110. Chris Patten: Conservatism, China, and the future of democracy

As the last Governor of Hong Kong, what are Chris Patten's reflections on the city’s trajectory since the handover in 1997? How can the West improve it's relationship to China? What role does religion play in fostering a more compassionate society today?

Rory and Alastair are joined by Lord Chris Patten to discuss all this and much more.

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Assistant Producer: India Dunkley and Aaliyah Akude
Video Editor: Teo Ayodeji-Ansell
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Producer: Nicole Maslen
Senior Producer: Dom Johnson
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The Rest Is Politics’ Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart interview politicians, leaders, intellectuals, and more.

From inside and outside of politics, guests join Rory and Alastair to discuss life, leadership, and the philosophy that’s led them to success in their chosen field. Their conversations cover key political events, global affairs, and the big ideas shaping the world today, offering listeners in-depth perspectives from those at the heart of change.

The Rest Is Politics Plus: Become a member for exclusive bonus content, early access to Question Time episodes to live show tickets, ad-free listening for both TRIP and Leading, our exclusive newsletter, discount book prices on titles mentioned on the pod, and our members’ chatroom on Discord. Just head to therestispolitics.com to sign up, or start a free trial today on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/therestispolitics.

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• No. of episodes: 142
• Latest episode: 2025-06-15
• News Government Politics

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