Ahead of his appearance at Melbourne Writers Festival, Canadian writer and political scientist David Moscrop joins Dylan Bird for an extended chat on democracy in the digital age, how the internet drives political division and hostility, how we might build political engagement and participation, the benefits and consequences of nationalism, and what lessons other countries could learn from Canada and Australia’s versions of democracy.

“I think [how we engage people for political participation] is the critical question of the era … I cannot emphasise enough that as much as it is a struggle over inclusion and symbolic value and moral equality, it is also a material struggle

“If people can’t afford to do this … then they can’t take part in political life because they’re effectively a vehicle for something else, and that’s a huge problem”

Photo credit: Melbourne Writers Festival