The Future of Parliamentary Democracy

Intelligence Squared

News, Society & Culture, Arts, News Commentary

4.2 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 24 April 2015

⏱️ 67 minutes

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Summary

In the wake of the MPs’ expenses scandal (May-June 2009), we brought a panel of politicians and journalists to the Intelligence Squared stage to discuss the state of democracy in Britain – is the system rotten to the core, or was the expenses scandal simply a storm in a teacup? In a departure from the usual debate format, the seven panelists each present their views on the current state of affairs and suggest if, and how, the system needs to be reformed. Joining us were historian Sir David Cannadine; former Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind; barrister and Labour Peer Helena Kennedy; constitutional expert Vernon Bogdanor; Professor of Politics at the University of Westminster John Keane, author and Daily Mail political columnist Peter Oborne; and author and Times columnist David Aaronovitch. The event was chaired by Standard columnist Sir Simon Jenkins. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Thank you for downloading this Intelligence Square podcast.
0:03.3	For more information on our debates, talks and discussions,
0:06.5	visit intelligence squared.com and sign up to the newsletter.
0:09.8	If you live in troubled constitutional times, I thought I'd start with an uncontroversial statement,
0:16.0	and we tried to draft a motion which someone might oppose, but we couldn't on the subject of MPs' expenses.
0:22.0	So what we thought we'd do was go for a sort of a rapid gunfire
0:25.8	at you from the platform.
0:27.4	Then you can come back at us, those of you
0:29.1	who survived the fusial aid.
0:31.6	The proposal is in effect that Britain needs constitutional reform.
0:37.0	I'm not going to pretend to guess which side of the argument the various speakers are on,
0:43.7	because they're going in more or less random order.
0:46.2	Everybody on the platform is distinguished.
0:48.2	I won't even say they're distinguished,
0:50.1	but we'll start with the historian David Kamele.
0:54.0	Thank you.
0:56.0	Simon very much.
1:04.0	Good evening everyone.
1:05.0	We only have seven minutes each, and seven minutes is not a long time
1:08.0	in which to try to fix the British Constitution.
1:10.0	So forgive me for no pleasantries.
1:12.0	Except to quote a phrase that's been much So forgive me for no pleasantries.
	...

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