How To Manage The Far Right | Helle Thorning-Schmidt, First Female Prime Minister of Denmark

[@nadyayurukova]

I'm so oversaturated with political commentary at this point that I find myself surprised how much I enjoyed this conversation. Thanks for that😊

[@RationalAUS]

I feel you.

[@Lostmissionary]

Great comment felt by many I think.

[@jonaskristensen4966]

As a Dane i Love this episode It is so good at explaining the Danish culture, and talking about compromise

[@Gwx480]

One of the best episodes so far! What an incredible person and the personal connections made the conversation so enjoyable. Maybe a good pick for first repeat guest at some point?

[@eli7742]

I listen to this podcast all the time. Much love and appreciation from South Africa 🇿🇦

[@marknewton7212]

Great conversation. Helle is right on the money. Refreshingly fair and sound viewpoints, on society, nostalgia and future thinking. Thank you leading.

[@robertennor1143]

I always find the most interesting political discussions, are those that involve former politicians, rather than sitting ones. More honest and open minded, able to look at their roles in a much clearer way, than might have been possible when shackled by the weight of responsibilities of office, pending votes on policies or legislation. This lady was truly a breath of fresh air. Interesting observations of the benefits of proportional representation. A very positive voice indeed. Thanks for inviting her on your podcast.

[@67339317Qs]

What a great human-level chat between 3 special people

[@mikestruthers9788]

Super interview, fascinating, congrats both for bringing her on. As in your wrap-up, very interesting comments on the differences between Denmark and the UK. Great stuff.

[@LeadingTRIP]

Thank you Mike

[@keanusolan2844]

That was fantastic. Genuinely fantastic.

[@elspethgibson7625]

What an inspirational podcast. Thank you.

[@CloudhoundCoUk]

Helle Thorning-Schmidt is right to defuse extremists despite how distasteful it may be personally you need to engage with extremists. Left or Right extremists appeal to those who are suffering equality. Deliver a fair share of wealth extremists' appeal diminishes.

[@johannesjakobsen5171]

In modern European countries the left is often well educated moderately high income people...

[@Jongo1]

Great interview. I think I learnt a thing or 2 from this. Build bridges not walls!

[@Mis0ph0nia]

The only bridges she built was for her own futures sake, not for the danish people. She is just as nepotistic and corrupt as all the other politicians.

[@TheMikejarman]

Absolutely superb podcast.

[@spaghettioso2799]

Another great leading interview! Helle was very inspiring and came across so thoughtful and intelligent!

[@user-pt1ow8hx5l]

If only she had done so as a PM,......

[@Mis0ph0nia]

@@user-pt1ow8hx5l Præcis, hun er lige så nepotistik som resten af dem.

[@DeputyChiefWhip]

27:05 Here is Britain's main problem...as a Brit living in a northern European country, it's obvious that the UK is holding itself back by old fashioned thinking. Modernise and Improve should be the key words for its future.

[@UKRYKERRIDER]

It is having those mature and sensible conversations and compromise is the name of the game!

[@majbritmlhede7719]

Tak Helle, du var et fantastisk forbillede. Thank you so much Helle, for being a row model for women in general ❤

[@guntersuchen4656]

Amazing person

[@kieransavage100]

Wonderful to hear….

[@LeDoctorBones]

The greatest truth on this podcast happens towards the end. How true you are Rory 57:50.

[@MadsBoldingMusic]

The drift towards provocation for engagement that Rory was talking about is so spot on. Saying that we always had tabloids is true but not a good argument against this, because what we're seeing is that most of all political communication is now going through a filter of tabloid logic. Therein lies a nearly intractable problem in the modern social media landscape.

[@user-pt1ow8hx5l]

As a Danish UK graduate,........ I have never forgotten the old pub joke: Yeah, Kinnock is wise, thoughtful, caring, intelligent, beautiful. TOO BAD WE'RE STUCK WITH HER HUSBAND!!!!

[@iamanomas]

It’s all digital in the Netherlands too. I agree. The lack of trust is literally slowing all modern development and squashing new ideas.

[@KHValby]

I agree with the below comment 👍 ! As a Dane and in my opinion, Helle was a GREAT PM ❤

[@simoooooooon443]

Totally agree with Helle putting the responsibility of Brexit at Cameron’s feet. He had the opportunity to prove that the EU can be reformed in the country’s interest, and squandered it. Forfærdeligt.

[@WH-hi5ew]

He probably got carried away by the success of the Scottish independence referendum which went Cameron's way... assuming Brexit would go the same way. Even Farage thought he'd lose.

[@redrev674]

You are forgetting Cameron tried to negotiate a better deal and the EU gave him crumbs. The EU is a Franco-German axis.

[@PMMagro]

Also he said he whould accept the decision and work with it but resigned immedeatly when his refferrendum failed him...

[@Muddrelks]

It's very refreshing to hear a politician who think about politics in a positive way and about wanting to reach a sensible compromise. I can't help but feel, though, that only a small, wealthy nation can afford to think like this, where things went well for the last 500 years or so. There is a reason why Denmark could become the poster child of a well functioning social democracy, and it's partly due to its location. It's also very disappointing to hear someone minimise the problems social media and the level of centralisation in the attention economy cause, especially from someone on the Meta Oversight Board. I hope there are people on that board who are more critical of how social media distorts our lives. I was also surprised to hear that Alistair did not talk about this at all. In other episodes he often talks about the negative effects of social media on politics. Maybe bring on fewer old friends, if you're just going to have a friendly chat without challenging them on any point they bring up out of courtesy?

[@jtm5958]

The last 500 years have not gone that well for Denmark. Just to mention a few: We lost Sweden when the Kalmar Union broke up. We lost the 30 year war twice(once on both sides). We lost core parts of Denmark to Sweden (Scania, Halland and Blekinge) in the great nordic wars. We lost Norway after the Nepolionic wars. We lost half the remaning population in 1864 to the Prussians. We had to sell off our colonies ealier when we ran out of money and Iceland left os while we were occupied by the Nazies. The past 500 years have not been story of success, but of only having the very core of the land and people left. This does give us a very homogenous population and this make it easier to create a high tax welfare state I think. I dont think that 500 years of things going our way is the reason Denmark is prosperous today. At least, I cant see it.

[@Muddrelks]

@@jtm5958 Okay I'm wrong about Danish history, I accept what you're saying but the rest of my argument still stands. Denmark is a small, wealthy country today, and it's easy to feel positive about politics and to strive for compromises partly because of its homogeneity that you mention. The UK by contrast is anything but homogeneous, even England is not homogeneous.

[@asbjoernk.5695]

@@Muddrelks Homogeneity and size is not so important, i think. It helps to be small and homogeneous, but being able to change and modernize society's structures is important in a changing world. And to do this is difficult and needs a lot of compromises.

[@Muddrelks]

​@@asbjoernk.5695 I still think homogeneity is an important part of it. If a country is more culturally homogeneous that narrows the width of societal discourse. It narrows the Overton window if you like, or at least makes sure that the window is roughly the same for all demographic groups. This makes compromises easier, because you have to bridge smaller potential gaps.

[@dianeshelton9592]

⁠@@asbjoernk.5695I think a homogeneous population is something the uk has never had since the days when the celts invaded us AND we have been extremely successful in the past. In fact the diverse population was exactly what made the Empire the great power it was. You have bee in your bonnet about this and need to look past it. As somewhat of a Heinz 57 person myself with family roots going back to the 1600.s my generation is the most successful it has ever been. It is very probably the mix of populations within my generation that has allowed for our success. Politically our extended family embraces all sides and though we each would wish the others would agree more with us it does mean that a Reform voter is as welcome into our family as a Corbyn supporter. It stops the demonisation of people with different political views. I would argue you whole point is not only wrong but is looking at it from a series of wrong assumptions.

[@petrichor649]

I love the occasional Estuary in her speech.

[@CatNostril]

Great interview, and Rory is totally spot on about pistachio icecream!

[@sluglife9785]

My research says that circa 2022 Denmark lowered their tax burden from 47% of GDP to 42%. Really big drop, and totally unparalleled in the OECD. Denmark gave up their spot as highest taxers in the OECD to France at 46%, Norway at 44%, and Austria, Finland and Italy at 43%. But they still sat at 6th highest. Then consider that we raised our tax burden at the same from 34% to 35%. The United States, the apparent paragon of a developed 'low tax' nation, rose from 26% to 27%. So when people call us a 'high tax nation', keep some perspective. We're in the middle, and we have room for manoeuvre.

[@SuperCrabbycrab]

Problem number 1) People add % together. 2) People don't understand tax brackets. 3) People don't calculate or consider all the deductions (like the first-money earned is tax free) In Denmark, every adult worker pays 8% baseline tax (Not pensioners, youthworkers etc) then you pay 37-38% Municipality tax. After that, there are more tax brackets for the top 10%. Including deductions, 35% of my paycheck goes to taxes. Next raise I get, I end up in the 10%. But I just contribute that towards pension and I stay in the lower bracket. Denmark also does not have multiple, extra income taxes, it's all taken out the paycheck for employees. Like, UK council tax, which is separate. In Denmark my salary is twice as much after tax, than it was in the UK. The salaries in the UK are awful.

[@geraldbutler5484]

Taxation = civilisation. You can have as much or as little as you want. US and other low tax countries have public squalor private affluence. France and other high tax countries have great healthcare and other services. Take your pick.

[@Midland_Wolf_71]

I so wish GB would learn from the Scandanavian peoples. They're simply rooted in COMMONSENSE..... Theres a million words we could use to describe them but I feel they all boil down to common sense when all is said and done. This is a good one, I don't know much about her in fairness but she comes across very well. The standout for me was her assessment of GB, she nails it perfectly..... Always looking back, delusional, essentially smallminded and fearful (although she communicated it far more politely). Pistachio Ice-cream is great - Rory, he's wrong again....

[@supercriceto]

You really need to bone up on the reality of life in Scandinavia. Massive problems of social upheaval and crime -particularly against women -as a direct result of mass migration. She is another deluded Liberal pretending the tide isn't coming in. As for your self-hating description of GB: if it's so bad, why does the world and his wife want to come here? The delusion is all on the left. Biden had only just got senile; he was a better president than Trump; Labour will fix the economy; multiculturalism works; letting prisoners out of already soft sentences will help crime rates; Net Zero delusion has no effect on our massive energy bills. Speaking of which . . .did you know Denmark built 5,000; windmills, then stopped, having realised they don't work and you need to build conventional power stations as back up?

[@MK-vh9wz]

Wrong.

[@CmdrTobs]

lol, Europeans claiming the UK is leaving in the past.

[@Midland_Wolf_71]

@@CmdrTobs The UK lives so firmly in the past, its practically still Victorian..... Its embarrassing.

[@CmdrTobs]

?? How?? I genuinely don't see it. On the contrary I'd argue the UK is generally first in embracing modern patterns of living and a lot of our issues stem from this.

[@marilynchivers4730]

Very enjoyable and interesting 👍

[@Osa49]

The best episode.

[@TonyTsobanis]

The problem with most social media platforms is that they are controlled by for profit companies. I would prefer to see the UN endorse and support platforms like Mastadon, an open source twitter like solution. In addition, mandating interoperability and portability of data would benefit everyone, including those in oppressed countries.

[@KirstyRose-w3f]

Another great episode. Loved Helle and off to follow her on IG!

[@Cillekat]

I'm Danish. A very interesting interview. I'm not agreeing with Helle on the influence from social media. I absolutely believe it must be controlled better when it comes to: algorithm, bots, hate speech, criminal actions and disinformation.

[@oliverc1293]

I enjoyed this greatly.

[@Tom_murray89]

Having a labour government gives me hope

[@123bwlch]

Married a Kinnock. Switched off.

[@SamuelHauptmannvanDam]

Won't do you any good as long as you have first to the post voting.

[@MrZnarffy]

To "handle" the extreme right and left, you actually have to LISTEN to their gripes.. Just telling someone they are wrong will just make them more determined...

[@mr.netflix9149]

Listen and create an alternative solution (which is not difficult since most topics aren't binaries).

[@pastyman001]

This is so Borgen ( Brilliant Danish Political saga broadcast on BBC / Netflix ). Brilliant people ( and accents) the Danes, like a better version of the British.

[@sofiadurao312]

Wonderful!

[@blu3arrow]

One thing I would add to the ideas around social media: it is true that we have the power to guide the algorithm by saying I don't want to see this topic, or show me more of this etc. However, by and large people are not willing to go through the effort required to curate their social media feeds to that effect, they go into it just to escape for a little bit. I do get the irony that by not curating it then it's not really providing a good escape. As a result of this, many people end up engaging with provocative posts anyway and so even if your own feed is curated, the 'trending' feed is never far from the surface.

[@jordanarsenault3952]

this is such an admirable woman

[@spooony2714]

I enjoyed everything about this podcast besides the social media chatter. She is obviously compromised on that subject.

[@Multimine]

shill

[@madsrimmen4125]

Well, I do follow you some of the way, but HTS also has a point in that SoMe makes participation possible for everyday-man Perhaps the modern rendition of the cardboard box on Hyde Park Corner

[@JS-vf5gn]

Awesome interview. I've never heard of Helle before. She is fabulous!

[@user-pt1ow8hx5l]

Interesting. The leading rightwing parties in Denmark actually READ 'the unfinished revolutions'. by Philip Gould. And put his work into practice, beating the labour party in two consequtive elections; 2001 and 2005. Didn't know our Helle was a close friend of the guy, Gould.

[@philipjdore1888]

Helle Thorning-Schmidt; a wonderful person.

[@Coverly]

Have lived in DK for +25 years and I clearly remember the day after she became PM. She hadn't even got her feet under the desk yet, but the print media were vicious. I remember thinking , "Seriously guys, it's the 21st century and you still can't accept a woman running the country?" 🤔🙄

[@Ikkeligeglad]

It's not about that she is a woman but about she isn't a social democrat, it was not her that was the prime minister, only by name, it was a finance minister by the name of Bjarne Corydon who decided it all. Bjarne Corydon has been CEO and responsible editor-in-chief of the right-wing newspaper Børsen since 2018. Before that he was a partner at McKinsey and head of the McKinsey Center for Government, a real social democrat or what? Here in Denmark there is the left wing called red and the blue right wing and the nickname of Corydon is blue Bjarne, aka. rightwing Bjarne, a real social democrat or what? not at all! only by name

[@Sigart]

@@Ikkeligeglad I think you forget all the push-back she got for her purses and heels.

[@Ikkeligeglad]

@@Sigart S/lut aka Gucci Helle

[@KeltischeForschung]

You can really tell the difference in attitude they have towards her and Denmark vs how they interviewed Leo Varadkar.

[@youknow6968]

Sunak no way understood, or understands anything except his self entitlement. Watch his old interviews, and comments. He didn't even have to work hard to become prime minister. It was pure luck that as Chancellor he got to dish out free money, giving him popularity. His wealth I'm sure helped him in backroom dealings. His lack of understanding was and is astounding.

[@Matshaa]

"through the 50s and 60s 70s everything just got better all the time"... Almost like you can map the *decline* to when mainstream neoliberalism was adopted by Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan 👀 Brilliant interview.

[@andrewfrancis3591]

I love Iranian Pistachios. Never forget the crispy dried figs and sea salt roasted sunflower seeds. Perfect.

[@brad9235]

Brilliant

[@milesrout]

Why is the title just 'How to Manage the Far Right' when she talks equally about extreme left and right? It would be more accurate to entitle it 'How to Manage the Political Extremes' or 'How to Manage the Far Left and Right'. But you know, of course, that your rabid listeners don't want to hear about the extreme left. They're only interested in handwringing about the right (and anything right of Rory is, of course, far right).

[@cbjmurer]

Ja selvfølgelig. Ingen påstod hun var lidt for Smart. Det er jo nærmest selvforklarende. At hun føler sig som et offer...

[@Sigart]

Jeg tror også det har noget at gøre med forskellen på den danske betydning og den engelske. Det danske ord "smart" har mere at gøre med din fremtoning, hvor det engelske refererer til din intelligens.

[@clydehaumann9804]

A great woman and a great PM .

[@rvleevee]

My limited knowledge of Denmark has always been very favourable and Helle personifies their great values.

[@T-Bass-Groove]

I loved the interview on so many levels, but I’m finding the revelation that Rory hates pistachio ice-cream really jarring and packaging it as wisdom to be handed down the generations completely at odds with the tone of building bridges 😆

[@gratiaDei777]

Absolutely need to talk about immigration

[@taekwanlew]

You didn't listen to this interview did you?

[@hazzardalsohazzard2624]

​@@taekwanlewShe quickly brushed over the problems caused by it, almost solely blaming it on right wing extremists.

[@mr.netflix9149]

It's probably her position that is covered the most in other interviews. They probably wanted to keep things fresh so they asked about other topics.

[@stevewilliams3087]

Is Social Media to blame? Isn't it just an extension of gossip magazines and PR of both politics, business, and entertainment? When lying is used extensively, don't be surprised by the outcomes.

[@hazzardalsohazzard2624]

I think it's far worse because Social Media allows thousands of stories to be put out into the wild and the algorithms will quickly work out which is the best one to drive engagement through anger. This wasn't true in the past with newspapers because there were fewer stories and it was a lot more difficult to work out which stories would capture the audience.

[@KevinThomas-kxtphotography]

She is an incredibly astute politician. She keeps Kinnock Jumior in line and thats a fact 😄

[@arthurcolker751]

The shilling for Meta was too much - thanks for challenging her.

[@gbj3536]

There is a really good interview by PoilticsJOE about trust in politics in his interview with Simon Kuper, it explains a lot about why politics is where it is and the ‘Good Chaps’ theory and why now Labour need to reform Westminster and the Lords. A good listen.

[@Larsemillarsen]

Great interview. One of our best prime ministers

[@mathildejensen3285]

The healthcare system in Denmark is struggling because the liberal parties eroded the system. In stead of upgrading the national public healthcare system they gave a boost to the private health care system. The nurses have for the last 15 years demanded better pay and benefits, because their workload are increasing. Now a lot them are fleeing the public sector for the private health care system because the pay is better and if you have children the schedule works better for you. The current government have promised to fix the problem, but one of the minister in the coalition government is same one who created the problem. One example is that he build a lot of super hospital, while shutting down the local ones. In rural areas the commute to the nearest hospital is 80 km- and remember Denmark is small. After 4 pm the helicopter service is shut down, so the ambulance is far away.

[@ivydickson7596]

Rory is so, so wrong about pistachio ice cream. But, I did not even try sweet corn ice cream in Thailand.

[@chem7]

Omg she is awesome

[@gabsi64]

Can you interview Jacinda Ardern ASAP please.

[@MrWillywillmore]

We need PR. But we'll never have it. Because we're idiots.

[@andwhynotindeed9526]

Astonishing that, at 30 minutes in, Helle talks of lack of trust in politicians, begins with postwar prosperity in the 50s, 60s and 70s, then Alistair instantly switches the conversation to social media, which only kicks in during the 2000s. Thus avoiding totally the watershed years - in British politics certainly - where you can see the oil crisis, and the Thatcherite response nurtures by the all-pervasive Rupert Murdochisation of the public discourse. Was this instinctive on Alistair's part? As old friends, does he recognise the danger zone in her narrative? (As with the Second Vote debacle.) Did he even know he was doing it? Rewriting history? Because Blairism is very much part of the descent down this side of the mountain of mistrust in politicians. "New" Labour slavishly absorbed Thatcherism's neoliberal economics (with a bit more social conscience) exemplified by continuing to destroy social housing amid booming "property portfolios"; cosying up to Murdoch; and jumping on board the Dick Cheney US global agenda. All covered from public view by Murdoch and skilful Campbell spin. Lack of trust in politicians? Before social media, 2 million people had to flood the streets of London to make their voices heard. And said, loud and clear, "we don't believe our leader, we don't believe the world needs war in Iraq." And still they were ignored - so those millions stopped voting altogether. Look at Labour's vote from 1997, when Murdoch changed horses and Labour won amid a torrent of tabloid Tory sleaze (which wouldn't cause a raised eyebrow today): 13.5m; 10.7m; 9.5m; 8.6m; 9.3m; 12.8m; 10.2m; 9.7m. I wonder what could have caused that amazing return of millions of voters in 2017? Must have been a blip. No lessons about trust for Starmer to learn now that the slide has begun again. God help us all, given the populism of the Tory party he will lose to in five years' time.

[@edmund184]

Simple: let the European people decide on their cultural future then the far right disappears

[@enemywithin1295]

Who would have thought?

[@FireflyOnTheMoon]

It's really not simple

[@sambowen624]

Sadly, quite often, hate speech is being excused as Free speech. Free speech good. hate speech bad. How to allow one but stop the other?

[@anotherelvis]

Somehow she became much more personable after she left politics.

[@mr.netflix9149]

Obviously, you aren't allowed to say anything you want whilst representing your party. It's sad but it's a disadvantage of having responsibilities to more than yourself.

[@rafakosewski6758]

Rory, I adore you, I appreciate you immensely. But you are absolutely wrong about the pistachio ice cream. It's one of the greatest little pleasures on this planet.

[@jimbim4405]

Interestingly, what - to me - is the principle difference between the countries is the cultural element. Danes (like all nordics) have a MUCH more collegial, pragmatic and compromising attitude to their lives and their country. They are much less tribal. It is THAT which allows a system built on compromise. That would never work in Britain (at least not in the foreseeable future, and a week is a long time in politics!!)

[@backgammonbacon]

Its only our first past the post electoral system that generates that tribality and its not really that strong...everyone always forgets that the two world wars were fought by coalition governments, the great depression was fought by a coalition government. UK really isn't that tribal.

[@davidrobertson9174]

I actually think the reason this podcast is so successful is because the practice of "disagreeing agreeably" is in such short supply in the UK and yet the demand for it is huge. Lots of people get their politics from a singular lense and co operation with other parties is rarely rewarded, and often chastised. The clearest example is Clegg during that coalition but there's doubtless many many examples if you look for them.

[@carlchadwick9858]

What an amazing lady

[@iamanomas]

Take the temperature out of it but don’t deny the science. It doesn’t hurt to re-examine the old data and the new data because social contagion might well lead to affirmed self mutilation and lifelong chemical dependency.

[@vincentbyrd1153]

It is a bit hypocritical to be glad Chinese opposition to the government need total freedom on social media but in a free democracy like Britain restriction.

[@randomhats5594]

Populism and social media comments spot on. Whilst I'm not supportive of our current times - I am glad that there has been a consequence to decades of mainstreams feeding news according to their own agendas. Could this trigger a reform to report truth, not biaised views? Food for thought...

[@MrWillywillmore]

Pistacio is the 3rd best ice cream.

[@Galantus1964]

Well Helle.. the moment you became leader... the traditional party colours of Social Demokratiet became more and more blue instead of the colour RED and that kept on going up to now where Mette could easlily fly the same colours as the Conservatives.. All of EU laughed our ass of regarding Boris J...... vote for a clown, expect a circus... goes for Trump aswell

[@andyevans8585]

If I was trans I'd want to distance myself from feminism nowerdays. What was a nessessary and positive movement has turned into a largely toxic and negative perspective

[@ainsel98]

as a Dane i can respect Rory for being a trans-accepting (I hope I read this right or i will haunt him when i die), but i draw the line at smearing pistacchio icecream

[@sarahadam8334]

Omg, Rory Stewart doesn’t like pistachio ice cream At last, we have found a fault in a perfect man

[@Jablicek]

As parent to a trans kid myself, Helle is right. Our job isn't to tell them *what* they are, only to accept *who* they are. Our moral and ethical teaching is irrelevant to their gender or sexuality.

[@danielkarmy4893]

Thank you for accepting. So many don't. Thank you for being a beacon of hope in a world that is bogged down with the horror of widespread bigotry and hatred.

[@Eliteerin]

As a trans person myself thanks for your wise words

[@FireflyOnTheMoon]

Britain is a tiny country. I think the parallel with Denmark is just fine. We have so much to learn. -- Online world is a skip fire; a failed state. Social media is totally regulated and stoking hate across the world. Her line on this is totally unconvincing. The question of how to manage the free speech is huge - social media is unpinning current populism boom. I think we need "a more boring world" talking sense, getting better sleep.

[@Muddrelks]

The UK is not a tiny country. I'm so annoyed every time I hear this (and it mostly comes from Brits). It's 67 million people, the 6th largest economy, and a cultural superpower. It's not a tiny country.

[@backgammonbacon]

Denmark's economy is just over one tenth of the UK's, its population is one tenth too (how surprising). The UK is the 21st largest country by population.

[@Bulldog2833]

You did a good job Helle - we are proud of you in Denmark!!

[@anotherelvis]

I agree. She did a great job.

[@ravenofra1114]

We have a NI number as well. If you buy a house of course all that is processed digitally does this lady think we are stuck in the stone age or something?

[@tony_1980]

As a Norwegian who spent time in England. You are about a decade behind the Nordic countries (and many other) in using digital interfaces and other tools in communication with the public sector. Its so much easier in Norway than in the UK. Examples are getting passports/VISA, doctor appointments, tax returns, prescriptions, applications for education or social serves, everything. The UK can save billions on modernizing this, and simultaneously provide BETTER services. That is what she is talking about.

[@ianworley8169]

I read somewhere that there were millions more active national insurance numbers in the UK than the working age population. Whether through fraud, administrative errors or laxity, I'm unsure. However, I think we need some kind of national identity card, which cross references NI numbers, passports, driving licenses, national health service number and even fingerprints. Information that's already out there in various disparate sources. In this digital age and particularly in response to identity fraud, we need a unified, fool-proof system. One that enables identity to be irrefutably established.

[@tony_1980]

@@ianworley8169 "I read somewhere....". You are an adult. And you just wrote a fkign paragraph based on something that is clearly bullshit..

[@DunnoWhatHandleToUse]

I wish we could stop framing the trans debate as a conflict between trans people and feminists. Many, maybe even most feminists are tolerant of trans people and supportive of trans rights. It would be more accurate to say that this is is a conflict between trans people and trans-tolerant feminists against anti-trans feminists (and anti-trans bigots more broadly).

[@robertewelsh1]

You almost stuffed it up chaps. Helle said you don't need to understand it [re. trans] you just need to love. Late save by Rory, but almost not!

[@theboyken]

Rory's gone right down in my estimation since his hate speech on pistachio ice cream.

[@Kirstinevad]

😄 You put your finger on the real issue here. The rest was just filler. I love a good pistachio icecream too. At the wery best when it is hot outside. 😄💕👍

[@paulgilliland2992]

Alastair for gods sake please take Rory’s batteries out for a bit . There’s two of you on this podcast.

[@larskjar]

Excellent chat. But come on, having a high profile tax evasion case in your family is a really bad look for a social democrat. It would have been miscarriage of media standards NOT to focus on it.

[@sarahadam8334]

And rory Stewart has lived all around the Middle East And still doesn’t like pistachio ice cream. Omg. I hope he is not doing the Brit abroad, having fish and chips while in Jordan 😩🙈😂

[@Fredrikschou]

yeah, she´s so eloquent, charming and all that. But she should have stayed in the EU parliament. What her leadership of the social democrats did (and remember- she only won 1 (one) election) was to absorb, not deflect the immigration policies of the far right and make it mainstream- the result was that islamophobia is now an integrated part of mainstream danish political rhetoric. And what did she gain by it? was this the price to pay for enhancing the danish welfare system for everyone? no- she dragged S to the center where it still is and undermined labour unions, reduced unemployment benifits, pensions, social services, sold public utilities in one corruption scandal after another and it was so obvious that after 4 years the danes voted her out again, prefering a government that was openly lassei faire rather that pretend "socialist". BUt Im probably just a mysoginist for saying that

[@webMonkey_]

And then we find out she works for Meta…..and then we understand.

[@timsaxon5825]

I’m sorry, she lost all credibility when she started defending social media. Not gonna bother listening to anything else she has to say. To sit there and say people have a choice what to see online and playing down the power of algorithms suggests naivety or a deliberate act to deceive.

[@taekwanlew]

Your 're the very person she spoke about. Instantly blaming social media ,with little to no understanding of what it actually is. If you has continue to listen you would have heard her say she didn't work for Meta, she is an independent board member who criticises Meta every day.

[@timsaxon5825]

@@taekwanlew I didn’t say she worked for Meta, the guys introduced her as a member of the oversight committee at the beginning. Nor did I blame everything on social media. Downplaying the algorithms though and suggesting people have a choice is naive in my opinion.

[@riber99]

Helle did sugar coat a lot of things. Her party privatized a lot of big state run companies to the detriment of the Danish people. They also invited the far right and conspiracy nuts into the political arena, also to the detriment of the current society. From Helle's predecessors to her and the current prime minister the party has moved more and more to the right. Racism and islamophonia has been on the rise just like in England. The early soc dem were big proponents of the neo-con agenda and NPM, again to the detriment of our institutions and the cohesion of the country. So Helle is not a loved prime minister at all and some of her ministers are now members of the conservative party.

[@chavandposh]

I thought she was a ginger.

[@C4m3r4b4g]

Interesting that Helle Thornong-Schmidt thinks Sunak does understand poverty - in which case her advice to him ought to have been about communicating that understanding better and showing empathy. Saying you couldn't have Sky as a child to people who are queueing in food banks and clothing their kids in charity uniform exchange schemes is hardly empathic - it's the opposite! It completely fails to demonstrate genuine understanding of the level of hardship people are actually ground down by and the impact of that.

[@Kirstinevad]

I think you misunderstood her. I heard her say Sunaks biggest problem was that he didn't know what it is like to live in poverty. She also did not say she didnt have Sky news, the gentleman at right said that. She just agreed. I dont know exactly how poor Helles family were when she was growing up. And I wil have to watch it again to see exactly what she says about Sunak.

[@chelokinida]

"African leader" 🙄 she could have been more specific here, if she mentions Japan, France etc. Well, well.

[@GammonNoone]

She didn’t gift it to the African leader. She did to the others. Africa has 54 countries. If i give wonderwall to 2 people and a fella on the bus tells me he likes wonderwall and i forget his name, I don't think i deserve a well well. Also the african leader may not like her advertising their watching of ungifted television.