Academy of Ideas Newsletter
October 2019
The Battle of Ideas festival at the Barbican in London is now less than four weeks away. Over the weekend of 2 & 3 November, we'll be trying to get to grips with the world, with over 100 debates, 500 speakers and 3,500 attendees. Our motto, as ever, is ‘Free Speech Allowed!’ At a time when the manner of political debate has become as much of an issue as the content, we'll proudly be hosting discussions that are well-informed and passionate, but also civil and serious. One distinctive aspect of our festival is our satellite events programme, which starts this week and runs throughout October and November. Across the UK and Europe, we'll be looking at everything from the generational divide to the north-south divide, from the future of the EU to whether we need a British Bill of Rights. Take a look at the events listing below and get along if you can. At the festival weekend itself, we'll be covering a huge range of themes and issues, from the use of artificial intelligence in the classroom to how to read a poem, from building a new industrial revolution to whether humanity will survive the future at all, from the struggle for democracy in Hong Kong to the threat of World War III. We’ll have keynote debates about who we mean by The People and The Establishment, and asking why our politics has become so ‘toxic’. And there is whole strand of debates on the battle for democracy. There are a wide range of tickets available now. Thanks to our headline sponsors Camelot, full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students can attend the whole weekend for just £27.50 – just a
quarter of the full price. There is a fantastic opportunity for school pupils, who can come for either Saturday or Sunday completely free or pay just £10 for the whole weekend. Find out about all these offers on the Battle of Ideas tickets page. With so much going on in the world right now, there is no better place to grapple with the state of the world as it is, and as it should be, than the Battle of Ideas festival. Please get a ticket now and join us at the Barbican! Claire Fox
Director, Academy of Ideas
Battle of Ideas satellite events Ahead of our annual festival at the Barbican, we have satellite events in the UK and Europe.
Comedy Unleashed Tuesday 8 October, 7.00pm-10.00pm
Backyard Comedy Club, Bethnal Green, London Join us at Comedy Unleashed, London’s free-thinking standup comedy club. Comedy Unleashed hosts free-thinking comedians who leave their self-censorship button at the door. October's acts include Tony Law, Leo Kearse, Sadia Azmat, Alistair Williams, Will Franken and Joe Wells, The compere is Dominic Frisby. Tickets available here.
Will China dominate the twenty-first century? Thursday 10 October, 5pm-6.15pm
Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Abbey Pl, Faversham ME13 7BQ October marks the seventieth anniversary of the Chinese Revolution led by Chairman Mao, but arguably, China’s more recent transformation into the world’s largest trading nation represents and even greater revolution. Can ‘capitalist’ China sustain its current, authoritarian approach to internal governance and human rights. Will China now dominate the world? Find out more here.
Central banking: behind the mystique Thursday 10 October, 6.45pm-8.30pm
Remark Events, Leather Lane, London Central banks, like the Bank of England, the US Fed and the European Central Bank, wield huge influence. What do central banks actually do? Does keeping them independent from politicians mean they are unaccountable to voters? Has their capacity to prevent future economic crises been exhausted? Tickets are available here.
Migration, Rootedness, Privacy A day of discussion hosted by Birmingham Salon
Saturday 12 October, 11.00am-5.00pm
Old Joint Stock, 4 Temple Row West, Birmingham B2 5NY
MIGRATION AND DEPOPULATION IN TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY EUROPE
Huge migration flows from eastern Europe are usually discussed in terms of their impact on richer EU countries, but there is a growing discussion about its impact on the countries of origin, too. Is freedom of movement an unalloyed good? ROOTEDNESS: MORE THAN BELONGING?
In recent decades, the idea of rootedness has come to be viewed as old-fashioned and restrictive. But is there something to be said for a sense of home? Are there still places where communities of the truly rooted can be found? WHOSE HOME IS IT ANYWAY?
Today, the distinction between public and private is blurry. Is the old saying ‘an Englishman’s home is his castle’ still worth defending – or should we no longer expect our home life to be private? For full details and tickets, visit the Birmingham Salon website.
From symbol to individual: a gallery tour Sunday 13 October, 11.00am-12.30pm
National Portrait Gallery, St Martin's Place, London, WC2H 0HE In this gallery tour, led by artist and lecturer Dido Powell, paintings of figures ranging from the Tudors to contemporary Royals, from official groups to family groups and from high-status single portraits to the intimate portrait will be explored. Examples will be chosen from across the collection that help understand themes of achievement, power, death and inheritance. Find out more and buy tickets here.
Future of the EU: the return of remain and reform? Wednesday 16 October, 7.30pm-9.15pm
Flemish-Dutch House DeBuren, Leopoldstraat 6, 1000 Brussels The rise of populism and the UK’s vote to leave the European Union have prompted many to ask if the EU can survive. Recently, however, there’s renewed optimism about the prospects for reforming it. Can a case be made for a more democratic EU in which nation states function democratically? Find out more here.
China: new global power? Thursday 17 October, 6.45pm-8.30pm
Millennium Room, Carriageworks Theatre, Leeds, LS2 3AD October marks the seventieth anniversary of the Chinese Revolution led by Chairman Mao. But arguably, China’s more recent transformation into the world’s largest trading nation represents an even greater revolution. Can ‘capitalist’ China sustain its current, authoritarian approach to internal governance and human rights? Will it now dominate the world? Find out more and buy tickets here.
A British Bill of Rights: guarantee or threat to freedom? Thursday 17 October, 7.00pm-8.30pm
CIEE London Global Institute, 46-47 Russell Square, Bloomsbury, London WC1B 4JP With Britain’s attempt to leave the EU raising a host of constitutional questions, some say that a British Bill of Rights could help clarify our rights and protect our liberties. What would it look like? Is this a moment for brave new ambitions, or for protecting rights we already have? Find out more and get tickets here.
The dangerous rise of academic mobbing Thursday 17 October, 7.00pm-8.30pm
Brunswick Inn, Derby, E1 2RU From Socrates to Salman Rushdie, heretical thinkers and writers have long been persecuted. But recently censorship has taken on new forms. Are once-free universities now hostile places for unpopular ideas? For more details and tickets, click here.
Who is stealing young people's future? Thursday 17 October, 7.00pm-9.00pm
The City Arms, Canterbury, CT1 2JR The ‘generational divide’ between old and young seems to inform many political debates today. In her new book, Jennie Bristow interrogates the rise of intergenerational conflict and argues that assumptions about differences of interests and needs between generations have become a new ideology. Is it time for a generational truce? Find out more here.
How can we bridge the north-south divide? Friday 18 October, 7.30pm-9.00pm
Sedbergh People's Hall, Howgill Land, Sedbergh LA10 5DQ The relative differences in jobs, pay, health and many other factors between the North and South of England have been a recurring talking point in politics for decades. Would it be better to devolve more power and influence to local and regional government rather than leave their future to Whitehall? Find out more here.
|