Olof Palme interviewed by David Frost

The Internet has remarkable treasures. In this wonderful interview from 45 years ago, the late British TV journalist David Frost talks to the Swedish politician Olof Palme, who was tragically assassinated years later. Towards the end of the interview, Palme is asked about what we are on earth for, what is the purpose of our presence in this life. He says that "leaving aside the metaphysics of the issue, as we are doomed to be in this earth, we should try to make life as decent as possible. To achieve that we need some common values, such as equality and community. That is the basis of my political ideology." It is difficult to come up with a better definition of social democracy. Besides this, the interview uncovers a very honest politician, very different from the artificial characters that have led western politics in the recent decades. It is not that I subscribe to the idea that politicians are always worse (Obama is clearly better than Bush, for example), but one cannot avoid thinking that some authenticity has been lost.