x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Observations

Democracy Volunteers

The Observations Podcast, brought to you by the Democracy Volunteers team, brings you insightful coverage of elections—past, present, local, national, and international. Ourteam of experts dives into the stories behind the ballots, speaking with candidates, campaigners, organisers and winners to uncover the narratives you won’t hear anywhere else.Tune in for a deeper look at the elections that shape our world. Our expert interviewers: TV presenter Edd Charlton, ITV and BBC journalist Alex Iszatt and

government

All Episodes

65:47

Fictional Elections: A Very British Coup with Chris...

Observations ·

2025/11/13

In this episode, host John Ault speaks with Chris Mullin, former Labour MP and author of A Very British Coup, about his 1982 novel that imagined what would happen if a radical socialist Prime Minister won a landslide—and the establishment decided to destroy him. Published when Tony Benn was in the ascendant and making the establishment nervous, Mullin created Harry Perkins: a Sheffield steel worker who wins power on promises to scrap nuclear weapons, leave NATO, and restore industries to public

en

1:45

Coming Soon: A Very British Coup with Chris Mullin

Observations ·

2025/11/11

In 1988, Channel 4 aired A Very British Coup, a political drama that imagined what would happen if a radical socialist Prime Minister won a landslide—and the establishment decided to destroy him. Adapted from Chris Mullin's novel, the series follows Harry Perkins, a working-class Labour leader who promises to scrap nuclear weapons, leave NATO, and restore industries to public ownership. But the intelligence services, civil service, press, and foreign allies conspire to bring him down.In our

en

39:11

Electoral Reform: Should 16-Year-Olds Vote?

Observations ·

2025/11/07

In this special episode, host Lily Russell-Jones explores one of the government's most controversial electoral reforms: lowering the voting age to 16. With Scotland and Wales already allowing younger voters in some elections, is this a positive step for democracy or a risky experiment?Eddie Barnes from the John Smith Centre at Glasgow University shares polling that reveals young people themselves are divided—48% support getting the vote, but 32% disagree and 20% aren't sure. The most common word

en

50:36

Famous Historical Elections: The Red Scare Election...

Observations ·

2025/11/04

In this episode, Ethan Reuter speaks with historian Taym Saleh about the 1924 general election—the autumn showdown that cemented Britain's two-party system and buried the Liberal Party as a national force. After three elections in just 23 months, Stanley Baldwin's Conservatives swept to a crushing 200-seat majority while Herbert Asquith lost his seat and the Liberals collapsed from 155 MPs to a mere 40.The conversation explores how Britain's first Labour government, formed almost by accident after

en

13:39

Election Special: Observing the Netherlands 2025

Observations ·

2025/11/03

In this special episode recorded on location in The Hague, Joshua interviews Harry Bush about Democracy Volunteers' seventh observation mission to the Netherlands. Harry explains how Dutch elections work differently from the UK—the entire country acts as a single 150-seat constituency using proportional representation, with voters choosing both a party and a candidate from lists of up to 80 names. This creates ballot papers so massive that counting them used to take hours just to unfold, leading

en

58:09

Famous Historical Elections: The Liberal Landslide of...

Observations ·

2025/10/30

In this episode, Ethan Reuter speaks with historian Taym Saleh about the 1906 general election—the winter showdown that delivered the last great Liberal landslide and set the stage for the welfare state. After riding jingoistic euphoria to victory in 1900, the Conservative-Unionist coalition collapsed spectacularly, reduced from a 150-seat majority to a miserable rump of just 157 MPs.The conversation explores how Joseph Chamberlain's crusade for tariff reform and imperial preference tore the

en

47:55

Famous Historical Elections: The Coupon Election of 1918

Observations ·

2025/10/02

In this episode, Ethan Reuter speaks with Dr. Luke Blaxill about the extraordinary 1918 general election—the first after the Great War and the first under the Representation of the People Act, which tripled the electorate overnight. Held just six weeks after armistice amid demobilisation and the influenza pandemic, this was democracy's leap into the great unknown.The conversation explores the dramatic transformation of British politics through the controversial "coupon"—a simple piece of paper

en

43:10

Famous Historical Elections: The Great Reform...

Observations ·

2025/09/30

In this episode, Ethan Reuter speaks with Dr. Luke Blaxill, historian and Oxford college lecturer, about the 1832 general election that followed Britain's Great Reform Act. This wasn't just an election—it was a constitutional turning point that redrew the boundaries of British democracy itself.The conversation explores the turbulent lead-up to reform, from the July Revolution in France to widespread rioting in British streets, the burning of the Duke of Newcastle's castle, and 250 fatalities in

en

2:05

After Dark: Fictional Elections – Blackadder with...

Observations ·

2025/09/25

We are stepping into the world of satire with the classic BBC comedy Blackadder. In one of its sharpest episodes, ‘Dish and Dishonesty’ we’re taken to the so-called Dunny-on-the-Wold by-election — a contest for a “rotten borough” so small it has only one voter… and even he’s dead.Our guest for this episode will be none other than William Pitt the Younger, himself. Played by Simon Osborne in the Blackadder episode he will give his insights into the election and what went wrong for his part and

en

32:38

Famous By-Elections: Lord David Alton and Liverpool...

Observations ·

2025/09/23

In this episode, Matt Davis interviews Lord David Alton about his extraordinary victory in the 1979 Liverpool Edge Hill by-election. At just 27 years old, Alton achieved one of the most stunning upsets in British electoral history, overturning a massive Labour majority in one of their safest seats during the Winter of Discontent.The conversation explores how a young Liberal teacher and councillor built a grassroots campaign that capitalised on voter anger at industrial chaos, uncollected refuse, and

en

4:29

Overseas Postal Voting at Breaking Point: Millions at...

Observations ·

2025/09/18

The UK’s overseas postal voting system is failing — extended enfranchisement without operational capacity has created a perfect storm of lost ballots, tight timetables and systemic disenfranchisement. In this document we report alarmingly low return rates for overseas packs (average c.52% vs 81% domestically) and we explain how batching practices, snap-election application surges and short statutory deadlines conspire to make many overseas votes uncountable.

en

19:47

Jane Cooper: Observing Ukraine's Elections

Observations ·

2025/09/16

Win the votes, buy the votes, steal the votes, invalidate the votes! There is a lot that can go right - and so much that can go wrong - in a Ukrainian election. From the opening of the campaign through to the final decision on the results, it is a rollercoaster ride for the candidates, the election workers, and the international observers who have travelled from afar to see it all.In What Ukrainian Elections Taught Me about Democracy long-time election observer Jane Cooper recounts her experience

en

10:55

Election Special: Norway 2025

Observations ·

2025/09/09

Lily Russell-Jones interviews Director of Democracy Volunteers, Dr. John Ault, on the deployment of observers at the Norwegian Parliamentary Election. The interview covers topics from changes in law affecting family voting through to potential foreign interference, listen in to learn the intricacies of polling day in Norway.

en

1:25

Coming Soon: Historic UK General Elections

Observations ·

2025/09/09

Over the coming weeks Democracy Volunteers and the Observations Podcast will be guiding you through some of the most historic general elections in the UK. From the 1832 election which brought in the first seeds of parliamentary reform, the 1906 Liberal landslide, the Coupon Election of 1918 up to the 1997 Labour win and the 2010 election which delivered the first coalition since the war, our team will introduce leading experts on the elections.We will be joined by: Dr. Luke Blaxill, Professor of

en

1:00

10 Years of Democracy Volunteers – Strengthening...

Observations ·

2025/09/04

This year, Democracy Volunteers celebrates a decade of independent election observation. Since our founding in 2015, we have grown to become Western Europe’s leading election observation organisation, working at home and abroad to improve the quality of elections and to strengthen public confidence in the democratic process.Over the past ten years, our observers have been on the ground in polling stations, election counts, and campaigns — offering impartial assessments, raising awareness of risks to

en

26:16

Famous By-Elections: Trudy Harrison and Copeland 2017

Observations ·

2025/09/02

In this episode, Matt Davis sits down with Trudy Harrison, who won the Copeland by-election in 2017, overturning decades of Labour dominance in the constituency. Trudy reflects on the dramatic campaign that brought her into Parliament, the issues that defined the contest, and what it was like to step into national politics through such a high-profile victory.From the pressures of campaigning to the significance of the result for the Conservative Party, this conversation offers a unique insight into

en

25:26

International Election Special: Guyana 2025

Observations ·

2025/08/29

On 1 September 2025, Guyana heads to the polls in one of the most closely watched elections in its history. With the country transformed by its oil boom and politics shaped by fragile coalitions, the stakes could not be higher.In this special episode, Matt Davis speaks with political analyst Dr. Duane Edwards of the University of Guyana about the key players, shifting alliances, and what’s at risk for Guyana’s democracy. From the contest between the incumbent PPP/C and a revitalised opposition, to

en

49:20

Elections that 'Shook the World' – Yushchenko's...

Observations ·

2025/08/28

Taras Kuzio is a British Professor of Political Science at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (Kyiv, Ukraine). His area of study is Russian and Ukrainian political, economic and security affairs.Matt Davis interviews Dr. Kuzio, an internationally respected expert in Ukrainian and Russian politics. In this episode Matt discusses the 2004 Ukrainian Election around the Orange Revolution that saw the contest between Viktor Yushchenko and Viktor Yanukovych. Dr. Kuzio explains which Viktor was

en

50:54

Elections that 'Shook the World' – Mandela's Election...

Observations ·

2025/08/26

Our 'Elections that Shook the World' series leads Matt Davis to interview two leading academics who were part of the changes that brought democracy to South Africa in 1994. Professor Nancy Jacobs of Brown University in the United States. She is an historian of South Africa and of colonial Africa and her power in obscure corners including a mysterious and forgotten diplomatic initiative. She was a United Nations election monitor in 1994 for the first election.Matt also interviews Professor Wilmot

en

39:50

Elections that 'Shook the World' – Milošević's...

Observations ·

2025/08/21

Following the collapse of Communism in the Eastern Bloc, our podcast team looks at the changes in the former Yugoslavia, how it separated into its ethnic parts leading eventually to civil war in the 1990s.Matt Davis interviews Dr. Florian Bieber, the Professor of Southeast European History and Politics at the University of Graz, concerning the changes that were brought about and how they shook the world.

en

49 results

Similar Podcasts

The Fly

Georgetown"s Institute of Politics and...

THE CONSTITUTION STUDY

Paul Engel

The DSR Daily

The DSR Network

The Lawfare Podcast

The Lawfare Institute

Fora do Baralho

Rádio Observador