The uprisings and protests of 2011 indicated that North Africans are demanding greater and better political The uprisings and protests of 2011 indicated that North Africans are demanding greater and better political representation, and that they can be active in pursuit of it. Meanwhile, the UK EU referendum has exposed deep generational, regional and class divisions, and has brought to the surface political and economic polarisation, marginalisation and inequality within society. As well as continuing to press for political reform directly, the challenge for political parties, civil society and business leaders is to inspire populations to believe that widespread activism and engagement is still worthwhile. Doing this requires visions and discourses that offer hopeful, inclusionary messages rather than divisive, paternalistic, or exclusionary politics; commensurate visions of economic development are currently lacking and urgently required.and that they can be active in pursuit of it.