Battle Talk is a mini-series presented by Spiked Online Editor Brendan O'Neill in the run-up to the Battle of Ideas. Each Wednesday, at 19:30 GMT, a new show will air on 18 Doughty Street and links to the archived version will be listed below. To watch a Battle Talk, click on its title.

Radical Activism (Tuesday 23 October 2007)

Brendan O’Neill presents Battle Talk on the state of radical activism on campus and in culture, and looks ahead to the upcoming two days of debate.

His guests are: Maria Grasso, PhD student at Oxford University and Nathalie Rothschild, Commissioning Editor for Spiked Online.

Related Session: Revolting students

Battle Talk Barriers to Science (Wednesday 31 October 2007)

Tony Gilland, Science & Society Director, Institute of Ideas, presents a Battle Talk on science and barriers to research.

His guests are:
Prof Conrad Lichtenstein: Chief Operating Officer, Population Genetics Technologies Ltd;
Dr Stephen Minger: Director, Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, King’s College London

The Institute of Ideas conducted a survey of over 200 scientists about the barriers to science in the 21st Century. A comprehensive report of the survey can is available as a pdf. Click here to download.

Related Session: What are the barriers to science in the 21st century?

Battle Talk James Delingpole (Wednesday 10 October 2007)

Brendan O’Neill presents Battle Talk and speaks to the author and journalist about about his upcoming appearance at the Battle Ideas as part of the “Bar Room Rant” on the topic of government keenness to regulate the minutiae of citizen’s lives.

James Delingpole has written novels, political satire and for The Spectator, The Times and The Daily Telegraph.

Related Session: Eat, drink and be merry - banned

Battle Talk Dominic Lawson (Wednesday 3 October 2007)

Brendan O’Neill, editor of Spiked Online, speaks to the Independent columnist in Battle Talk.

Dominic Lawson is a former editor of The Sunday Telegraph and The Spectator and is a visiting fellow at the Reuters Institute at the University of Oxford.

Related Session: Post Ideology

Battle Talk - Arts and Elitism (Wednesday 3 October 2007)

Dr Shirley Dent, Communications Director for the Institute of Ideas, presents Battle Talk, a tantalising teaser of the forthcoming Battle of Ideas.

Guests are: Prof Raymond Tallis, Professor of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Manchester, Natalie Melton, Commercial Director of Arts and Business and Veronica Lewis, Director of London Contemporary Dance School and The Place.

Battle Talk - Ceri Dingle (Wednesday 26 September 2007)

Spiked Online Editor Brendan O’Neill presents the first show in a mini-series in the run-up to the Battle of Ideas and interviews Ceri Dingle of education charity WORLDwrite, which campaigns for global equality.

WORLDwrite is an education charity which describes its mission as challenging prejudices and stereotypes by giving young people a unique opportunity to see the world from a fresh perspective through a first-hand, investigative filmmaking experience.