Imagine if a House of Parliament or Congress wasn't elected. Wouldn't that be undemocratic? Actually, it could be more democratic.

To get elected, politicians join a party, toe the party's line, raise money, and look after the powerful first. They are unrepresentative in other ways—they are twice as educated, many times better off, and middle-aged. Though in America, as in Soviet Russia towards the end, we're getting used to 80-somethings running the show.

So how do we make politicians more representative? Don't elect them.

Instead, have a people's branch selected by lottery, just as juries are. We trust juries to decide whether a suspected criminal goes free, so why shouldn't we trust people like us to have a say in our taxes or how we regulate media?

In this week's video, I explore how regular people in citizens' juries take their duties seriously, seeking compromise and turning the tide against the engines of oligarchy. It's a way to bring some calm and sanity to our democracies by allowing everyday folk to talk things over and think things through.

▶ Enjoy the next episode next week

📽️ Find this video on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

🎙️ Listen to the “Talking it Through” episode where I talk more about these ideas on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

👉 Join the conversation on my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord server