The Bylines Network Podcast

This week, we turn to the question of democracy and the local elections. With an unrepresentative system, and efforts to suppress voter turnout, our system is looking less and less democratic. 

This week, we are joined by Abbie Jones from Make Votes Manchester Manchester, and Tom Brake, Director of Unlock Democracy, to look into these problems, and what can be done to solve them. 

Be sure to check out Abbie at @MVM_Manchester, and Tom at @thomasbrake and @UnlockDemocracy, along with their new report into local government: 

https://unlockdemocracy.org.uk/blog-1/turningthetide

At a generous estimate, 35% of people vote in local elections, a little over half the number that vote in General elections. Given how important local government is, this simply can't do! 

In the first of our four-part series covering the local elections, we speak to Rachael Farrington, creator or votingcounts.org.uk, and Professor Colin Copus, Director of the Local Government Research Unit at De Montfort University, about why people don't vote, and what we can do. 

N.B. The deadline to vote is 11:59pm this Monday, be sure to register if you haven't already! 

https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote 

Information on what's up for election, and how to vote, can be found here: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_United_Kingdom_local_elections

https://votingcounts.org.uk/ 

https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/welcome-your-vote

Be sure to check out our new social media accounts @BylinesPod, as well as Rachael's @VotingCountsUK on Twitter and @votingcounts on Instagram 

For this episode of the Bylines Network podcast, George Richmond speaks with Sam Philips, a farmer in Gloucestershire. Sam has been promoting sustainability in farming, and trying to encourage farmers to give back more to the planet. 

Across the conversation, George and Sam discuss the obstacles to sustainable farming, the challenges and opportunities of Brexit, and the need to educate people about the countryside. 

Be sure to follow George at @ChatwRichmond, Sam's business, at @MacaroniOrganic, and West England Bylines at @WEBylines 

The Bylines Network podcast is back! This week, we travel down to Sussex, with Mo Kanjilal interviewing Stephanie Prior, Standing Invitee on Brighton and Hove City Council's Tourism, Equalities, Communities and Culture (TECC) Committee. 

In this week's episode, Mo and Stephanie discuss why it's so important to encourage representation at a local level, and what can be done to lower barriers to entry to politics at a council level and in national politics. 

Be sure to follow: 

- Mo at @Mo_Kanjilal

- Stephanie at @StephaniePriorX

- Sussex Bylines at @SussexBylines 

Thanks for listening!

This week the Bylines Network podcast comes to Yorkshire, as host Grace Pritchard speaks with Dr Pam Jarvis and Dr Stella Perrott about coercive control, a psychological technique common in the public sector for reducing opposition along the chain of command. 

With powerful anecdotes from both the public and private sector, the podcast explores what can be done to call out this practice. 

Be sure to follow Yorkshire Bylines at @YorksBylines. 

This week we revisit our Bylines Network webinar: Democracy under Fire, with Peter Jukes (Executive Editor, Byline Times), Tom Brake (Director, Unlock Democracy), Clive Lewis (Member of Parliament for Norwich South), and Natalie Bennett (Green Party peer). 

If you'd like to get in touch, be sure to email us at [email protected], we hope you enjoy! 

Our first episode of the Bylines Network podcast visits the North East, speaking to Jessie Joe Jacobs, Labour’s candidate for Tees Valley Mayor. 

 

Host Ellie Rainsley speaks with Jessie about her work in the charity sector, how the North has been let down by successive governments, and what she plans to do to make the Northern Powerhouse more than just a soundbite. 

 

Their conversation is an exploration of the multi-faceted nature of being northern, breaking down the class and gender divides in the region, and how electing a woman who has experienced these first hand can be the first step in breaking down these barriers. 

Be sure to follow us at @NE_Bylines on Twitter, and see more from Jessie at @JessieJoeJacobs 

As the Agriculture Bill returns to the House of Commons today where the amendments made by the House of Lords will be debated. Grace Pritchard sat down with Baroness Natalie Bennett and farmer Joe Stanley to discuss the bill.  

In this episode of the Yorkshire Bylines podcast series Grace Pritchard is joined by Jane Thomas, John Harris and Andrew Brown to discuss all things Yorkshire devolution.

Welcome to the first episode of the Yorkshire Bylines podcast series 'A Britain of two nations'. The question we're asking our guests this week is: "Has social mobility in Britain come to a standstill?" 

Yorkshire Bylines writer Grace Pritchard is joined by Charlie McCarthy and Marc Limon. 

Get up to date with the latest stories: https://yorkshirebylines.co.uk/

Follow us on Twitter: @YorksBylines