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)

Muscular Liberalism

Muscular Liberalism

The prime minister has proposed a new 'muscular liberalism', aimed at better integrating Britain's Muslims. It aims to counter the alienation that has led to a few young British Muslim men being prepa...

14 Mars 201128min

Testing the Emotions

Testing the Emotions

Investigative journalist and author Fran Abrams looks at a popular but controversial programme designed to teach children emotional and social skills in schools. The concept of emotional intelligence ...

7 Mars 201127min

Rethinking the Middle East

Rethinking the Middle East

The autocratic regimes of North Africa & the Middle East enjoyed many years of military, political and financial support from the United States government. Dr Maha Azzam looks at the recent history of...

28 Feb 201128min

The Orange Book: Clegg's Political Lemon?

The Orange Book: Clegg's Political Lemon?

The Orange Book, published in 2004, is a collection of political essays by leading Liberal Democrats. Although the writers come from a range of viewpoints, the book has been seen as an attempt by part...

21 Feb 201128min

The Big Society

The Big Society

The "big society" - the idea that volunteers should take over some of the functions of the state - is the most over-used policy phrase of the moment. But how will the theory work in practice? Chris Bo...

14 Feb 201128min

Radical Economics: Escaping Credit Serfdom

Radical Economics: Escaping Credit Serfdom

The role of credit in the build up to the global financial crisis is well known - but what has our reliance on credit been doing to the wider economy and to human behaviour? The expansion of consumer ...

7 Feb 201128min

Radical Economics: Yo Hayek!

Radical Economics: Yo Hayek!

Was the economic crisis caused by fundamental problems with the system rather than a mere failure of policy?Over two weeks, Analysis investigates two schools of economics with radical solutions.This w...

31 Jan 201128min

Trust

Trust

Trust was the subject of moral philosopher Professor Onora O'Neill's acclaimed Reith Lectures in 2002. Enron, political sleaze, the foot and mouth crisis, the Bristol heart babies scandal and the coll...

24 Jan 201128min

Populärt inom Politik & nyheter

motiv
p3-krim
spar
flashback-forever
svenska-fall
rss-viva-fotboll
rss-krimstad
aftonbladet-daily
aftonbladet-krim
rss-sanning-konsekvens
rss-vad-fan-hande
olyckan-inifran
dagens-eko
fordomspodden
rss-aftonbladet-krim
svd-ledarredaktionen
rss-frandfors-horna
blenda-2
rss-klubbland-en-podd-mest-om-frolunda
rss-krimreportrarna