Yes, Prime Minister - Nuclear deterrent

odmarolsen · 792.6K views · 2008-01-05 · 5:52

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Overview

A sketch from the British sitcom Yes, Prime Minister in which Jim Hacker and the chief scientific advisor discuss the logic of the nuclear deterrent.

On Hacker News

HN commenters cite it as a funny but precise take on deterrence strategy and politics.

Discussed on HN; no positive recommendation is recorded in this export · HN mentions 2013–2026

Topics

Satire & parody Film & TV clips

What people said

einpoklum · 2026-08 · Reference
It's very weird looking in from the outside. I mean, sure, the US is the dominant power and everything, so things like Iraq and Iran could be construed as just collateral damage from their imperial maneuvers. But it has just piled on, more and more, and even when they are hit right in the face with the massive bombing of NordStream, still practically nobody tries to draw any sort of line. Reminds me a bit of that 'Yes Prime Minister' sketch about nuclear deterrant, when the skeptical conversant asks the PM: "So what is the last resort, Picadilli?" [VIDEO]
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upboundspiral · 2026-05 · Reference
Your solution (of tackling unemployment by tacking it onto national defense), is eerily close to what they discussed in an episode of Yes Prime Minister in the 80s. [VIDEO] [LINK]
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RegW · 2014-11 · Reference
A better explanation in "Yes, Prime Minister": [VIDEO] ... and perhaps relevant to the discussions of states tampering with other people's satellites.
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Sources

Video by odmarolsen, played through YouTube.

HN Library · Source license

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