The Long Time Academy

Part Four: Future Tense Politics

Episode Summary

Changing our short-term politics so that it stands the test of time

Episode Notes

How can we do politics with a Long Time lens? So often it feels like our leaders are firmly stuck in the short-term, motivated by getting re-elected every four or five years and the sway of vested interests. 

In this episode we meet the people changing this both from within government and outside it, with their imaginative and innovative - yet highly realistic - Long Time approaches to politics and law. We travel to ancient Greece, hear from teenagers suing their governments, ministers creating new laws to care for future generations, academics in Japan who are using theatrical methods to enable policymakers to feel into the future, and indigenous wisdom-keepers whose oldest living democracy on the planet shows us what a political system that cares for all future earth-dwellers looks like. 

Special thanks to the contributors to this episode, Roman Krznaric, Michelle Schenandoah, Mama Bear, Tatsuyoshi Saijo, Jane Davidson, Julia Olson and Levi Draheim. 

Leave us a voice note here telling us how listening to this series is making you feel about the present and the future - we listen to all your messages and would love to include some in future episodes. 

Irish referendum clips courtesy of Courtesy of The Citizens Assembly - Youtube Channel and ITV News

Julia Olson in court audio courtesy the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Official YouTube Channel, December 11th 2017

Welsh devolution referendum results Courtesy of BBC News, 1997

Kurt Vonnegut clip from NOW October 2005 courtesy of PBS

Sophie Howe, Welsh Future Generations Commissioner clip courtesy of Senedd Cymru/ Welsh Parliament, September, Youtube, September 2019

CREDITS

The Long Time Academy comes to you from Headspace Studios and The Long Time Project, and is produced by Scenery Studios.

 

The series was created and produced by Lina Prestwood and Ella Saltmarshe

Produced by Ivor Manley and Madeleine Finlay 

Executive producers at Headspace Studios are Ash Jones, Leah Sutherland & Morgan Selzer

Original artwork by Mavi Morais

Design by Loz Ives & Lewis Kay-Thatcher

Original music, sound design and mixing by Tristan Cassel-Delavois, Scott Sorenson & Chris Murguia