{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/5fff146144945b525dec8cdc/6054d8506234d038e71c0782?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Taking the Party out of Politics - Episode 4","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/5fff146144945b525dec8cdc/1616172336020-9b4219b2029819be9a142195236d7cf8.jpeg?height=200","description":"<p>Episode 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.</p><ul><li>The challenges of adequately representing the interests of not only majorities, but also the interests of minorities, too.</li><li>What it means to get a majority of the vote – to get elected.  In many instances, more people voted against our local representatives than voted for them.</li><li>Can a political party, which goes on to form a government, ever actually get a majority of the votes cast? (Spoiler alert – not recently!)</li><li>What about all those people who don't vote?&nbsp;</li></ul><p>Political parties form majority governments, without winning a majority of the votes cast nationally.  </p><p>But do we then really have a government which represents us?</p><p>What does all of this that say about electoral mandates? – the legitimacy to make changes? – perhaps even big changes?</p><p><br></p><p>And if the government doesn't represent us, then is it really a representative democracy?</p>","author_name":"Andrew Brown"}