Academy of Ideas

Listen to the debate from the Battle of Ideas Festival 2019. The result of the Scottish independence referendum in 2014 seemed to put paid for the foreseeable future to the most significant threat to the Union, but the result of the EU referendum in 2016 has put the cat amongst the pigeons once more. The future of Northern Ireland has also been a constant bone of contention since the Brexit vote. In September, a shock opinion poll suggested that a quarter of Welsh voters would vote for independence. Is the Union really in imminent danger? Is there a positive case for the UK today, whether economic, political or even emotional? **SPEAKERS** MEV BROWN spokesperson, SDP Scotland; former spokesperson, Business for Britain in Scotland; campaigner, Better Together DR RUTH DUDLEY EDWARDS journalist, historian and broadcaster; award-winning author, The Seven and Patrick Pearse: the triumph of failure LINDA MURDOCH campaigner for rights and democracy in Scotland; director of careers, University of Glasgow AKASH PAUN senior fellow, Institute for Government; associate fellow, Centre on Constitutional Change, Edinburgh University DR GLYNNE WILLIAMS associate professor, School of Business, University of Leicester CHAIR: JUSTINE BRIAN director, Civitas Schools Subscribe to the Academy of Ideas newsletter at battleofideas.org.uk/subscribe

Listen to the debate from the Battle of Ideas Festival 2019. The Court of Arbitration for Sport has ruled women with naturally higher levels of testosterone cannot compete in women’s sport events unless they reduce their testosterone with medication. CAS was hearing an appeal by a South African runner, Caster Semenya, against a ruling by the governing body of athletics, the IAAF, that she cannot compete in certain events having been born with a condition leading to unusually high testosterone levels. What does this mean for elite sport? And can we separate sports from other areas of society in which discrimination against people with different sexual developments is taboo? DR CARLTON BRICK lecturer in sociology, School of Media, Culture and Society, University of the West of Scotland DR SILVIA CAMPORESI director of bioethics and society postgraduate programme, King’s College London; co-author, Bioethics, Genetics and Sport GEORGINA NEWCOMBE student, Durham University; athlete and footballer; Living Freedom alumnus DR JOEL NATHAN ROSEN associate professor of sociology and anthropology, Moravian College; author, The Erosion of the American Sporting Ethos DR EMILY RYALL reader in applied philosophy, University of Gloucestershire; author, Philosophy of Sport: key questions CHAIR: GEOFF KIDDER
 director, membership and events, Academy of Ideas; convenor, AoI Book Club Subscribe to the Academy of Ideas newsletter at battleofideas.org.uk/subscribe

The results of yesterday's UK General Election throw up many different issues. Why did the Conservatives end up winning comfortably? Why did the Labour vote collapse, with seats that had voted Labour for decades switching to the Tories? Does the success of the SNP in Scotland mean there will be another independence referendum? What does it all mean for Brexit? Discussing these issues and more are Alastair Donald, Claire Fox, Rob Lyons, Jacob Reynolds and Ella Whelan.

Listen to the debate from the Battle of Ideas Festival 2019. Thanks to Living and Dying Well for their partnership on this debate. The question of whether assisted suicide (often known as assisted dying) is morally defensible, or should be legally permitted, is a familiar issue of medical ethics. Polls suggest that most people in Britain support a change in the law to allow it. By contrast, the British medical establishment has a longstanding record of opposition to legalisation – though there are suggestions that this may be changing. Should the law look leniently on relatives who help a patient to die? What if the patient would suffer more harm by staying alive? Indeed, should the idea of ‘harm’ be redefined and, if so, how? What would be the role of doctors, and ‘conscientious objection’, were the law to change? Dr Jacky Davis consultant radiologist, Whittington Hospital; member, BMA Council, chair, Healthcare Professionals for Assisted Dying; board member, Dignity in Dying Dr Carol Davis palliative medicine consultant and clinical lead for end of life care, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust; board member, Living and Dying Well John Harris professor emeritus, University of Manchester; author, How to be Good; former member, United Kingdom Human Genetics Commission Dr Kevin Yuill associate professor of history, University of Sunderland; author, Assisted Suicide: the liberal, humanist case against legalization and The Second Amendment and Gun Control: freedom, fear, and the American constitution Chair: Dr Piers Benn visiting lecturer and adjunct professor; author, Freedom of Speech and the Flight from Reason Subscribe to the Academy of Ideas newsletter at battleofideas.org.uk/subscribe

A recording of a debate at the Battle of Ideas festival on Sunday 3 November 2019. The angry exchanges in parliament after the Supreme Court ruled against prorogation were typical of the ill-tempered discourse around Brexit. This year it was also deemed acceptable to ‘milkshake’ those you disagree with. Looking at a world seemingly filled with slurs, angry social-media comments, inflammatory remarks about migrants and nasty jibes about ‘gammons’ and ‘TERFs’, many commentators have called this an age of ‘toxic politics’. Should we lament a lost civility, or is the emergence of more forthright and angry disagreements in fact a good thing? What is the line between passionate disagreement and toxic bile? How can we fi nd ways to disagree with other people constructively? DOLAN CUMMINGS associate fellow, Academy of Ideas; co- founder, Manifesto Club; author, That Existential Leap: a crime story TIMANDRA HARKNESS journalist, writer and broadcaster; presenter, Radio 4’s FutureProofi ng and How to Disagree: a beginner’s guide to having better arguments DR DEBORAH E LIPSTADT professor of Holocaust Studies, Emory University, Atlanta; author, Antisemitism: here and now JACOB MCHANGAMA executive director, Justitia, a Copenhagen based human-rights think tank; host and narrator, Clear and Present Danger: a history of free speech podcast JAMES TOOLEY professor of educational entrepreneurship and policy, University of Buckingham; author, The Beautiful Tree CHAIR: ALASTAIR DONALD co-convenor, Battle of Ideas festival; convenor, Living Freedom

Listen to the debate from the Battle of Ideas Festival 2019. Earlier this year, Gillette produced an advert aimed at challenging ‘toxic masculinity’. Although somewhat frivolous, the example illustrates a growing trend among the world’s biggest companies to weigh in on social issues. In perhaps the most infamous example of all, in 2017, Pepsi released an advert with Kylie Jenner healing divisions at a protest march. The advert was widely condemned for appropriating the legacy of the civil-rights movement. But many companies seem to genuinely care about social causes. Unilever, one of the world’s biggest companies, has made ambitious environmental commitments that are priorities at all levels of the company. For some observers, this is evidence of a genuine shift in how businesses think about their role, often underpinned by new generations of employees demanding change. But critics have condemned what’s been called ‘woke capitalism’ or even ‘wokewashing’. Are 'woke' corporations a cynical attempt to curry favour with the lucrative millennial market, or should we celebrate demonstrations of corporate conscience? What does the rise of woke capitalism tell us about the prospects and possibilities for more radical change today? Asad Dhunna founder, The Unmistakables; commentator; former director of communications, Pride in London Dr Eliane Glaser writer; radio producer; reader, Bath Spa University; author, Anti-Politics: on the demonisation of ideology, authority, and the state Dr Norman Lewis director, Futures-Diagnosis Ltd; co-author, Big Potatoes: the London manifesto for innovation Dan Mobley global corporate relations director, Diageo Toby Young co-founder, West London Free School; author, How to Lose Friends & Alienate People; associate editor, Spectator and Quillette CHAIR: Patrick Hayes director, British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA); director, EdTech Exchange Subscribe to the Academy of Ideas newsletter at battleofideas.org.uk/subscribe

Listen to the debate from the Battle of Ideas Festival 2019.   There is something of an obsession with ‘normality’ today. Sally Rooney’s novel, Normal People, was widely acclaimed for its sensitive portrayal of everyday contemporary relationships. The TV smash hit Fleabag was likewise praised for its unflinching portrayal of ‘normal’ British middle-class sexual mores. But attitudes towards ‘normality’ seem difficult to get a handle on today. On the one hand, campaigns to raise awareness for a variety of social or psychological ills seek to show it is not ‘abnormal’, for example, to experience depression and that such people ‘are not alone’. But on the other hand, the proliferation of identity characteristics encourage people to be celebrate difference, uniqueness and not being ‘normal’. What are we to make of this shifting understanding of what it is to be normal? Should we just accept that everything is unstable, that we can’t expect a single category of ‘normal’ to be helpful? Does society need a concept of normality, if only to define common sets of beliefs and values or does it enforce conformity? Should we celebrate being normal?   DR FRANKIE ANDERSON psychiatry trainee; co-founder, Sheffield Salon DR ASHLEY FRAWLEY senior lecturer in sociology and social policy, Swansea University; author, Significant Emotions and Semiotics of Happiness DR BETH GUILDING academic, Goldsmiths, University of London; co-editor, Narrating the Passions: new perspectives from modern and contemporary literature; columnist, Times Higher Education VANITY VON GLOW internationally ignored superstar; cabaret performer; host, The Vanity Project CHAIR: JANE SANDEMAN chief operating officer, The Passage; convenor, AoI Parents Forum; contributor, Standing up to Supernanny Subscribe to the Academy of Ideas newsletter at battleofideas.org.uk/subscribe

Recording of a debate at the Battle of Ideas festival 2019. Today’s political culture seems obsessed with dark, apocalyptic visions. From young people staging ‘die-ins’ to protest about the environment to talk of an ‘insect apocalypse’, fears and threats loom large. Extinction Rebellion argues that the threat of catastrophe means we must reject growth and material progress in favour of a new eco-austerity. Even proponents of new technology often see it as a means of avoiding environmental catastrophe rather than transforming the world for the better. What can we learn about the present from our attitude to the future? Do we need to recover our faith in the future – and by extension, ourselves? DR SHAHRAR ALI home affairs spokesperson and former deputy leader, Green Party; author, Why Vote Green 2015 GREGORY CLAEYS professor of history, Royal Holloway, University of London; author, Searching for Utopia: the history of an idea; fellow, RSA DR ASHLEY FRAWLEY senior lecturer in sociology and social policy, Swansea University; author, Semiotics of Happiness and Significant Emotions (forthcoming) BRENDAN O’NEILL editor, spiked; host, The Brendan O’Neill Show; writer, the Sun and the Spectator; author, A Duty to Offend CHAIR: JACOB REYNOLDS partnerships manager, Academy of Ideas; co-convenor, Living Freedom and The Academy, boi charity

Listen to the debate from the Battle of Ideas Festival 2019. Monty Python’s Life of Brian was released in the UK on 8 November 1979. The film had problems from the start, with its funding withdrawn by EMI films at the last minute, but it was rescued by former Beatle George Harrison putting up the money for it to be made. Forty years later, it would be nice to say that we’re more relaxed about religion and comedy. But in truth, while Christianity is considered fair game (notwithstanding the later controversy over Jerry Springer: The Opera), satirising Islam remains deeply controversial, as illustrated by the Charlie Hebdo massacre and the mealy-mouthed reaction to the killings by many supposedly liberal commentators and artists. Could Brian be made today? Why does it still work today? Have we lost the ability to ridicule the dominant ideas of our society? And have comedians, writers and producers lost their edge for fear of causing offence? SIMON EVANS comedian; regular panellist, BBC Radio 4's The News Quiz RIA LINA award winning standup comedian; former forensic IT investigator, Serious Fraud Office; former research scientist, Herpesvirus bioinformatics ANN MCELHINNEY director and producer, FrackNation; co-author and co-producer, Gosnell; producer, FBI Lovebirds: UnderCovers; co-host, The Ann and Phelim Scoop DR JOEL NATHAN ROSENJ associate professor of sociology and anthropology, Moravian College, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; author, The Erosion of the American Sporting Ethos: shifting attitudes toward competition ANDY SHAW co-founder, Comedy Unleashed CHAIR: ROB LYONS science and technology director, Academy of Ideas; convenor, AoI Economy Forum Subscribe to the Academy of Ideas newsletter at battleofideas.org.uk/subscribe

Listen to the debate from the Battle of Ideas Festival 2019. ‘Humour is a weapon of the patriarchy.’ So says Titania McGrath, the Twitter superstar who describes herself as an activist, healer and radical intersectionalist poet. Titania has become famous for her ‘woke’ words of wisdom, such as ‘heterosexuality is a hoax’. Of course, those of us who have been following Titania’s rise to fame will know that she is, in fact, fictional – a satirical character dreamt up by the author and comedian Andrew Doyle. Boasting a Twitter following in the hundreds of thousands, Doyle’s parody of a ‘typical Guardian reader’ has managed to fool some so-called ‘social-justice warriors’ into believing Titania’s cries of oppression, as well as revealing uncomfortable truths about the degraded state of identity politics. But not everyone is a fan of Titania. Doyle has been accused of ‘punching down’ with his satire of contemporary ‘leftie’ politics. Is poking fun at social-justice campaigns merely a right-wing ploy – even though Doyle himself is a self-declared leftie? And what has it been like for Doyle, to be a comic writer in a world that sometimes seems unable to laugh at itself? Now that Titania’s real identity is out, where does she go from here? ANDREW DOYLE writer and comedian; author, Titania McGrath's Woke: A Guide to Social Justice   CHAIR: ELLA WHELAN co-convenor, Battle of Ideas festival; journalist and frequent commentator on TV and radio; author, What Women Want   Subscribe to the Academy of Ideas newsletter at battleofideas.org.uk/subscribe