Doomed to fail? The hidden traps foiling Britain’s political system

We know what political failure looks like in Britain. But why does it happen? Why do governments pass bad laws and ignore looming crises? Ben Ansell, author of Why Politics Fails, tells Ros Taylor why a small number of party members can impose leaders on the rest of us, how self-interest scuppers our decision making, and what happens to a mature democracy when politics stops working. Have we turned a corner since the disastrous Truss premiership? Or are we in for more of the same?

• “We have moved to an American-style election process.”
• “More democracy in political parties has led to the many centrists in society feeling misrepresented.”
• “The breakdown of unions and church membership means now it’s just us and political parties, mediated by Twitter.”

BOOK LINK

https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/444113/why-politics-fails-by-ansell-ben/9780241992760

Presented and written by Ros Taylor. Audio production by Alex Rees. Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Music: Kenny Dickinson. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production

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