YouTube Proliferation (Symbol)
The fact the ransom video proliferates online faster than the UK government can censor it is a symbol of the power of social media. If the story were set a few decades in the past, the kidnapper would not have been able to spread his ransom video without making and sending physical copies to news outlets. With YouTube, the kidnapper can broadcast his terrorist demands across the world in an instant, encrypting his IP address to ensure no digital trail leads the authorities back to him. And because the public has the same access to social media video hosts, anyone anywhere can re-upload the content faster than the UK government can take it down. As a consequence, the prime minister is strong-armed into meeting the ransom demands, unable to shield himself from public scrutiny.
Public Opinion Polling (Motif)
Throughout the episode, Callow and his staff pay close attention to media-generated public opinion polls about the prime minister's responsibility in relation to the kidnapping. Early in the day, as news of the kidnapping and the absurd ransom spreads, people around Britain tend to believe the prime minister shouldn't bow to the terrorist's demands. Tom quietly confides these figures to Callow, who is relieved to know that the public will not hold him responsible if the kidnapper were to kill the princess. However, the twenty-eight percent of those polled who believed he should fulfill the kidnapper's demands swells to over eighty percent after media outlets show images of Princess Susannah's finger being severed. Once public opinion has shifted out of Callow's favor, he discovers that his own team and security detail will turn against him if he doesn't go through with it. Ultimately, the motif resolves when Callow receives higher-than-ever approval ratings following his humiliation. But in exchange for having won the public's favor, he has lost the respect of his wife.
Viagra (Symbol)
The diamond-shaped blue erectile-dysfunction medication Callow is handed as he walks into the TV studio is a symbol of how technological innovation can be a double-edged sword. While middle-aged men like Callow may benefit from an improved sex life after the introduction of ED pills like sildenafil to the consumer market in the late 1990s, in this case, the little blue pill enables Callow to have sex with a pig when he wouldn't otherwise have an erection. In this way, the technological innovation represented by the Viagra pill makes it possible for Callow to fulfill the kidnapper's twisted demands.
Bestiality (Symbol)
Prime Minister Callow having sex with a pig on live television is a symbol of lost dignity. Upon learning of the kidnapper's absurd demand, Callow believes he must be the victim of a practical joke, not least because the kidnapper seemingly has nothing to gain by forcing the country's leader to have sex with a farmyard animal. For a head of state to break the longstanding universal human taboo of fornicating with an animal means he would theoretically lose all dignity. However, because the public witnesses the act and everyone knows Callow went through with it for an honorable reason, paradoxically Callow gains the public's respect after committing bestiality. In the end, Callow seems to lose only his wife's respect, as she cannot stomach the thought of her husband having given up his dignity while the entire world watched.
Craving for Humiliation (Allegory)
Brooker presents "The National Anthem" as an allegory for humanity's voyeuristic craving for scenes of public humiliation. After Callow has sex with a pig on live television, the home secretary learns from a staff member that the humiliation could have been avoided because the princess was released in the center of London thirty minutes prior to the 4 p.m. broadcast. Upon learning this, the home secretary realizes the kidnapper was making a statement about humanity's sick need to see people humiliated. If everyone in the city hadn't been watching TV, someone would have found the princess stumbling around, notified the authorities, and the broadcast would have been diverted. By tuning in, everyone is complicit in the spectacle; no one avoids watching out of respect for the prime minister's sacrifice.
