Ideas change everything

Why democracy matters

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Rory Stewart |

TEDxHousesOfParliament

• June 2012

The public is losing faith in democracy, says British MP Rory Stewart. Iraq and Afghanistan’s new democracies are deeply corrupt; meanwhile, 84 percent of people in Britain say politics is broken. In this important talk, Stewart sounds a call to action to rebuild democracy, starting with recognizing why democracy is important -- not as a tool, but as an ideal.

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The public is losing faith in democracy, says British MP Rory Stewart. Iraq and Afghanistan’s new democracies are deeply corrupt; meanwhile, 84 percent of people in Britain say politics is broken. In this important talk, Stewart sounds a call to action to rebuild democracy, starting with recognizing why democracy is important -- not as a tool, but as an ideal.

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxHousesOfParliament, an independent event. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

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About the speaker

Professor, former Member of Parliament, UK

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This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxHousesOfParliament, an independent event. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about TEDx.