December 24, 2020

Outsourcing the Death Star: What fiction and fantasy can teach us about government

47 minutes

We’ve all had quite enough reality for one year. In an IfG Christmas special, we ask what fictional and fantasy worlds can teach us about governing. What does the collapse of the Republic in Star Wars tell us about Brexit? Does the Harry Potter universe need drastic democratic reform? In the real world, who nails life in government better: Borgen or The West Wing? And where’s the Public Inquiry into the murder epidemic in Midsomer? James Graham – our greatest political playwright and the pen behind This House, Quiz and Brexit: The Uncivil War – is our guest for this special holiday edition.

“Dramas like The West Wing let you take an institution like the Presidency and stress-test it in a fictional environment… You get to enjoy the absurdities in a safe place.” – James Graham

“What does Obi-Wan Kenobi tell Anakin? ‘Only the Sith deal in extremes’. Star Wars is a love letter to social democracy and George Lucas is the ultimate centrist dad.” – James Graham

“Midsomer badly needs a place-based approach to crime prevention.” – Alice Lilly

“The Death Star? That’s no moon, that’s a failed Government mega-project.” – Gavin Freeguard

“The Thick Of It essentially predicted the Big Society with its ‘Fourth Sector Pathfinders’.” – Emma Norris

Presented by Cath Haddon with Alice Lilly, Emma Norris and Gavin Freeguard. Audio production by Alex Rees

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