Something for the weekend: 18 March
From rolling strikes to early retirees, from media impartiality to poor quality debate, there’s lots get to grips with right now. We've put together recent AoI events and appearances that might help.
There’s a lot going on in the world. Sometimes, we need to take a step back and digest. It’s good to read around and mull things over.
In that context, here’s audio and video from recent Academy of Ideas forum discussions and AoI team media appearances for you to enjoy at your leisure. We also have news of some upcoming events that might be of interest.
OUR FORUMS
Two of our forums have had very interesting and topical discussions in recent weeks. After Jeremy Hunt made getting people back to work a centrepiece of his budget, this Economy Forum discussion, Have Brits fallen out of love with work, is fascinating at the long-term trends in our attitudes to employment. Dear chancellor, tinkering with tax rates and pension allowance ain’t gonna cut it – the problems are way more deep-seated than that. You can catch up with the discussion on YouTube or Soundcloud.
This week, Britain has been rocked by strikes in several important public services. So, the Education Forum discussion, Should teachers strike during an education crisis, was very timely. While there is little disagreement among contributors that teachers should be getting more money to compensate for rising living costs, is closing schools the right thing to do at the moment? Have a listen on Soundcloud and see what you think. The Economy Forum’s Phil Mullan has also written a valuable essay for spiked on the underlying problem: poor-quality, low-pay jobs that are the result of stagnating productivity in the UK.
One ‘strike’ hit the headlines more than any other during the past week – the walkout by BBC sports presenters in support of Gary Lineker. But as the AoI team discussed in this week’s Podcast of Ideas, the furore was about much more than an ex-footballer’s opinions or internal BBC office politics – touching on free speech, impartiality in public institutions and the whole way we DEBATE about politics today. Listen in on Soundcloud.
IN THE MEDIA
Claire Fox was one of the participants on BBC Politics Live on 7 March, where one of the main stories was the UK government’s plan to stop the migrant small boats crossing the English Channel.
The lost art of debate was the theme of an interview that our associate director, Alastair Donald, gave to Together, which campaigns around freedom today. You can watch Alastair in action on YouTube.
Ella Whelan was one of the panelists on BBC Radio 4’s Moral Maze on 8 March, discussing the ethics of breaching trust.
Jacob Reynolds was one of the panelists on Neil Oliver Live (GB News) on 11 March.
COMING UP
Censorship in the eighteenth century and now
Historian and author, Julia Gasper leads this discussion for East Midlands Salon.
Thursday 23 March, 6.30pm, Derby
Talking liberty: The seductive power of literature
Author and film-maker Phil Harrison discusses his Letter on Liberty at Birmingham Salon.
Saturday 25 March, 1.00pm, central Birmingham
The technocrat restoration: Has populism run out of steam?
Claire Fox is one of the speakers, along with Professor Matthew Goodwin and Tom McTague, at this UnHerd event in Westminster.
Monday 27 March, 6.30pm
Singing the News: a recital of news poems
A poetry recital by Andrew Calcutt, with visual accompaniment from Simon Miles, followed by a Q&A and discussion.
Arts & Society Forum, Tuesday 28 March, 7pm, London
An Evening with Claire Fox
Nick Buckley MBE hosts this event, featuring a talk from Claire and audience Q&A.
Thursday 6 April, 7pm, central Manchester