On this episode of Going Underground, we firstly speak to the co-creator of ‘Yes Minister’ and ‘Yes Prime Minister,’ Jonathan Lynn. He discusses Sir Mark Sedwill’s intention to quit as the head of the civil service and cabinet secretary, how politicians view civil servants and vice versa, the similarities between ‘Yes Minister’ and ‘Yes Prime Minister’ characters, the similarities between the character Dorothy Wainwright and Dominic Cummings, the domination of Oxbridge- and Eton-educated elites among politicians and civil servants, his shows airing in the Soviet Union, why he believes Western democracy is the best system of governance, how politicians use the civil service as an excuse for their failures, Brexit, coronavirus and more!
Finally, we speak to Prof. Richard Sakwa, author of ‘The Putin Paradox.’ He discusses Vladimir Putin’s constitutional plebiscite, in which his reforms were approved by a majority of Russians. He discusses the results of the vote being impressive for Putin, dangerous elements of the reforms, McCarthyite coverage of Russia and Putin over the allegations of Russia offering bounties for American soldiers to the Taliban in Afghanistan, Trump’s victory in 2016, the journalistic bubble among Western commentators regarding Russia, the growing threat of nuclear conflict with Russia, Joe Biden threatening economic warfare if he wins, and more!
