Its time to take back control
Not just of borders, but of the battle of ideas in society
Here at the Academy of Ideas we are busy preparing for TOMORROW’S big event in Buxton (and with the rail strikes now suspended - you have no excuse to miss it!).
Despite the bustle here in the office, things politically seem a little calmer now the ‘sensible’ politicians are back in charge (something I spoke about last week). But in reality it is clear that much is still wildly out of control in Britain. The most obvious manifestation of this is the ongoing chaos at the border, with the government unable to do get a grip on the small boats crossing the channel.
I have long been a vocal advocate of a pragmatic and rational approach to immigration and refugees, but this sense that no-one is in control of things is hugely damaging. No-one pretends there are easy answers to the current border crisis, but that is no excuse for letting the situation spin out of control. We need to demand much greater imagination and boldness from our politicians.
But this is just one example of how important it is that we try and bridge the divide between politics - conducted somewhere ‘over there’ - and the people. We have to take back control of political debate.
This is, to put it somewhat grandly, our mission at the Academy of Ideas. And this was captured rather wonderfully by Brad Strotten in an article for the Free Speech Champions’ new Substack which gives an overview of the Battle of Ideas festival in London. I urge you to read it.
Join us in Buxton this Saturday!
If the article doesn’t make you want to join us TOMORROW in Buxton for another full Battle of Ideas festival day, then I don’t know what will.
If I may say so myself, we have a brilliant line-up of debates and speakers. We’ll be discussing what’s happened to the police, whether we can fix Britain, the legacy of the grooming gangs scandal and the need to show some courage, as well as much more. And we’ll be joined by a great series of speakers, including Sherelle Jacobs, Graham Stringer MP, Tania Edwards, William Clouston, Timandra Harkness and many many more (as well as myself and colleagues).
You can still get a ticket or simply turn up at the Devonshire Dome in beautiful Buxton and pay on the door.
As you can imagine, we’ve been hard at work putting this together - so we’ll be back with more analysis next week. For now, see you in Buxton!