Lindsay Tanner talks about "Sideshow: Dumbing Down Democracy"
Channel: Centre for Independent Studies
Date: 2011-07-21

Former Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner discusses the painful truth about Australian politics and the media in his new book, Sideshow: Dumbing Down Democracy.

"After spending much of my life dedicated to the serious craft of politics, I have to admit that I am distressed by what it is becoming. Under siege from commercial pressures and technological innovation, the media are retreating into an entertainment frame that has little tolerance for complex social and economic issues. In turn, politicians and parties are adapting their behaviour to suit the new rules of the game -- to such an extent that the contest of idea is being supplanted by the contest for laughs."