Battle of Ideas 2009 31 October & 1 November, London

The Battle of Ideas 2010 was a two-day festival of high-level, thought-provoking debate organised by the Institute of Ideas and hosted by the Royal College of Art.

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Battle of Ideas 2009 Keynote Videos

Institute of Ideas Christmas Lecture 2009

Battle of Ideas 2009 Speaker Quotes

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The Battle for Politics

Pre-Election Public Summit

Gatecrashing the political party -
Create a new agenda: 20 March 2010

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Festival Brochure

Read the Battle of Ideas 2009 Festival brochure PDF [913 KB]

Reading for Battle

Get in shape: lose the fat, Clive Bloom

Society is collapsing because you are greedy, Brendan O'Neill

Q&A with John Cooper, Luke Gittos & John Cooper

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Battles in Print

Should schools be engines of social mobility?, Sally Millard

Remaking citizens for the ‘Big Society’, Kathryn Ecclestone

In drug policy, pragmatism is the only moral approach, Roger Howard & Leo Barasi

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Speakers include
David Aaronovitch, columnist, The Times; author, Voodoo Histories

Peter Barron, director of communications and public affairs, North and Central Europe, Google; former editor, Newsnight

Martin Bell, former independent MP for Tatton; author, A Very British Revolution: the expenses scandal and how to save our democracy

Daniel Ben-Ami, finance and economics journalist; author Ferraris for All: in defence of economic progress and Cowardly Capitalism

Colin Blakemore, professor of neuroscience at the universities of Oxford and Warwick; chair, Neuroscience Research Partnership, Singapore; chair, general advisory committee on science, Food Standards Agency

Vince Cable, deputy leader and shadow chancellor, Liberal Democrats; author, The Storm: the world economic crisis and what it means

John Cooper, leading criminal and human rights barrister; regular columnist, The Times and Observer; editor, Criminal Bar Quarterly

Jenny Diski, novelist, Apology for the Woman Writing; essayist; memoirist; author, The Sixties

Cory Doctorow, novelist; co-editor, BoingBoing.net; author, Content: selected essays on technology, creativity, copyright and the future of the future

Peter Donnelly, director, Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics; professor, statistical science, University of Oxford

Claire Fox, director, Institute of Ideas; panellist, BBC Radio 4's Moral Maze

Frank Furedi, professor of sociology, University of Kent, Canterbury; author, Wasted, Politics of Fear and On Tolerance: in defence of moral independence

David Harsent, poet; Forward Prize winner 2005, Legion; visiting professor, Sheffield Hallam University

Tom Holland, award-winning historian; author, Rubicon: the triumph and tragedy of the Roman Republic; winner, 2007 Classical Association Prize

Anthony Horowitz, author and creator, Alex Rider and Power of Five novels; creator and screenwriter, Midsomer Murders, Foyle's War and Collision; journalist; critic

Mike Hulme, professor of climate change, University of East Anglia; founding director, Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research; author, Why We Disagree About Climate Change: understanding controversy, inaction and opportunity

Mick Hume, editor-at-large, spiked; writer, The Times

Tristram Hunt, broadcaster; lecturer in modern British history, Queen Mary, University of London; author, The Frock-Coated Communist: the revolutionary life of Friedrich Engels

Luke Johnson, chairman, Channel 4; chairman/owner, Giraffe and Patisserie Valerie/Druckers; chair, RSA; essayist, Financial Times

Philippe Legrain, advisor to José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission (speaking in a personal capacity); author, Aftershock: reshaping the world economy after the crisis

Bronwen Maddox, chief foreign commentator, The Times; author In Defence of America

Kenan Malik, writer and broadcaster; author, From Fatwa to Jihad and The Quest for the Moral Compass (forthcoming)

Paul Mason, broadcaster; author, Financial Meltdown and the End of the Age of Greed; technology editor, BBC's Newsnight

Tim Montgomerie, co-editor, ConservativeHome; co-founder, ConservativeIntelligence.com; member, advisory board, Centre for Social Justice

Brendan O'Neill, editor, spiked; author, Can I Recycle My Granny and 39 Other Eco-Dilemmas

Debbie Purdy, board member, Dignity in Dying; leading campaigner for right to assisted dying

Robert Skidelsky, emeritus professor, political economy, Warwick University; member, House of Lords; author, Keynes: the return of the master

Raymond Tallis, fellow, Academy of Medical Sciences; author, Aping Mankind: neuromania, Darwinitis and the misrepresentation of humanity

Zoe Williams, columnist, Guardian; author, Bring it on, Baby

Martin Wolf, associate editor and chief economics commentator, Financial Times; author, Fixing Global Finance

+ Full list of speakers

Festival Buzz

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"The Battle of Ideas goes from strength to strength. The intensity, variety and depth of debate, sustained for an entire weekend, makes for a unique experience charging the intellectual batteries for the rest of the year."
Raymond Tallis, emeritus professor of geriatric medicine, Manchester University

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