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.
Daniel Ben-Ami, finance and economics journalist; author
Ferraris for All: in defence of economic progress and
Cowardly Capitalism
Julie Bindel, feminist campaigner, active in women’s liberation movement since 1979; writer,
Guardian,
Standpoint Magazine; columnist,
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John Cooper, leading criminal and human rights barrister; regular columnist,
The Times and
Observer; editor,
Criminal Bar Quarterly
Claire Fox, director, Institute of Ideas; panellist, BBC Radio 4's
Moral Maze
Frank Furedi, emeritus professor of sociology, University of Kent, Canterbury; author,
Wasted, Politics of Fear and
On Tolerance: in defence of moral independence
Tom Holland, award-winning historian; author,
Rubicon: the triumph and tragedy of the Roman Republic; winner, 2007 Classical Association Prize
Bettany Hughes, president, Joint Association of Classical Teachers; broadcaster; author,
The Hemlock Cup: Socrates, Athens and the search for the good life
Mick Hume, editor-at-large,
spiked; author,
There Is No Such Thing As A Free Press ...and we need one more than ever
Virginia Ironside, journalist; agony aunt,
Independent; author,
The Virginia Monologues: why it's great to be sixty
Rebecca Jenkins, cultural historian; author,
The First London Olympics, 1908; Royal Literary Fund Fellow
Wendy Kaminer, US-based writer on law, liberty, feminism, religion, and popular culture; author,
Worst Instincts: cowardice, conformity and the ACLU
Irma Kurtz, writer; broadcaster; agony aunt,
Cosmopolitan Magazine; author,
About Time: growing old disgracefully
Philippe Legrain, adviser to José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission (speaking in a personal capacity); author,
Aftershock: reshaping the world economy after the crisis
Paul Mason, broadcaster; author,
Financial Meltdown and the End of the Age of Greed; technology editor, BBC's
Newsnight
Brendan O'Neill, editor,
spiked; author,
Can I Recycle My Granny and 39 Other Eco-Dilemmas
Tim Parks, novelist, essayist and translator; author of
Teach Us to Sit Still: a sceptic’s search for health and healing and
Dreams of Rivers and Seas; associate professor of English and translation, IULM University, Milan
Steve Rayner, James Martin Professor of Science and Civilization; director, Institute for Science, Innovation and Society, University of Oxford
Anthony Seldon, master, Wellington College; historian; political commentator; author,
Trust: how we lost it and how to get it back and
Brown at 10
George Szirtes, reader in creative writing, UEA; poet; editor; translator; author,
The Burning of the Books and Other Poems
Raymond Tallis, emeritus professor of Geriatric Medicine, University of Manchester; chair, Healthcare Professionals for Assisted Dying; author,
Aping Mankind and
In Defence of Wonder
GM Tamás, visiting professor, Central European University; author,
Les Idoles de la Tribu
Tarun J. Tejpal, founder and editor,
Tehelka; former editor,
India Today; novelist; author,
The Story of My Assassins
Mark Walport, director, Wellcome Trust; Government Chief Scientific Adviser (from April 2013)
David Willetts MP, Minister of State for Universities and Science; author,
The Pinch: how baby boomers took their children's future - and why they should give it back
David Yelland, partner, Brunswick Group LLP; former editor,
The Sun; author,
The Truth About Leo
Peter York, broadcaster and journalist; ex-style editor,
Harpers and Queens; author,
Cooler, Faster, More Expensive: the return of the Sloane Ranger
"As ever, the Battle of Ideas is full of stimulating and lively argument. It's fun to be able to clash robustly in a good-humoured atmosphere."
Martin Wright, Editor in chief, Green Futures
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