Democracies do not die in military coups. They are dismantled slowly, by libel laws, through tax audits, and procedure. Democracies are dismantled by bureaucrats and judges, not by soldiers and heavy-handed policing. It has always been thus, from ancient Rome to present-day Tunisia. The program outlines the tricks of the trade that imperceptibly kill democracies – and how examples in Mexico, Turkey, India and Poland illustrate that the autocratic playbook is nearly always the same.
Presenter: Matt Qvortrup Producer: Bob Howard Editor: Clare Fordham
Identity Wars: lessons from the Dreyfus Affair and Brexit Britain
Command and Control?
The Roots of 'Woke' Culture
Unequal England
China's Captured "Princess"
It's Not Easy Being Green
Do voters need therapy?
The Early Years Miracle?
The NHS, AI and Our Data
Get woke or go broke?
NATO at 70
The uses and misuses of history in politics
Can I Change Your Mind?
State Aid: Brexit, Bailouts and Corporate Bonanzas
The New Censorship
A question of artefacts
The Problem with Boys
Whiteness
A shorter working week
Going the way of the dodo? The decline of Britain's two main parties.
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Global News Podcast
Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4
The Infinite Monkey Cage
You’re Dead to Me
Elis James and John Robins