Hugh Pope

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As an advocate for new ways of doing democracy, the first stage of winning over an audience in a conversation about political reform is becoming easier.

Ever since I read the headlines that the last American troops left Iraq on 30 September 2026, I’ve been turning the legacy of Middle East invasions and occupations over in my head.

In 2025, on a whim, I set out from home on foot to create a nature-filled, long-distance trail to and through the Belgian Ardennes – with no need for cars, overnight stays or heavy backpacks.

My first piece of lucky news: “The Keys to Democracy: Sortition as a Model for Citizen Power”, by my late father Maurice Pope, is now out as a £14.95 paperback!

Reading all the fine and moving 9/11 contributions from colleagues who covered the events of 25 years ago brought memories flooding back.

If you like getting a feel for a new city on foot, read on.

The city successfully used random selection to solve a mediaeval crisis – and could do so again Sortition – the random selection of groups of people to study, deliberate and decide on a disputed topic – struggles to be seen as a credible option for making…

It took twenty minutes for the helpful shop assistant at Waterstones in Brussels to find Hélène Landemore’s fine new book Politics without Politicians: The Case for Citizen Rule.

I know when I started walking beyond Brussels.

When the news searchlight lit upon Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney last month as the saviour of democracies from US President Donald Trump and right-wing authoritarianism around the world, did it really show us a new path forward?

First sparks can be hard to fan into bright lights.

To hammer home the universal relevance of deliberative democracy, I treat every speaking opportunity as a possible nail.

Rulers in many countries are struggling to meet public expectations.

It makes a welcome change to step aside and look back.

Twenty years ago, my wife Jessica and I fell in love with a remote, mountainous corner of Turkey.