Friday Drive

Fridays 4 – 6pm

Presented by Jon Shapiro

Jon commenced radio broadcasting in 1987, at 2UNE-FM in Armidale, NSW.  His involvement with Eastside Radio dates back to 1995, when he presented Drive East once a week (until 2000).  He returned to Eastside in 2007; from 2008 he presented Drive every second Friday, and from March 2012 presents Drive Friday every week.  Jon also presents a music show at 2MBS-FM.

In 2009 Jon launched two new shows at Eastside Radio: No Politics, Please – We’re Intelligent, a fortnightly quiz show with the aim of minimising politics in discussion of public issues, in the second hour of his Drive programme (contestants “lose points for point-scoring”); and, until March 2012, Music You Don’t Dance To, a weekly broadcast (late Sunday nights) of head music.  From March 2012 he introduced a new show in the second hour of Drive Friday, the Citizens’ Parliament, in alternate weeks to the quiz, for ordinary citizens to debate their own proposals for law and policy.

Drive Friday

News, spews, views, reviews, and interviews … Jon Shapiro presents Drive every Friday, from 4-6pm, assisted by producer Charlotte Mitchell.  Each programme features: in-depth interviews, information about upcoming community events, local traffic and weather updates, music from a classic album selected from across the range of musical styles; and, in the second hour of the programme, in alternate weeks, our purported representatives are put to the test in the hit quiz show No Politics, Please – We’re Intelligent, and ordinary citizens can have a go at making the law themselves in the Citizens’ Parliament.

Citizens’ Parliament

“Politics is the art of preventing people from taking part in affairs which properly concern them” – Paul Valery

Are you someone (or do you know people) with your own ideas for laws and policies?  How would you (or your friends) like an opportunity to debate your proposals on radio?  Are you interested in hearing discussion of substantive public policy issues, which are neither dictated by those in high places, nor filtered out by corporate mainstream media?

The Citizens’ Parliament, at 89.7FM Eastside Radio, Sydney, is a show for ordinary citizens with ideas, including rank-and-file members of political parties.  You may move your own motions on policy issues, and debate them in the public forum of community radio.

To participate, just send a motion (a written articulation of what the law should be; for example, “that all nominees for election to the NSW and Federal parliaments must be members of Mensa, the high IQ society”) to: dwop98@gmail.com

The Citizens’ Parliament, was conceived and is hosted by Drive presenter Jon Shapiro, author of Democracy Without Politics: www.myspace.com/dwop98

Don’t worry if you are unused to having a go and being taken seriously.  Jon can assist you during the on-air debate, and in formulating your motion/s.  He can also assist you develop basic advocacy, debating and public speaking skills.  Jon is also available to meet with local branches of political parties, and other groups, to discuss his vision for reform, and how this show will work.

The Citizens’ Parliament supports Jon’s vision for constitutional reform; particularly, to start the process of forming local parliaments (as discussed in Part 3 of Democracy Without Politics, available via the above website).

No Politics, Please – We’re Intelligent

“Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, small minds discuss people” – Eleanor Roosevelt

No Politics, Please – We’re Intelligent is a fortnightly radio quiz show which challenges our purported representatives to go for an hour without being political (for example: talking themselves or their side up, attacking their opponents rather than their arguments, saying nothing with bland and general sound-bites, not answering the questions they were asked, rambling, dissembling, or even boring us with statistics).  If they do, they will lose points; and saying something like “so-and-so is just playing politics” will lose triple points.  On the other hand, contestants will be awarded points for originality, creativity, relevance, respect and generosity of spirit, and wit, or alternatively if they can convincingly argue that the host’s questions are not worthy of answering.

If you would like your purported representatives to come onto this show, be they members of parliament or local councillors, or involved in public affairs in any other capacity, please contact their offices and organisations to tell them about it.  Encourage them to participate – challenge them to go an hour without being political; challenge them to discuss public issues reasonably, only on their merits.

No Politics, Please – We’re Intelligent, at 89.7FM Eastside Radio, Sydney, was conceived and is written and presented by Jon Shapiro, author of Democracy Without Politics: www.myspace.com/dwop98