Academy of Ideas Newsletter
July 2019
The ‘culture wars’ have become a defining feature of modern politics. Getting to grips with the culture wars is the central theme this year of the boi charity’s annual residential weekend, The Academy, which takes place later this month. It’s a fantastic weekend of formal and informal discussion and one of my intellectual highlights of the year: university as it should be. It’s a space to listen to in-depth lectures, reflect and debate. I always learn a huge amount from attending. Do find out
more and get a ticket – it really is a treat. As a taster, the boi has produced some podcasts looking at some of the key themes and they’re well worth a listen. The degree to which the culture wars have become part and parcel of almost every debate is striking. Even an apparently simple discussion about the pros and cons of measles vaccinations has been polarised in a way that only hardens positions and ends up mixing parental fears with wider political trends like populism. This will be one of the many
panel debates at this year’s Battle of Ideas festival on 2 & 3 November. We’ve got over 100 different sessions discussing a huge range of issues. Discounted Early Bird tickets are still available, find out more here. It seems as though with every aspect of politics, culture, science, there is rarely a simple or obvious answer, and there is certainly more at stake than most headline writers or media coverage would suggest. This is exemplified by the big political stories dominating the news agenda, such as the Conservative Party leadership election. While it seems that Boris Johnson is a shoo-in to be our next prime minister, the fundamental problems of finding a way out of the Brexit mess remain: a parliament unable to agree to Theresa May’s Withdrawal Agreement, but also unwilling to support either ‘no deal’ or ‘no Brexit’. Moreover, the leadership contest has confirmed a few more important trends in British politics. For example, the reaction to Johnson’s promise
to review the tax on sugary drinks brought forth a wave of attacks from those who believe the government’s job is to shape our choices through ‘evidence-based’ interventions. What is the right balance between government intervention and individual choice? It also reminded us that conspiracy theories seem central to how politics is conducted. Rather than disagree with the philosophy behind Johnson’s apparent liberalism, that we should be free to make our own choices, critics often simply demanded to know if he was in the pay of ‘Big Sugar’. Whatever the merits of the government’s anti-obesity strategy, is it healthy for our body politic if political discussion is routinely reduced to accusations of receiving a backhander? Another sign of the state of British politics are the internal confusions at the heart of the Labour Party, with accusations that Jeremy Corbyn and his close advisers are having to work to keep a lid on dissent in their own ranks, whether it is over a second referendum or allegations of anti-Semitism. Yet for all the internal divisions, ‘Corbynomics’ seems to be appealing to a wide section of the electorate. Our Economy Forum on Thursday in London will be looking at Corbynomics, its economic merits and the reasons for its popularity. It should be an interesting discussion. Claire Fox
Director, Academy of Ideas
The Academy 2019 Saturday 20 & Sunday 21 July
Wyboston Lakes, Bedfordshire From the US presidential race to relationships education in Birmingham primary schools, the Culture Wars seem to inform great swathes of politics and public life. The Academy 2019 will have the theme 'Culture Wars: then and now'. The event will examine the nature of contemporary cultural life and ask how and why culture becomes politicised. To find out more, including an outline of the programme, an initial reading list and to buy tickets, click here.
Academy preview podcasts The boi has produced three podcasts featuring lecturers from The Academy 2019. Professor Frank Furedi discusses whether the culture wars will ever end, Timandra Harkness explains the Personalised Century and Dr Jan Macvarish looks at how the culture wars are reflected in relation to family matters. All three are available now on The Academy 2019 webpage.
Pupil protests: is something wrong with climate change teaching?
It is clear from the recent spate of school strikes that the child protesters are genuinely frightened by the prospect of global warming. If pupils are left with the impression that there is no hope for a better tomorrow, how should teachers respond? Listen to the introductory remarks at the recent Education Forum debate on how we should teach about climate change.
What is Corbynomics? Thursday 11 July, 6.45pm
Remark Events, Leather Lane,
Farringdon, London When Jeremy Corbyn was elected as Labour Party leader in September 2015, it was widely seen as marking a sea change in British politics and a return to socialist policies. Almost four years on, what is the Labour Party’s economic policy today? Is Labour as radical as many assume? Will borrowing to invest really lead to greater prosperity or will it simply make UK state finances even more parlous than they are now? Does Labour offer a genuine alternative? More...
Special Battle of Ideas festival debate in Poland
CITIZENSHIP IN AN AGE OF BREXIT
AND FREE MOVEMENT Battle of Ideas festival will be in Poland on 16 August to host a special debate at the Sopot Literary Festival. The debate features Madeline Grant (Telegraph), Professor Anand Menon (director, UK in a Changing Europe), Dr James Panton (Magdalen College School) and Piotr Witwicki (journalist, Polsat News). The debate will be chaired by the
AoI's Alastair Donald.
Media appearances and articles
Tuesday 9 July, 7.30pm
Backyard Comedy Club, Bethnal Green, London Radio 4 regular Simon Evans headlines at July's edition of the free-speech comedy club where the only rule is 'If it's funny, it's funny.' Also on the bill are Dominic Frisby, Ria Lina (compere), David Mills, Philipp Kostelecky, Leighton Roff and Sam Russell. Buy tickets here.
Sky News Paper Preview
Ella Whelan will be one of the guests discussing the next day's newspapers on Thursday 18 July. Adam Boulton Show
Claire Fox will be reviewing the papers on the Sky News show on Friday 26 July at 9.30am. The Moral Maze
Ella Whelan will be one of the panelists on the Radio 4 discussion show on Wednesday 10 July.
|