Cameron's Swede Dreams
Analysis
BBC
4.6 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 18 June 2012
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What's so great about Sweden? The British left has long been obsessed with Sweden. Now the Conservatives are too. Little wonder: the country always tops the global charts for happiness and social cohesion; its economy is dynamic and its deficit is low.
In this week's Analysis, Jo Fidgen investigates the "Swedish model" and the British obsession with it. She finds the country is more conservative than people think, with its centre-right government's generous welfare state depending on very traditional notions of trust and social cohesion. At the root of Swedish conservativism is what the experts call a "Swedish theory of love" - in which the state is seen as the defender of the individual. Could this idea ever work for Britain? Sweden has provided a blue-print for David Cameron's Conservatives and their "Big Society" reforms, but many in Sweden argue that they are being misunderstood by Britain's Tories. Jo also looks at how, as Sweden struggles to become more multicultural, the "Swedish model" itself may in fact be unravelling.
Interviewees include: Anders Borg, Swedish finance minister Samuel Englom, Chief Legal Adviser at the Swedish trade union federation (TCO) Fraser Nelson, Editor of The Spectator magazine Sofia Nerbrand, Swedish centre-right thinker Nalin Pekgul, Swedish Social Democrat member of Parliament Lars Tragardh, Professor of History at Ersta Sköndal University College Marcus Uvell, President of the free market think-tank Timbro
Producer: Mukul Devichand.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Just before this BBC podcast gets underway, here's something you may not know. |
| 0:04.7 | My name's Linda Davies and I Commission Podcasts for BBC Sounds. |
| 0:08.5 | As you'd expect, at the BBC we make podcasts of the very highest quality featuring the most knowledgeable experts and genuinely engaging voices. |
| 0:18.0 | What you may not know is that the BBC makes podcasts about all kinds of things like pop stars, |
| 0:24.6 | poltergeist, cricket, and conspiracy theories and that's just a few examples. |
| 0:29.7 | If you'd like to discover something a little bit unexpected, find your next podcast over at BBC |
| 0:35.4 | Sounds. |
| 0:36.4 | Thank you for downloading this podcast from the BBC. |
| 0:39.8 | This is Analysis. |
| 0:41.9 | Britain and the Eurozone face austerity, but Sweden still has a growing market |
| 0:47.0 | economy and generous welfare state. Joe Fijon, temporarily resident in Sweden, asks if the Swedish model is worth following, in Cameron's |
| 0:58.0 | Swed dreams. |
| 0:59.0 | And finally, another deus poise for the smashing victory of this evening, Sweden. |
| 1:05.0 | What a convincing win! |
| 1:07.0 | We have a winner from Sweden. |
| 1:10.0 | We'll be dancing to this. Why can't this more than last forever? |
| 1:18.0 | Nowadays everyone in austerity Europe wants to dance to the Swedish tune and not just in Eurovision. |
| 1:24.4 | Sweden's economy grew at nearly 4% last year almost six times faster than |
| 1:29.5 | Britons. So in Sweden they don't debate the budget deficit, they run a surplus with overall public debt below average. |
| 1:37.0 | And because this Nordic Tiger has the most competitive economy in Europe right now, |
| 1:42.0 | it can still afford the kind of welfare the rest of us |
| 1:45.2 | are cutting back. New parents, for example, can take an enviable 480 days of paid parental |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.