Compulsory voting: how it happened in Australia, and could it happen in the UK?

Compulsory voting: how it happened in Australia, and could it happen in the UK?

Author: Mark Pack August 12, 2020 Duration: 38:04
Time for an international turn on Never Mind The Bar Charts, with Professor Judith Brett, author of From Secret Ballot to Democracy Sausage: How Australia got compulsory voting. It's a great book about how democracy developed in Australia. Not only how voting ended up mandatory but also why so many people eat sausages when voting, the flirtation with round ballot papers and the way British politicians accidentally gave the Australians more democracy than they realised. Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes Which places use compulsory voting (including those who have it but don't enforce it). Talk of using weekend voting in the UK. Optimising names at the start of the London telephone book. From Secret Ballot to Democracy Sausage: How Australia got compulsory voting by Judith Brett: Waterstones / Amazon (though watch out that Amazon's paperback prices seem very messed up and Waterstones will almost certainly be a much better deal). I'll take any excuse to shoehorn in another link to the epic Bill Shorten interview, from before he became leader of the Labor Party and lost a general election. Music by Hugo Lee. New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts. Enjoy the show? Spread the word Follow the show on Twitter. Like the show on Facebook. Share the show's website, www.NeverMindTheBarCharts.com.

Join Mark Pack for Never Mind The Bar Charts, a podcast that digs into the mechanics, personalities, and unexpected stories shaping British politics, with a particular eye on the Liberal Democrats. This isn't a dry recitation of policy papers or a simple replay of the week's headlines. Instead, Mark and his guests pull apart the political narratives, examining the strategies, the polling data behind the bar charts, and the human moments that often get lost in the Westminster fray. You'll hear conversations that go beyond the soundbites, offering analysis that is both insightful and accessible, whether you're a political insider or just a curious observer. The tone is conversational and often wry, with those promised stray digressions into history, culture, and the occasional oddity that makes politics so perpetually fascinating. It's a show for anyone who finds the 'how' and 'why' of political life more compelling than the 'what'. New episodes of this podcast regularly feature a range of voices from across the political spectrum, all brought together by Mark's long-standing expertise and genuine curiosity about the subject.
Author: Language: en-gb Episodes: 100

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