Inside The Lords in times of crisis
A lot has happened this week - a few thoughts...
This moment is of great political and historic importance - whether you are a monarchist or, like me, a republican. The death of Queen Elizabeth II should provoke some soul-searching about our own relationship with history, as she came to represent something of a constant through a period of significant political change and upheaval. My mother, who died a couple of years ago, was born in the same year as the Queen - and my sympathies are with her family.
In a political climate which is so often keen to do away with history - treating it as either too shameful and one-dimensional to discuss, or too irrelevant to teach a young generation - the death of such a long-serving monarch brings home the importance of understanding and engaging with our past. Even though I would rather be a citizen than a subject, I think it is important to note, and respect, that the late Queen for many embodied a link with history, and a sense of national identity.
I am in Lithuania for a conference over the next few days, and we had already filmed our Inside The Lords episode on Wednesday. But after hearing the news that the Queen was ill on Thursday, just before I left, I recorded this little update:
A lot has happened this week, and so my full version of Inside The Lords is a mix of updates from our new prime minister to reflections on the House of Lords in the few hours after the announcement of the Queen’s ill health. Despite everything that is happening, it is impossible to forget that we remain in the grip of an energy crisis - something which the government cannot put on the backfoot for too long. We at the Academy of Ideas are continuing to plan our October Battle of Ideas festival, taking place on the 15 & 16 October at Church House, Westminster. Read on for more information and how to get tickets in this Substack.
Earlier this week I asked two questions in the Lords - the first was a quick question on the cons of being a leaseholder. People think they're buying homes, and buying into Liz Truss' home-owning democracy. But in reality, they are nothing more than glorified renters. It's a con. Someone should alert the new PM…
The second was on the crisis in the NHS. Both government and opposition swap competing statistics, but problems go far deeper than cuts, resources and overstretched health staff. (For an example of what kind of consequence this creates, read the devastating Guardian article by Merope Mills on the preventable death of her 13-year-old daughter Martha.)
THE BATTLE OF IDEAS FESTIVAL: 15 & 16 OCTOBER 2022
Join us for an unmissable weekend of debate and discussion at the Battle of Ideas festival - on the 15&16 October at Church House, Westminster - on the most important political, economic and cultural issues of our time.
Discounted ‘super early bird’ tickets are available until Monday 12 September – book here.
The Battle of Ideas festival in London is now just a month away. With a new prime minister and a series of crises facing the British public, there’s certainly a lot to debate and discuss. We're returning to the heart of Westminster - Church House was a brilliant home for us last year and we’re delighted to be bringing the people’s parliament back for another year.
From the cost-of-living crisis to the war in Ukraine, from culture wars to institutions in meltdown, this has been a year of enormous challenges. Yet our political leaders - only recently in some turmoil themselves - don’t seem up to the task and many people feel like their voices aren’t being heard. We need to get beyond lurching from one emergency to another and start moving society forward. We need to understand what has been happening with an eye to shaping a better future.
Throughout the festival’s history, we have always defended the need for a full and frank discussion of the problems facing society. Our motto is ‘FREE SPEECH ALLOWED’. We live in a time when censorship seems more prevalent than the days of shushing priests and damning judges, and yet things have changed. Contemporary attacks on free expression often come both from the state and from within a wide variety of institutions, from colleges to companies, museums to the media. Censorship can be subtle, and is often self-inflicted for fear of ostracisation. The pressures on free speech will be a major theme at this year’s festival, with speakers asking questions about whether cries of You Can’t Say That have affected political progress relating to anti-racism, climate change, economic growth and even the world of arts and culture.
The Battle of Ideas festival is serious, fun, inspiring and much more. But don’t take it from us – what makes it unique is that it is not simply about listening to academics and commentators telling you what they think. For us, the audience IS the festival, and we actively encourage you to have your say, to challenge other people’s ideas and be challenged yourself. If you’re sick of shouting at the telly, and a weekend of civil but passionate debate in-the-flesh sounds up your street, don’t hesitate: grab your ticket for 15 & 16 October in London, 5 November in Buxton or look out for our events across the UK and Europe and get stuck into the debate.
Super earlybird tickets at £75 for the weekend (£40 concessions) only until 12 September!
£25 for students!
School pupils get a day ticket free!
Become an Academy of Ideas associate today and get your full weekend ticket for just £100 (£60 concessions).
Find out more, and book your tickets, here.
SESSIONS INCLUDE:
DO THE CULTURE WARS MATTER? · ENOUGH IS ENOUGH? CHALLENGING THE COST-OF-LIVING CRISIS · POST-COLD WAR: RUSSIA AND ITS DEMONS · FROM ZERO-COVID TO ‘LET IT RIP’: DID ANYONE DO COVID RIGHT? · RWANDA OR BUST? THE FUTURE OF UK BORDER CONTROL · AGE OF ‘ISMS’: WHAT HAPPENED TO IDEOLOGY? · THE TRANS TEEN TREND: A CASE OF SOCIAL CONTAGION? · CLIMATE EMERGENCY: CATASTROPHE OR CATASTROPHISING? · SANITISED OR MODERNISED: STAGING SHAKESPEARE TODAY · TRADE UNIONS: THROWBACK, COMEBACK OR FIGHTBACK? · FROM INDYREF2 TO A BORDER POLL: ARE WE AFRAID OF DEMOCRACY? · TRUST ME I’M YOUR DOCTOR: ARE GPS IN CRISIS? · GLOBALISM IN CRISIS: HAS DAVOS MAN HAD HIS DAY?
And many more – see the full timetable here
SPEAKERS INCLUDE:
ANDREW DOYLE · MATT RIDLEY · PROFESSOR AAQIL AHMED · GRAHAM LINEHAN · DR MARIE KAWTHAR DAOUDA · WINSTON MARSHALL · IVAN KRASTEV · DR GERARD LYONS · AARON BASTANI · ZOE STRIMPEL · KATY JON WENT · TOMIWA OWOLADE · RALPH LEONARD · MAYA FORSTATER · PROFESSOR DAME CLARE GERADA · INAYA FOLARIN IMAN · PROFESSOR DOUG STOKES · ALLISON PEARSON · TOM SLATER · LAURIE LAYBOURN · ALI MIRAJ · MADELINE GRANT · MARY KENNY · PATRICK VERNON · FREDDIE SAYERS · DR SHAHRAR ALI · CLAIRE FOX · HELEN JOYCE · IVAN HEWETT · DAVID SWIFT · DR PAUL MORLAND · ROSIE KAY · WILLIAM CLOUSTON · CHRISTOPHER SNOWDON · LOUISE PERRY · MIRIAM ELIA · PROFESSOR FRANK FUREDI · MARY DEJEVSKY · LAURA DODSWORTH · MAHYAR TOUSI · ERIC KAUFMANN · FRANCES COPPOLA · PROFESSOR SUNETRA GUPTA · THOMAS FAZI
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Alastair Donald, associate director at the Academy of Ideas, is speaking at this month’s Home House Debate. Founded in 2009 by Alban James and Radiah Ford, the Home House debating salon reflects the club’s values and history as a space for freedom of expression. It offers members and their guests the opportunity to directly engage and connect with thought leaders from politics, media or the arts in heated and purposely-chaotic discussions. The Chatham House Rule applies.
DATE: Tuesday 20 September 2022
ADDRESS: Home House, 20 Portman Square, London, W1H 6LW
TIME: 7:30 - 9:30pm
Can you still write comic novels about the campus? The writer and poet PJ (Jem) Vanston will talk about his experience at the East Midlands Salon. Jem is the author of two comic campus novels satirising the politically correct and woke university. He will read some extracts from his work and discuss the difficulties of writing satire in a climate dominated by a humourless cancel culture.
DATE: Thursday 22 September 2022
ADDRESS: The Brunswick Inn, 1 Railway Terrace, Derby, DE1 2RU
TIME: 7 - 9pm