Parliamentary Conversations in the Commonwealth Commonwealth Parliamentary Association

In The Juggle: How Politicians Prioritise, a special World Parliament Day mini-series of Parliamentary Conversations in the Commonwealth, we peel back the layers of what Parliaments do and consider a simple concept that lies at the heart of parliamentary democracy – representation.

As an elected representative, the job of a politician is to collect the views of the people they represent, and use them to dictate their actions and decisions in Parliament. It sounds simple in theory, but the reality is that the views of the wider public are not often defined, ordered or presented to politicians in a simple way.

Their challenge is to constantly juggle the competing interests of different groups of people, all of whom want to talk to them, talk at them or even shout at them, and have a right to do so in a representative democracy. Successfully fulfilling a responsibility to represent others requires a constant balancing act. 

So, in this mini-series, we ravel around the Commonwealth to ask Members of Parliament about their processes for listening to and filtering the daily demands on their attention, choosing what’s important or urgent, deciding how their time is best spent and what that means for how they operate on a day-to-day basis.

In this episode, we speak to Shri Anurag Sharma, Member of the Lok Sabha for Jhansi constituency in Uttar Pradesh, about how he manages his focus, time and energy whilst serving more than 2.8 million constituents, and the changing methods that his constituents use to communicate with him.

Music: Vine Crawler by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)

Visit the CPA website: https://www.cpahq.org/

Follow the CPA on social media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CPA_Secretariat
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CPAHQ
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/commonwealth-parliamentary-association
Instagram: www.instagram.com/cpa_secretariat

In The Juggle: How Politicians Prioritise, a special World Parliament Day mini-series of Parliamentary Conversations in the Commonwealth, we peel back the layers of what Parliaments do and consider a simple concept that lies at the heart of parliamentary democracy – representation.

As an elected representative, the job of a politician is to collect the views of the people they represent, and use them to dictate their actions and decisions in Parliament. It sounds simple in theory, but the reality is that the views of the wider public are not often defined, ordered or presented to politicians in a simple way.

Their challenge is to constantly juggle the competing interests of different groups of people, all of whom want to talk to them, talk at them or even shout at them, and have a right to do so in a representative democracy. Successfully fulfilling a responsibility to represent others requires a constant balancing act.

So, in this mini-series, we ravel around the Commonwealth to ask Members of Parliament about their processes for listening to and filtering the daily demands on their attention, choosing what’s important or urgent, deciding how their time is best spent and what that means for how they operate on a day-to-day basis.

In this episode, we speak to Rt. Hon. Nelly Mutti, Speaker of the National Assembly of Zambia, about how the role of Speaker brings different pressures and priorities compared to other politicians, the need to think about fairness and gender equality when presiding over parliamentary business, and the key improvements she hopes to make to the Zambian National Assembly in her time in office.

Music: Vine Crawler by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)

Visit the CPA website: https://www.cpahq.org/

Follow the CPA on social media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CPA_Secretariat
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CPAHQ
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/commonwealth-parliamentary-association
Instagram: www.instagram.com/cpa_secretariat

On a special episode of Parliamentary Conversations in the Commonwealth, the former Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, sits down with CPA Secretary-General and former UK MP, Stephen Twigg, for a wide-ranging conversation. 

Gillard, who served as Prime Minister from 2010 to 2013:
praises affirmative action as a proven solution to increase the representation of women in Parliament (07:16)warns that 'we could be back to ground zero' unless world leaders urgently address vaccine inequality (19:10)highlights that COVID-19 had left 'unanswered questions' about children's mental health (22:55)calls the situation in Afghanistan 'absolutely heart-breaking to watch' (31:12)admits that the Commonwealth must 'stare' its colonial history 'in the face' in order to move forward (32:40)Music: Vine Crawler by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)

Visit the CPA website: https://www.cpahq.org/

Follow the CPA on social media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CPA_Secretariat
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CPAHQ
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/commonwealth-parliamentary-association
Instagram: www.instagram.com/cpa_secretariat

On this episode of Parliamentary Conversations in the Commonwealth, we ask: how can Commonwealth democracies be more representative of indigenous peoples?

To discuss this question we are joined by:
Hon. Lenox R Shuman MP,  Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Guyana and Member of the Arawak Nation;Sheila North, former Grand Chief of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak and campaigner for indigenous women in Canada;Josiah Tualamali'i, youth indigenous activist in New Zealand and former participant in the Commonwealth Youth Parliament.Music: Vine Crawler by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)

Visit the CPA website: https://www.cpahq.org/

Follow the CPA on social media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CPA_Secretariat
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CPAHQ
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/commonwealth-parliamentary-association
Instagram: www.instagram.com/cpa_secretariat

Contact us: https://www.cpahq.org/contact-us/

On World Refugee Day, we ask:

How can we give refugees a voice in our democracies?

To discuss this question, we are joined by Hon. Ayor Makur Chuot, a newly elected Member of the Parliament of Western Australia and former South Sudanese refugee; Sally Gandar, Head of Parliamentary Advocacy & Legal Advisor at the Scalabrini Centre of Cape Town; and Louise Donovan, Communications Officer for UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) in Cox's Bazar district, Bangladesh, where nearly 890,000 Rohingya refugees live across 34 camps.

To find out more about the CPA, visit www.cpahq.org.

Music: Vine Crawler by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)

Each year, on 7 April,  Rwandans mark Kwibuka, the National Commemoration of Victims of the Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda, in remembrance of the estimated 800,000 people who were killed during a campaign of violence carried out by Hutu extremists from 7 April to 4 July 1994.

On the 27th anniversary of the start of genocide in Rwanda, we ask:

What can parliamentary democracies do to remember victims of genocide and prevent future genocides?

To discuss this question, we are joined by Lieutenant-General Hon. Roméo Dallaire, the former Commander of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Rwanda; Hon. Emma Furaha Rubagumya, MP, Rwanda Chamber of Deputies; Dr. Joseph Ryarasa Nkurunziza, Executive Director, Never Again Rwanda and Dr. Kate Ferguson, Co-Executive Director, Protection Approaches.

To find out more about the CPA, visit www.cpahq.org.

Music: Vine Crawler by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)