Do the Demoggcracy Conga

The return of Parliament-in-person was met with dismay as disgruntled MPs were forced to conga through Palace of Westminster, and distanced or shielded Members were sidelined. Will remote voting have to return, and are Wales and Scotland doing digital democracy better than England? Rowland Manthorpe, Tech Correspondent from Sky News, joins us to explain. Plus: Is the Government’s slipshod use of data in the COVID fight storing up trouble for the future? And what do the tumultuous events in America mean for democracy in the USA? Mark Landler of the New York Times sets out the enormity of these historic events.  “Not everyone likes technology til they try it… but perhaps we shouldn’t throw it away in a reactionary way.” – Hannah White “The conga of MPs was as long as 89 London buses. That’s hardly social distancing.” – Gavin Freeguard “Compared to the Commons the Lords looks like a go-ahead organisation right now.” – Hannah White Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Hannah White and Gavin Freeguard. Audio production by Alex Rees.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices