34 episodes
Taking the Party out of Politics Andrew Brown
-
- Government
-
-
5.0 • 9 Ratings
-
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.
-
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 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
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 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 need more online petitions.
But a collection of (potentially) uninformed online votes is too easy to justify ignoring. We need to demonstrate that our opinions are properly informed, and that we understand the wider context.
We need to do more as individuals.
We need to ensure that we are better informed. And to ensure that our elected representatives know what we are better informed.
We need to use our systems differently.
From Citizen Assemblies, to Citizen Scrutiny, to Citizen Government, to Citizen Information, to Citizen Thinking.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. -
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 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 into all thinking the same way.
Sharing knowledge is power.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. -
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 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. See acast.com/privacy for more information. -
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 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
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 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.
Customer Reviews
Clear and informative.
Great guide.
Changes the way you think about politics and our role as citizen and voter
The host Andrew Brown is encouraging the listener to consider alternative ways of getting things done. To do this we get taken back in time to how we ended up doing things the way we do.
I was made to consider scrutiny. How well do all of us and politicians scrutinise each other, the laws they pass and update and the way that society should run for the fairness of all?
I was left feeling that many politicians nod through laws and are encouraged to toe the party line so they can rise up the ranks and get their chance to be in the spotlight.
I also came away thinking differently about mistakes. Mistakes that could have been avoided. That in some cases there is no such thing as an accident and with foresight that was available different decisions could have been made. Nothing specific to pin this on at this stage of the podcast, Andrew is getting you to think about the state of things so that you can reapply your thinking to the concepts and facts he shares. Fundamentally after the first two episodes I have seen how politics it affects us all in far more ways that we may consider in how we go about our lives. He is indeed taking the party out of politics - this isn’t so much about the party, left, right, centre, green and so on, it is more about considering politics and how it works. Politics amongst other things such as religion is what makes us different to other animals. As an anthropologist recently said “What humans uniquely do, is that we accumulate culture, and build on it. Many animals learn, but only we teach.” This podcast is certainly teaching this listener about politics and to be bothered about it.
Taking the Party out of Politics
Refreshing and objective analysis which draws us into a consideration of the fundamental issues of politics. This is an excellent introduction to political thought for both students and the general listener. Recommended.