newcastle built it by public subscription. To this day, the building houses young people with a range of learning difficulties and disabilities, educated under the umbrella of the Percy Hedley Foundation.

Philanthropy is not a new thing, then, but too often in recent times, society as reflected in the media has appeared ready to praise get-rich-quick desires based on a vapid celebrity culture

Jeremy Corbyn’s vision of creating a more just society failed to impress the majority of the electorate, but if younger citizens cast their vote in the hope of doing so, they deserve our respect.

Similarly, an organisation providing careers advice to some of the country’s brightest students, that promotes altruistic approaches even (or particularly) to highly rewarded careers is impressive. Indeed, after so much searing political negativity, it’s uplifting.

As we wait to see how society fares with an unclear election result, I doubt we shall see much that is either uplifting – or new.

Dr Bernard Trafford is headteacher of the Royal Grammar School, Newcastle upon Tyne, and a former chair of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. The views expressed here are personal. He tweets at @bernardtrafford

To read more columns, view his back catalogue

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