Taking Back Control: Why ‘Agency’ Could Be The Next Big Idea In Politics (James Kanagasooriam)
Radical with Amol Rajan
BBC
4.5 • 919 Ratings
🗓️ 12 March 2026
⏱️ 55 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On this week’s episode, leading pollster James Kanagasooriam explains how a sense of powerlessness amongst voters is shaping politics.
His research suggests that people who feel like they have control over their lives are more likely to vote for traditional parties whereas those who don’t tend to vote for populists promising to change the status quo.
So what can we learn from this and how could the idea of ‘agency’ help solve some of Britain’s problems?
TIMECODES
(00:04:12) Why James thinks agency is the next big idea in politics
(00:11:34) What does agency say about politics today?
(00:16:30) Degradation of civic institutions and cultural loss
(00:29:29) Cultural pessimism
(00:34:41) The attention economy
(00:40:17) Trade-offs
(00:45:19) The impact of Covid
(00:48:29) James’ radical solutions
(00:52:06) Amol’s reflections
GET IN TOUCH * WhatsApp: 0330 123 9480 * Email: radical@bbc.co.uk Episodes of Radical with Amol Rajan are released every Thursday and you can also watch them on BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m002f1d0/radical-with-amol-rajan Amol Rajan is a presenter of the Today programme on BBC Radio 4. He is also the host of University Challenge on BBC One. Before that, Amol was media editor at the BBC and editor at The Independent.
Radical with Amol Rajan is a Today Podcast. It was made by Lewis Vickers with Anna Budd. Digital production was by Gabriel Purcell-Davis and Jem Westgate. Technical production was by Dave O'Neill. The editor is Sam Bonham. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts. |
| 0:05.6 | Hello, it's Amol here, and welcome to Radical. |
| 0:08.7 | I say welcome to Radical, just before we hear this week's episode, which is a cracker with |
| 0:13.8 | the pollster James Kanagosurum. |
| 0:15.1 | I want to ask for your questions, please, for a future episode of your radical questions, |
| 0:20.6 | a bonus Monday episode with a future guest of your radical questions, our bonus Monday episode |
| 0:21.7 | with a future guest. Because in a few weeks time, we are going to have Simukai Chigoodoo, |
| 0:28.3 | Professor Simukai Chigoodoo, who is an associate professor of African politics at Oxford |
| 0:33.2 | University and a founding member of the Rhodes Must Fall Campaign. That's the movement |
| 0:39.2 | pushing to decolonize Oxford University to remove the statue of Cecil Rhodes outside |
| 0:44.1 | Oriel College. He is a man of Zimbabwean heritage and of course Zimbabwe, before it was known |
| 0:49.3 | as Zimbabwe was known as Rhodesia after Cecil Rhodes. This episode is going to be about how countries reckon with colonialism, |
| 0:57.2 | whether it's the colonizers or those who were once colonized, |
| 1:00.3 | and how the history of empire really shapes who we are still today to a very large degree. |
| 1:05.9 | And if you want to put your question to him, please do, send us a voice note. |
| 1:09.2 | You can do so on WhatsApp. |
| 1:10.9 | The number is 033-123-9-4-80. |
| 1:15.7 | That's 0-330-123-9-4-80. |
| 1:19.1 | Or you can email Radical at BBC.co.ukuk, with your questions for Professor Simukai Chiguru. |
| 1:27.2 | Now, on to this week's episode. |
| 1:36.8 | Hello, it's a mole here. |
| 1:38.4 | Welcome to Radical. |
... |
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