Battles in Print are essays exploring ideas in depth. They are published to accompany sessions at the Battle of Ideas Festivals or to reflect on contemporary events and happenings. Battles in Print serve as an introduction to a debate and for reflection afterwards, and take a variety of forms, from short provocation essays, to head-to-heads, to longer think-pieces and interviews with leaders in specific fields.

Three themed, full-colour printed collections of selected Battles in Print from 2007 are still available: Music & Arts, Science & Technology, Best of the BiPs 1 and Best of the BiPs 2. The collections are £3 each, or £10 for a set of four, including postage. Call 020 7269 9220 or buy online.

The first of the 2008 Battles in Print are now available below. Select a theme on the left to see related Battles in Print from the archive.

Attitudes to China, Patrick Hayes

A recent survey suggests the Western public may be less worried about the rise of China than the ‘China-bashing’ media suggest, and more optimistic about its future development. 

The End of Left and Right, George Hoare

The end of Left and Right, if it has occurred, needs to be taken seriously. It amounts to no less than the collapse of a way of looking at, and doing, ‘politics’.

Won't read, can't read, don't read?, Angus Kennedy

We need to be less concerned about when is the right age for children to start reading, and how, and much more worried about what counts as being great literature, in having real standards that children can aim at.

The Gates of Eden are rusting!, Don Eales

Don Eales recalls the political power of popular song, and asks where the voices of challenge and dissent are today.

The ‘Regeneration Games’, London, 2012, James Woudhuysen

Professor James Woudhuysen argues that an Olympics ‘Win/Win’ won’t work