Chris Addison: Is Westminster withering?

Is Westminster's political power fading? Anoosh and Armando are joined by actor and director Chris Addison and former independent parliamentary candidate Claire Wright to discuss the distribution of political influence in the parliamentary system, whether it's possible to influence politics at a local level without buying in to a central party line, and why so many MPs start out as SpAds.GuestsChris Addison is a comedian, writer, actor and director who, among other notable roles, played the special advisor Ollie Reeder in Armando Iannucci's hit political satire The Thick of It.Claire Wright fought the constituency of East Devon as an independent candidate in three general elections, coming second each time.--This episode was originally published in the New Statesman podcast feed on August 9, 2021. Listen to the New Statesman podcast here: https://podfollow.com/new-statesmanSubscribe to the New Statesman for full access to all our reporting and analysis. Get your first month free: www.newstatesman.com/30daytrial Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.