Name: Failed State: Inside Britain’s Governance Crisis | Sam Freedman
Uploaded: 2025-09-29T14:30:00+00:00
Duration: 55 min 11 s
Description: In Episode 433 of Hidden Forces, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Sam Freedman, a former senior policy advisor in the UK's Department for Education, political analyst, and the author of "Failed State," a t

4 days ago

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In Episode 433 of Hidden Forces, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Sam Freedman, a former senior policy advisor in the UK's Department for Education, political analyst, and the author of "Failed State," a timely exploration of the deep-rooted dysfunction within British governance and how to fix it.

In their conversation, Sam Freedman examines the origins and nature of the current crisis, focusing on issues such as extreme centralization, the dominance of executive power, and the corrosive impact of modern media dynamics on politics and policymaking. He also takes listeners through several critical turning points in recent British political history, explaining how the solutions to past crises have, paradoxically, laid the groundwork for today's dysfunction.

The episode ends with an exploration of Sam’s proposed radical institutional reforms, why incremental solutions are insufficient, and how these issues compare to those facing the United States and other western democracies. The two discuss decentralization, the strengthening of parliamentary scrutiny, civil service reform, and the complex interplay between governance, media influence, and public trust in political institutions.

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00:00 Introduction
04:56 Historical Context and Political Cycles
05:42 Centralization and Executive Power
06:39 Recurring Political Crises
08:56 Governance Challenges and Complexity
12:48 Comparing UK and US Governance
21:28 The Power of the Executive Branch
22:29 Parliamentary Sovereignty in the UK
25:25 Constitutional Crises and Judicial Review
28:36 Parliament's Weakened Role
29:50 Secondary Legislation and Its Impact
30:38 The Media's Influence on Politics
31:34 Evolution of Media Coverage
34:56 Politicians as Influencers
37:03 Rise of Partisan Media in the UK
38:29 Public Distrust and Conspiracy Theories
41:14 Radical Institutional Reforms Needed
43:30 Historical Context of Political Discontent
45:35 Comparing Political Movements
53:01 Final Thoughts