Taking the Party out of Politics
33 episodes - English - Latest episode: 10 months ago -A podcast about understanding
how politics is supposed to work, why it isn’t working as well as it should be, and what we might be able to do about it.Because, by understanding a little bit more about how things are supposed to work, and why they are a bit messed up, we might be able to get things to work a bit better. Perhaps even a lot better.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Episodes
Interview with the podcast host
September 05, 2023 14:25 - 28 minutes - 23 MBAward winning playwright Chris Lee takes time out his busy schedule to interview the host of Taking the Party Out of Politics, Andrew Brown, about the political ideas behind the podcast, about his motivation for putting it all together, and together they explore whether it will be possible to make the sorts of changes to our political landscape which are the conclusion of the podcast series. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Changing the Way We Use the System
April 21, 2023 03:01 - 28 minutes - 22.2 MBIt's not that people don't care enough. Absolutely not. But when we campaign about single issues, we are separate. The thinking is not (obviously) linked up. And it too easy for government to nod, and to simply ignore. It's not that we need more consultation. But consultations can be simply a way of allowing the public to let off steam before the government does what it was going to do anyway. We need meaningful, engaged consultations, which look at the real impacts. It's not that we ne...
Citizen Thinking
April 07, 2023 03:13 - 27 minutes - 24.2 MBNone of us is as clever as all of us together. We need to listen to experts. But we also need to allow space for good ideas to come from anywhere. Together, not separately It should be about the quality of the ideas, not about how good you are at lobbying; or how much money or power or connections a lobby group has. To run a country, all these things need to come together. People + good information = good decisions We need to be careful. We should listen, but we should not be herded...
Citizen Information
March 24, 2023 04:16 - 25 minutes - 13.6 MBIgnorance is bliss. And it can also be funny. But it can also be extremely dangerous. We need to know what the basic facts about the world actually are. Otherwise, how do we know when some new piece of information is important. We need to make sure that we have accurate, up to date information. We need to agree on the facts. We can’t have political discussion descending into whether my statistics are more accurate than yours. Statistics should be … statistics. Hosted on Acast. Se...
Citizen Government
March 10, 2023 04:37 - 24 minutes - 18.1 MBCould selected Citizens (rather than 'elected representatives') actually be asked to do the jobs which our Government and Ministers are doing at the moment? How successful could they be expected to be? What might we gain, and what might we risk losing? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Citizen Scrutiny
February 24, 2023 04:25 - 36 minutes - 27.9 MBA system which uses informed, balanced, objective, engaged people – citizens – to call our politicians to account, to check that they are doing their job. It’s not a party-political thing. But it is a political thing. It’s making sure that the process of Scrutinizing what our elected Government and Ministers are doing is neutral, constructive, and independent. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Citizens' Assemblies
February 10, 2023 04:35 - 23 minutes - 17.5 MBGet a small group of people together. Maybe 100. Specially selected to be representative of the range of people and perspectives across the country. Young, old. Rich, poor. Different races and genders. Different political views. Give them all the information about a topic. Let them ask all the questions they need to. Let them discuss it, and think about it. Let them hear from the experts, and from the people who really care about the topic. Let anyone who wants to, listen in. Publicize the...
A Summary of Challenges
January 27, 2023 04:12 - 31 minutes - 25.9 MBIf you are just joining us today, then you are in luck, because today we are going to have a quick overview of all the big ideas which we have covered over the last 26 or so episodes. Why politics isn’t working for us, the voters, and why it isn’t really even working for the politicians who are trying to do their bests on our behalf, struggling to work within the political systems. Why there are some problems with the very nature of what we call representative democracy and electoral systems...
The Northern Ireland Protocol
October 14, 2022 04:00 - 8 minutes - 6.61 MBWhy is it so difficult? Essentially, because of the three things which Brexiters wanted, you could only ever have two: 1. The whole of the UK to leave the European Union on the same terms. 2. Leave the single market and the customs union, and 3. Avoid a border between the North and South of Ireland. You cannot avoid having at least one of the three things which Brexiters didn't want: A: leaving the EU and the customs union, means you have a border between North and South Ireland. B: ...
The UK and The EU
September 23, 2022 04:00 - 18 minutes - 13.9 MBWhat are the misunderstandings which led to an unsuccessful, draining referendum and Brexit? 1. We joined late. The rules had already been set (e.g. supporting French small farmers). 2. The EU was always political: about pooling the things used to make war, as a way of avoiding war. But, the UK joined (primarily) for economic reasons. 3. Symbolism matters. Our politicians (and Media) love to knock the EU, to blame things on the EU, to make cheap political capital by emphasising differen...
Referendums
September 09, 2022 05:00 - 20 minutes - 15.3 MBThe idea of a referendum is to ask the people what they want. To give the people an opportunity to say what they really think. But it is really about resolving an argument between two different factions within a political party. A referendum needs a question which is easy to understand, and simple to answer. Otherwise the resulting vote doesn't give direction. But life isn't simple. Important questions aren't simple. That's why people argue for deliberative democracy. When all the dust has...
Public Health and Timescales
June 17, 2022 04:00 - 27 minutes - 20.3 MBPublic Health: maximizing population health gain. "Basically, whatever resource we have as a system, then we want to use that in the most efficient, intelligent, effective way to get the most health gains for the population." (Andy Fox, Assistant Director of Public Health for Lincolnshire) In this podcast we explore what Public Health is attempting to do, and the balance between the timescales which are going to make a difference to helping whole populations to live healthier lives, and ...
Protest
April 08, 2022 05:00 - 31 minutes - 17.7 MBProtest A crucial part of our democratic process. A way for citizens who are not embedded in the political process to engage with politics, to let others know what is important to them, and to let the government know how they feel. There needs to be a balance. It would not be appropriate for terrorists to hold the country to ransom. But does the new government Bill (which seeks to restrict the right to protest) hit the right balance? We explore how protest works, and how important it i...
The Blunders of Our Governments
December 24, 2021 03:00 - 21 minutes - 16.3 MBBLUNDERS: things which went wrong, which were foreseeable, but which the government did anyway. A very strong executive (government) makes it possible for policies to get rushed into place, without proper checks or thinking. No consensus + No consultation = Ineffective policies Behavioural causes of BLUNDERS: Ignorance Prejudice Lack of judgement. Lack of appropriate/relevant experience No rewards or sanctions Over confidence Careless Stubborn Cultural Gap: don't understand vo...
The Separation of Powers and the Conflicting Pressures on MPs
December 10, 2021 03:37 - 20 minutes - 16 MBToo much power in one set of hands risks that all that power might run away with itself, rather than being used for the general good. The “Separation of powers" protects political liberty by dividing government powers. The legislative is Parliament The executive is the Government, and the Civil Service However, the Government is also a subset of the Parliament. Problem 1: A log jam If the executive is from party, and the legislative is dominated by another (e.g. in the UK) everything th...
The Wicked Issues
November 26, 2021 00:51 - 20 minutes - 16.1 MBThe Wicked Issues are the things which are really important, but which don’t get dealt with. Climate Change. Saving for retirement. etc Our MPs believe that the short-term challenges of dealing with the Wicked Issues mean they won't get re-elected. Any MP who says that we should invest now (to save money or difficulties later) is an easy target for the media and for the opposition. Easy to say that they are irresponsible - even though they are actually being responsible! Like NOT eating ...
Taking the Party out of Politics
November 12, 2021 01:07 - 24 minutes - 20.2 MBThe Media Independent Perspective or a Spotlight which burns too brightly? Journalists take pot shots from the side lines, but if they really knew better than our elected politicians, why aren't they standing for election? Grabbing your attention! The pressure of grabbing the headline, of getting the perfect soundbite, of analysing and speculating before the announcement, all in the overexposure of a 24 hour news cycle. Too much power in too few hands. It can seem as though we have dif...
Taking the Party out of Politics - Episode 16
October 29, 2021 04:00 - 23 minutes - 15.4 MBMinisters have a lot of power, in a focused area, and can really affect our lives. Ministers are Political Party creatures. Ministers are mostly from 'safe seats', which means that they are actually 'selected' by the active members of their constituency Political Party. Ministers (and most politicians) are from a particular 'class' of people, who are all able to cope with the hassle, the pressure, and with being part of the machinery of a Political Party. The Media spotlight often pressu...
Taking the Party out of Politics - Episode 15
October 15, 2021 04:00 - 32 minutes - 16.2 MBParliament: It's supposed to be about our representatives doing their best for us. It's supposed to be careful consideration of new laws. It's actually dominated by the needs of Political Parties. It's actually an old system, dominated by slick, centralised, powerful Political Parties. When it works, it's because good people are making it work DESPITE the system. If it weren't for those good people, the system would encourage and enable things to go wrong more often than they al...
Taking the Party out of Politics - Episode 14
October 08, 2021 04:00 - 20 minutes - 15.7 MBBeing an MP: It's supposed to be you representing your constituents, checking on the quality of new laws, holding the government to account, and doing a good job. It's actually a process of trying to find your way and to organise your time, getting ordered around and told how to vote, and then getting dropped by your party or voted out. It's supposed to be you working with the system to make things better. It's actually you working against the system, to do your best to make things bett...
Taking the Party out of Politics - Episode 13
October 01, 2021 04:00 - 25 minutes - 19.5 MBIt's supposed to be good people, deciding to do their bit, making the world a bit better, representing local needs and preferences. It's actually career politicians, supported by a national party. It's actually a really big personal and financial risk. It's actually just producing people who are already indebted to a national party before they start. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Taking the Party out of Politics - Episode 12
June 25, 2021 04:00 - 24 minutes - 20.1 MBThe 5 Impossible Puzzles Bonus Season highlights different structural challenges with the way our electoral and political system is supposed to work. The fifth puzzle is the Impossible Puzzle for Parliament and Government. Government is trying to make things happen. Parliament is trying to make sure that those things are reasonable, and that they are in all of our interests. Parliament is supposed to be checking up on the Government, but the same political party which chose the Prime...
Taking the Party out of Politics - Episode 11
June 24, 2021 04:00 - 16 minutes - 13.5 MBThe 5 Impossible Puzzles Bonus Season highlights different structural challenges with the way our electoral and political system is supposed to work. The fourth puzzle is the Impossible Puzzle for Representative Governments. This is about how our national governments very often receive less than 50% of the national vote. Which means that more than 50% of the people who voted, actually voted AGAINST the government, not for the government. How can we claim to be living in a representative ...
Taking the Party out of Politics - Episode 10
June 23, 2021 04:00 - 12 minutes - 9.96 MBThe 5 Impossible Puzzles Bonus Season highlights different structural challenges with the way our electoral and political system is supposed to work. The third puzzle is the Impossible Puzzle for Representatives. If you are elected on the basis of a set of promises (your manifesto), then only some of the people in your constituency voted for that manifesto. How is it then possible to be fair, and even-handed, and to represent the needs of every one of your constituents? Even the ones who ...
Taking the Party out of Politics - Episode 9
June 22, 2021 04:00 - 16 minutes - 13.7 MBThe 5 Impossible Puzzles Bonus Season highlights different structural challenges with the way our electoral and political system is supposed to work. The second puzzle is the Impossible Puzzle for Voting. This puzzle comes down to the fact that our First Past the Post voting system means that it is the candidate with most votes who gets elected, not the candidate with a majority of the votes. For example, if there are three candidates, and one of the candidates gets 40% of the vote, whils...
Taking the Party out of Politics - Episode 8
June 21, 2021 04:00 - 21 minutes - 16.8 MBThe 5 Impossible Puzzles Bonus Season highlights different structural challenges with the way our electoral and political system is supposed to work. The first puzzle is the Impossible Puzzle for Voters. This puzzle is the impossible challenge which we are trying to master, by trying to achieve three things with one vote – · choose a good local representative, · from a political party which looks as though it could form a competent national government, · and whic...
Taking the Party out of Politics - Episode 7
May 10, 2021 03:01 - 17 minutes - 13.2 MBThis is a special bonus episode, providing you with a summary of some of the key ideas we have covered during series one, and focusing on the 5 Impossible Puzzles of our political system. The Impossible Puzzle for Voters: 3 things, 1 vote, once every 5 years · a good local representative, · a political party which looks competent, and · a good Manifesto The Impossible Puzzle for Voting: Our First Past the Post voting system means that it is the candidate with m...
Taking the Party out of Politics - Episode 6
April 26, 2021 03:00 - 34 minutes - 26 MBManifestos are declarations of what a candidate (or party) plans to do, if elected. If we vote for a candidate, and with that vote also vote for a party, then we are also voting to approve that list of promises. After the election, the list of promises in a Manifesto is turned into a plan of action, in the Queen's Speech. After that, we should expect to see the government put those promises into action. However, Governments are not actually very good at delivering on the promises in thei...
Taking the Party out of Politics - Episode 5
April 12, 2021 03:10 - 26 minutes - 19.7 MBParliament or Government? Many people might think that they are the same thing, but they really aren’t. If we are clear about the differences, we can identify problems with how the system isn’t working in our best interests. Parliament has to look closely at (scrutinise) how the Government is running things, and at what the Government is planning to do, to make sure that decisions are open and transparent, workable and efficient, and fair and non-discriminatory. The Government is respons...
Taking the Party out of Politics - Episode 4
March 28, 2021 15:55 - 39 minutes - 31.4 MBEpisode 4 explores the problems with the way we select our democratic representatives, both at a local level (selecting our local representative) and at a national level (selecting the group of representatives who will form our government. The challenges of adequately representing the interests of not only majorities, but also the interests of minorities, too. What it means to get a majority of the vote – to get elected. In many instances, more people voted against our local representativ...
Taking the Party out of Politics - Episode 3
March 14, 2021 09:26 - 20 minutes - 16.8 MBIn this episode, we have a look at some different possible political systems, and use that to explore what we mean by the word ‘Democracy’, along with other ideas, such as consideration for others and respect for minorities. Then we move from there to understand the particular form of democracy which we use. Because, though we might blithely use the blanket term ‘Democracy’, we actually have a fairly specialised form of ‘Democracy’. The system we have is actually more accurately refer...
Taking the Party out of Politics - Episode 2
February 26, 2021 08:01 - 27 minutes - 22.4 MBAn overview of why human beings come together, and why a certain amount of organisation and regulation of our lives (government) is good for getting things sorted out. We are able to live better if we cooperate and obey the laws (we give up a certain amount of freedom to do as we like), rather than to simply take what we want, and to constantly live trying to protect what little we have from someone bigger and stronger. However, have the rules by which we live been set up entirely fairly? ...
Taking the Party out of Politics - Introduction
January 13, 2021 15:47 - 23 minutes - 13 MBAn introduction to the first series of Taking the Party out of Politics, providing an overview of three big problems with the ways in which our political systems are not working as well as they could do: The Voters. The Wicked Issues. Scrutiny. For each of these big problems, there are possible solutions, which we will explore together over the three series of this podcast, by doing three different things: 1. We’re going to start by looking at how things are su...