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.
Latest episodes
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28 min
Interview with the podcast host
Award 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 po…
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28 min
Changing the Way We Use the System
It'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 gov…
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27 min
Citizen Thinking
None 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 separatelyIt should…
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26 min
Citizen Information
Ignorance 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 wh…
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24 min
Citizen Government
Could 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 th…
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37 min
Citizen Scrutiny
A 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…
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23 min
Citizens' Assemblies
Get 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. Differe…
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32 min
A Summary of Challenges
If 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 episod…
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9 min
The Northern Ireland Protocol
Why 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…
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19 min
The UK and The EU
What 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)…
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20 min
Referendums
The 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…
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28 min
Public Health and Timescales
Public 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 ge…
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38 min
Citizens' Assemblies
Citizens' Assemblies: +/- 100 people, representing a balanced cross-section of society, learning about an important issue, agreeing on what action should be taken.Literally represe…
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32 min
Protest
ProtestA 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 t…
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21 min
The Blunders of Our Governments
BLUNDERS: 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 int…
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21 min
The Separation of Powers and the Conflicting Pressures on MPs
Too 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…
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20 min
The Wicked Issues
The Wicked Issues are the things which are really important, but which don’t get dealt with.Climate Change. Saving for retirement. etcOur MPs believe that the short-term challenges…
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25 min
Taking the Party out of Politics
The MediaIndependent 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…
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23 min
Taking the Party out of Politics - Episode 16
Ministers 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 t…
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32 min
Taking the Party out of Politics - Episode 15
Parliament: 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 Pol…