Night Waves - 'Should Britain Give up its Delusions of Grandeur?'

On this evening's Night Waves Philip Dodd chairs a programme length debate asking "Should Britain End its Delusions of Grandeur?" It is a question that has haunted British life since the Second World War but with a financial crisis, foreign entanglements, deep cuts in government spending and competition from emerging economies it seems particularly acute. Philip is joined by Sir Christopher Meyer, ex-ambassador to Washington, Writer Pankaj Mishra, sociologist Christie Davies from the Bruges Group and Bronwen Maddox, chief foreign correspondent of the Times. The programme will debate Britain's position in global affairs, its economic status and foreign policy clout but also examine cultural and domestic questions about Britain's perception of itself and its desire to host global events such as the Olympics. Would Britain be a more effective place if it reigned in its ambitions and conducted its affairs on the model of Sweden? Or would losing these so-called delusions, the global ambition of British culture and the desire to 'punch above our weight' in foreign policy terms merely invite a decline that is far from inevitable?