Ideas worth spreading

Why democracy matters

1,041,235 views | Rory Stewart • TEDxHousesOfParliament

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.

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.

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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Rory Stewart -- a perpetual pedestrian, a diplomat, an adventurer and an author -- is the member of British Parliament for Penrith and the Border.

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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.