Thinking Allowed - 03/06/2009

Leading constitutional expert Vernon Bogdanor tells Laurie Taylor that the age of the mass political party is over, but it still rules in our system of government. Mass political parties started in the 1870s as a response to the advent of mass suffrage. 50 years ago, nearly one in ten people belonged to a party; it has now declined to one in 88, yet they still have a huge role in administering power in our democracy. It is that anomaly which constitutional expert Vernon Bogdanor claims lies behind the frustration and disillusionment that so many people feel towards our political system. He discusses his book, The New British Constitution, with Laurie. Also, why is the idea of Rome so powerful in the American imagination? How is Roman politics used to play the political game in the US? Laurie talks to Margaret Malamud, author of Ancient Rome and Modern America.