The future of democracy? With Jon Sopel, Nick Bryant and Rosalind Dixon

from Big Ideas · host Australian Broadcasting Corporation

It may be the least worst form of government, but faith in its leaders and its institutions is waning. From the US to the UK to Australia, democracy has also paradoxically delivered representatives who are proudly anti-democratic and openly undermine democratic institutions like electoral systems, the judiciary and a free media. So why do people see the likes of Donald Trump, Nigel Farage, and Pauline Hanson as the answer?The Future of Democracy was recorded at the 2026 Sydney Writers Festival in partnership with the Resilient Democracy Lab at the University of New South Wales.Speakers:Jon SopelCo-host The News AgentsAuthor, Strangeland: How Britain Stopped Making Sense, UnPresidented: Politics, Pandemics and the Race that Trumped All Others and moreFormer editor, BBC North AmericaNick Bryant (co-host)Host, Saturday Extra, ABC Radio NationalAuthor, The Forever War: America's Unending Conflict with Itself and moreFormer BBC Washington CorrespondentRosalind DixonProfessor of Law, University of New South WalesFounder, Resilient Democracy LabAuthor, A People's Guide to the Australian Constitution

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It may be the least worst form of government, but faith in its leaders and its institutions is waning. From the US to the UK to Australia, democracy has also paradoxically delivered representatives who are proudly anti-democratic and openly undermine democratic institutions like electoral systems, the judiciary and a free media. So why do people see the likes of Donald Trump, Nigel Farage, and Pauline Hanson as the answer? The Future of Democracy was recorded at the 2026 Sydney Writers Festival in partnership with the Resilient Democracy Lab at the University of New South Wales. Speakers: Jon Sopel Co-host The News Agents Author, Strangeland: How Britain Stopped Making Sense, UnPresidented: Politics, Pandemics and the Race that Trumped All Others and more Former editor, BBC North America Nick Bryant (co-host) Host, Saturday Extra, ABC Radio National Author, The Forever War: America's Unending Conflict with Itself and more Former BBC Washington Correspondent Rosalind Dixon Professor of Law, University of New South Wales Founder, Resilient Democracy Lab Author, A People's Guide to the Australian Constitution

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The future of democracy? With Jon Sopel, Nick Bryant and Rosalind Dixon

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This episode is 58 minutes long.

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This episode was published on June 18, 2026.

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