Crawford School of Public Policy

Episode summary

On this Democracy Sausage podcast extra we look at the state of centre-left parties around the world and whether they are in terminal decline.

Episode notes

In the wake of the Great Financial Crisis, many centre-left parties around the world have struggled to make electoral headway. Why is it happening, and what role does an inability to tell a convincing narrative for change play? In this special Democracy Sausage extra, Mark Kenny and Dr Marija Taflaga talk to Dr Rob Manwaring, a senior lecturer at Flinders University, and the editor of the book Why the Left Loses. The panel also discuss how Jeremy Corbyn’s broad policy agenda might fare in the upcoming UK election, the pushback against ‘Third Way’ politics, and the dangers of eating sandwiches in front of photographers during election campaigns.

Listen here.

Rob Manwaring is a Senior Lecturer in the College of Business, Law and Government at Flinders University. His work Why the Left Loses examined the electoral fortunes of the family of centre-left political parties.

Marija Taflaga is a lecturer in the ANU School of Politics and International Relations. Her major research is on political parties and particularly the Liberal Party of Australia. She has previously worked in the Australian Parliamentary Press Gallery as a researcher at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

Mark Kenny is a Senior Fellow in the ANU Australian Studies Institute. He came to the university after a high-profile journalistic career including six years as chief political correspondent and national affairs editor for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times.

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This podcast is produced in partnership with The Australian National University.