What on earth is the national interest?
Analysis23 Okt 2023

What on earth is the national interest?

Should we be sceptical when politicians claim to act in "the national interest"? The phrase is frequently trotted out to elevate policy and actions as unimpeachably serving us all. But what does it actually mean? So far the Oxford English Dictionary has steered clear of pinning down this "slippery" term. Mark Damazer digs up its historical roots and talks to politicians, prime-ministerial speechwriters and policymakers to define a term that can obscure as much as it elucidates. Is its use just cynical high grounding or does it speak of a sincere effort to disentangle policy from personal or party interests? Is the national interest best served by a strong civic landscape where differing visions of “the national interest” are free to battle it out?

Presenter: Mark Damazer Producer: David Reid Editor: Clare Fordham

Contributors: Michael Gove, Minister for Levelling up, Housing and Communities Angela Rayner, shadow deputy prime minister and shadow levelling up secretary Phil Collins, former prime-ministerial speechwriter Munira Mirza, former Director of the No10 Policy Unit Dame Linda Colley, Professor of History at Princeton Fiona McPherson, Senior Editor at the Oxford English Dictionary, specialising in new words

Avsnitt(389)

Meet the Family

Meet the Family

Politicians love talking about supporting families. But, asks Jo Fidgen, do they understand modern family life? And how far can or should the state change the way families live? There's endless focus ...

13 Okt 201427min

Peston and the House of Debt

Peston and the House of Debt

Robert Peston tests the arguments made by the authors of a new book who claim the financial crisis was caused by exploding household debt - not by the banks. But are they right?Now the BBC's Economics...

6 Okt 201428min

Michael Pollan on Food

Michael Pollan on Food

What should we eat? Jo Fidgen talks to the influential American writer Michael Pollan about what food is - and what it isn't. In an interview before an audience at the London School of Economics and P...

29 Sep 201427min

Thrifty Debtors

Thrifty Debtors

The downturn's made everyone worry more about money. But while we may want to be thriftier, Chris Bowlby discovers why we're stuck with high levels of personal and household debt. Credit has become a ...

21 Juli 201427min

The End of the Pay Rise?

The End of the Pay Rise?

Something strange has been happening in the British economy. For over six years now, wages have fallen for most of us, which is unprecedented in British modern history. And despite the return of econo...

14 Juli 201428min

Tories: Nasty or Nice?

Tories: Nasty or Nice?

Why have the Tories attracted the label 'the nasty party'? Tory supporter Robin Aitken explores why the phrase took hold, and why it matters in key national debates today. Senior and influential figur...

30 Juni 201427min

Varieties of Capitalism

Varieties of Capitalism

What is the best form of capitalism? The free-market form found in countries such as the UK and the United States, or the more collaborative model which is common across Northern Europe?Some British p...

23 Juni 201427min

What Does Putin Want?

What Does Putin Want?

There's a new government in Kiev and Crimea is firmly in Russian hands. The political map of eastern Europe has changed dramatically in the last few months. But are Moscow's actions in the Ukraine cri...

9 Juni 201428min

Populärt inom Politik & nyheter

motiv
aftonbladet-krim
p3-krim
spar
flashback-forever
rss-viva-fotboll
svenska-fall
rss-sanning-konsekvens
rss-krimstad
aftonbladet-daily
svd-dokumentara-berattelser-2
rss-vad-fan-hande
rss-krimreportrarna
rss-frandfors-horna
krimmagasinet
rss-aftonbladet-krim
olyckan-inifran
dagens-eko
fordomspodden
svd-ledarredaktionen