Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight
A 'Dictators v Democrats' program https://tamullis.substack.com/
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Democracy is at war. We can see the forces rallied against it: autocratic states like Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, techno-aristocrats, religious fundamentalists and populist demagogues.
From the trenches of Ukraine to the halls of power in the US, democratic, free values are under determined assault.
But, there are those who resist.
In 'Why We Fight' we talk to those who claim to be defending democracy; that's everyone from soldiers, protestors, activists, religious leaders, industrialists and politicians.
We find out who they are, what drove them to take up the struggle, what their work is and why their idea of democracy is worth fighting for.
Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight
Roger McNair - Project Jinn and Reforming Democracy in the UK
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We are joined by Roger McNair, founder of Project Jinn, to examine the growing crisis of confidence in British democracy and the case for reform.
McNair argues that the current system—built around elections every five years—is no longer sufficient for a politically aware and connected population. He sets out a vision for a more direct, participatory model, where citizens have a meaningful say on key issues between elections. Drawing on his journey across all 76 UK cities, he describes a country marked by deep disillusionment with politics, but not without hope.
The episode also confronts harder questions about truth, division, and whether democratic systems can function when citizens no longer share a common understanding of reality.
🔑 Topics covered
- Collapse of public trust in politicians and institutions
- The limits of representative democracy
- Direct democracy and the Swiss/Liechtenstein models
- Project Jinn’s mission and structure
- Insights from a nationwide tour of the UK
- Public disengagement vs latent political opinions
- Media trust, misinformation, and foreign interference
- Truth vs perspective in political debate
- Inclusion of anti-democratic viewpoints
- The emotional state of the country: disconnection, fatigue, and underlying goodwill
At its core: if democracy is no longer delivering for the public, what should replace it—and how can it be rebuilt?