Name: The End of Politicians By Brett Hennig
SKU: 9781911586104
Price: 21.99 AUD
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The End of Politicians Summary

The End of Politicians by Brett Hennig

Our politics is broken, but it can be fixed.

A real democracy is not only possible - it is an urgent necessity.

Provocative, succinct and inspiring, The End of Politicians combines insights from the history of democracy with a critical understanding of the information revolution to explain how we can fix democracy by eliminating politicians and replacing them with a representative network of everyday citizens.

A wealth of recent evidence has shown that groups of randomly selected, ordinary people can and do make balanced, informed and trusted decisions. These citizens' assemblies are legitimate, accountable, competent and, above all, convincing demonstrations that we can govern ourselves.

The future of democracy has arrived. It is time for the end of politicians.

The End of Politicians Reviews

Darn! This is the book I wish I had written. Compelling, inspiring, evidence-based. Hennig explains how democracy got us into this mess, and how we can fix it.
-Professor Lyn Carson, The University of Sydney, Director of the newDemocracy Foundation

Politics as we know it today is evidently broken. In The End of Politicians Brett Hennig uses startling research to point towards the solutions and who the great politicians of the future may be. You will probably be surprised to know, that's you! Essential analysis put together in a remarkably accessible way. A book for visionaries.
-Jamie Kelsey Fry, contributing editor, New Internationalist

Do you believe holding elections every couple of years means you live in a democracy? Short, powerfully argued and carefully researched, Hennig shows how elections have for a long time been known to serve the interests of the powerful - and how ordinary citizens can regain control of their government.
-Professor Manuel Arriaga, New York University, author of Rebooting Democracy: A Citizen's Guide to Reinventing Politics

Hennig takes stock of democracy in the past and present. His bold assessment will enable us to step out of the shadows of the political elite. Hennig does not stop there, however. In a fast-forward to the future, he outlines ways and systems that will make the dream of democracy come true. This book is an energy drink for social action.
-Dr Bettina Wittneben, Research Associate, University of Oxford

The End of Politicians provides a powerful critique of the democratic deficits inherent in all forms of electoral democracy. But it does much more than explore the undemocratic qualities of electoral democracy; it proposes a compelling and provocative alternative - the random selection of ordinary citizens to serve as fully empowered legislators. Whether one agrees with this or not, the clarity of the argument will generate productive debate.
-Professor Erik Olin Wright, University of Wisconsin-Madison, author of Envisioning Real Utopias

Hennig has the right idea: Democracy requires innovation at any age, but especially this one. The End of Politicians doesn't call for an end to politics, but rather to antiquated institutions over-reliant on a small number of elected leaders. That system brought us this far, but Hennig reviews many of the alternatives that are already reshaping governance, by injecting the wider public back into public life - not as a mobilized mob, but through more deliberative bodies. Reading this book gives a glimpse of what's already changing and what lies on - or just beyond - the horizon of democratic political reform.
-Professor John Gastil, Penn State University, author of Democracy in Small Groups

Electoral democracy isn't a real, 'one person - one vote' democracy; we the people don't actually rule. Let's go with Brett Hennig - let's institute sortition to select our legislatures: not as a panacea, but as an essential step on the road to real democracy.
-Professor Paul Cartledge, Cambridge University, author of Democracy: A Life

About Brett Hennig

Brett Hennig is a director and co-founder of the Sortition Foundation whose aim is to promote the ideas within The End of Politicians: Time for a Real Democracy and institute the use of stratified, random selection (also called sortition) in government.

Before co-founding the Sortition Foundation, Brett wore a variety of hats: as a taxi driver, a software engineer, a social justice activist, a mathematics tutor, and the primary carer of four boys; he finished his PhD in astrophysics just before his first son arrived.

After spending several disheartening years trying to influence political decisions, both from within and without the system, he became inspired by Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri's trilogy on political philosophy and began investigating and researching network forms of democracy. The End of Politicians: Time for a Real Democracy is the result of those years of work.

Additional information

Sku

GOR009556203

ISBN 13

9781911586104

ISBN 10

1911586106

Title

The End of Politicians by Brett Hennig

Author

Brett Hennig

Condition

Used - Very Good

Binding type

Paperback

Publisher

Unbound

Year published

20170302

Number of pages

378

Prizes

N/A

Cover note

Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.

Note

This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us