A monthly round-up of Academy of Ideas events, comment and media.
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Academy of Ideas Newsletter
February 2020
At 11pm on 31 January, the UK left the EU - and I lost my job as an MEP. I'm glad that has now finally happened. I'm also pleased that I can focus my attention once more on being director of the Academy of Ideas and kick-starting the debates we need so that the UK can be a successful country for everyone.
It's not just in the UK that people want change. We've had confirmation from the Irish general election that people do not want to live in the past. Voters, sick of the failings of the two usual governing parties, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, have shocked many commentators by giving Sinn Féin the largest number of first-preference votes. Ireland could be set for weeks, if not months, of wrangling about who will govern, but it is clear that 'more of the same' is no longer good enough.
So, what is to be done? To start the debate on what that means for UK politics, I'm helping to organise a national conference - 'Changing Politics for Good: What Next?' - in Stockport on Saturday 29 February. Please find out more here and come along if you can.
Moreover, events always have a habit of overtaking politics. That's particularly clear with the emergence of the novel coronavirus in China. Already, the virus has killed more people than the SARS outbreak in 2003. It seems like China is currently closed for business as a result. What does that mean for people there and in the rest of the world when China has been the motor of the world economy for so long? What does the response tell us about the right balance between reducing risk from disease and the damage that over-reaction might cause? That's a fascinating discussion that will play out in the weeks ahead.
The last thing we need is to be complacent about how we think about the world. So the theme of this year's Living Freedom residential school, being hosted by colleagues from the boi charity on 2-4 April, could not be more apt. At a time of political and cultural flux, we need to be open to new, even heretical ideas that challenge comfortable orthodoxies. If you're 18-25, it's a great event that I would highly recommend.
And everyone, from 18 to 80+, should definitely try to come to The Academy 2020, another event organised by the boi. The theme of this year's Academy is 'The exhaustion of political language'. Find out more here.
Claire Fox
Director, Academy of Ideas
Living Freedom 2020
This year's Living Freedom school takes place in London on 2-4 April. Open to anyone aged between 18 and 25, the theme this year is Heretics and Dissidents: Challenging Orthodoxies in 2020. The event offers an opportunity to explore the historical roots and contemporary manifestations of concepts such as heresy, orthodoxy, demonology, moral purity, scepticism and dissent. Comprising expert talks, seminars, roundtables and workshops, come along to participate in meaningful debates, and socialise with peers and lecturers. Find out more and apply on the boi charity website.
Podcasts
Wednesday 29 January 2020
What’s the point of going to university?
Listen to the debate from the Battle of Ideas 2019.
Wednesday 29 January 2020
From zero hours to apprenticeships: young people at work
Listen to the debate from the Battle of Ideas 2019.
Monday 27 January 2020
Artificial intelligence in the classroom: where’s the humanity?
Listen to the debate from the Battle of Ideas 2019.
You can catch up with all our podcasts, and subscribe to them, here. You can also listen to the latest Battle of Ideas audio via our Soundcloud playlist or watch videos via our YouTube playlist.
Conference: Changing Politics for Good
Saturday 29 February, 9.30am-6.00pm
Cheshire Conference Centre, Edgeley, SK3 9DA
Claire Fox, along with her former MEP colleague Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen, is hosting this special one-day event to discuss the contemporary political issues we face post-Brexit. Speakers from across the UK will come together to discuss what the major issues will be and how the political system needs to change in order to make government responsive to the needs of voters. To find out more and book tickets, visit Eventbrite.
The Academy 2020
Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 June 2020, Wyboston Lakes, Bedfordshire
University as it should be: the boi residential summer school. The Academy brings together a wide range of people of all ages and backgrounds to discuss good books, with good guides and in good company. The theme of this year's Academy is 'The exhaustion of political language'. See the outline programme, readings and ticket details here.
Forums and Salons
Should schoolchildren be forced to have the MMR vaccine?
On Tuesday 11 February at 7pm, Dr Mike Fitzpatrick will introduce a discussion on one of the thorniest moral dilemmas for schools today. Can we protect children from diseases like measles while support parental autonomy, or is compulsory vaccination now inevitable? Find out more here.
Stop Mugging Grandma
On Thursday 13 February at 7pm, the East Midlands Salon welcomes Dr Jennie Bristow to talk about her latest book on the 'generation wars'. Part of her motivation for writing the book, she says, was 'to challenge the shrill, brittle, and dishonest framing of politics as a clash between old and young, and to warn of the dangers arising when an obsession with generation collides with the logic of identity politics'. The event takes place at the Brunswick Inn in Derby. Find out more here.
Berliner Salon: Schluss mit der Klimakrise
The next Berlin Salon, organised by Freiblickinstitut, will take place on Thursday 20 February at 7pm. The topic is the 'climate crisis': what can be done to tackle rising temperatures - or should we just try to learn to live with them? Find out more here.
Talking Citizenship
On Friday 21 February at 7pm, Liverpool Salon will be discussing various facets of citizenship and how they differently shape and reshape people’s lives. As a legal category, is citizenship too thin to provide a sense of belonging to a political community? As an expression of communal and political solidarities, does citizenship provide a strong enough defense of civil rights and protections? Find out more and get tickets here.
Debating Matters
Teams from 16 schools took part in two recent DM Championships. The quality of the debates was very high, as the debaters tackled some of the thorniest issues of our time. On 23 January, Sturminster Newton Sixth Form emerged victorious in the South West Chamionship, while The Burgate School and Sixth Form went home with the Southampton Championship trophy on 5 February. Next stop: Berlin on Thursday 27 February! Find out about these events and more on the Debating Matters website.
Media appearances and articles
The ‘Union Jack issue’ and my time as an MEP
Claire Fox looks back on her term in the European Parliament for UK in a Changing Europe.
This ban on petrol and diesel cars makes no sense
Rob Lyons argues that introducing a ban in 2035 will expend vast amounts of money and effort for very little benefit.
Brexitnight: A Newsnight Special
Ella Whelan was one of the guests, with Jeanette Winterson and John Barnes, as Newsnight covered the UK's exit from the EU.
For a different image of freedom, read Stalingrad
Jacob Reynolds writes for UnHerd on the virtues of Vassily Grossman's novel, the forerunner to Life and Fate.
Forthcoming appearances
Sky News Papers Preview
Ella Whelan will be one of the guests on Saturday 15 February.