Peter Geoghegan, Investigations Editor at Open Democracy and author of 'Democracy for Sale: Dark Money and Dirty Politics', joins Nick Cohen, Observer columnist, to tackle the troubling issue of dark money in politics. They delve into how secretive funding undermines democracy, spotlighting the influence of Russian meddling in Brexit and outdated regulations. The duo discusses the urgent need for reforms to enhance transparency and accountability, and explores the implications of union funding on political dynamics in the UK. It's a captivating look at the intersection of money and politics.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Broken Spending Rules
British political spending rules are so tight that almost nobody follows them.
No one has been convicted of breaking spending rules at a general election in roughly 100 years.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Digital Imprint Discrepancy
Politicians' leaflets require imprints disclosing funding and printing information.
Equivalent targeted ads on Facebook lack these disclosures, revealing a loophole in regulations.
insights INSIGHT
Think Tanks as Corporate Lobbyists
Corporations and individuals fund seemingly independent think tanks to shape political discourse.
These groups, often charities, offer plausible deniability to their backers and promote agendas through media appearances and reports.
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Democracy for Sale delves into the world of dark money, lobbying, and digital disinformation, highlighting how these factors erode trust in democratic systems. The book explores the interconnectedness of these issues across the UK, US, and Europe, and discusses the role of technology and big tech companies in exacerbating these problems. Geoghegan provides a comprehensive analysis of the crisis facing Western democracies.
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared ------ Democracy is in crisis, and unaccountable and untraceable flows of money are helping to destroy it. According to Peter Geoghegan, politicians lie gleefully, making wild claims that can be shared instantly with millions of people on social media. Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, Jair Bolsonaro and populists in many other countries are the beneficiaries. This week Geoghegan speaks to Nick Cohen, columnist at the Observer, about the problems democracy faces and what can be done about it. To find out more and order Peter's new book 'Democracy for Sale: Dark Money and Dirty Politics' click here: https://bit.ly/34rOZAu. ----------------------------------- Intelligence Squared+. The world's best speakers. Your questions. £4.99 per month. Intelligence Squared+ will bring you live, interactive events every week on our new online platform. Just like at our real-life events, you’ll be able to put your questions to our speakers, vote in live polls and interact with other members of the audience. Your subscription will give you access to multiple events featuring the world’s top thinkers and opinion formers, including Thomas Piketty, Margaret Atwood, Clive Woodward, Thomas Friedman, Meera Syal and Paloma Faith. For a full list of Intelligence Squared+ events and to subscribe, click here: https://bit.ly/2yfYIfm
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