Academy of Ideas

#EconomyForum: How can we revive UK economic growth?

This is a recording from the Academy of Ideas Economy Forum on Monday 8 April 2019. The session title was ‘How can we revive UK economic growth?’ (academyofideas.org.uk/events/archive…conomic_growth)
The speaker is John Mills, an entrepreneur, economist and author, noted for his writing on Brexit, the Labour Party and the exchange rate. In the political world, he formerly served as chair of Labour Leave, Labour Future, The Pound Campaign and LESC, and co-chair of Business for Britain and Vote Leave. In the business world, he is founder and chairman of consumer goods company John Mills Limited (JML), which exports to over 70 countries around the world.
The topic is based on a recent pamphlet by John Mills which can be downloaded at academyofideas.org.uk/johnmills
Please note, as this is a recording of live public meeting, the audio is at times less than perfect.

#BattleFest2018: Culture - who pays?

Recording of a debate at the Battle of Ideas Festival 2018 at The Barbican, London.
Should funding for cultural projects be scaled back in a time of fiscal crisis? As we approach the National Lottery’s 25th anniversary, many are asking questions about where funding for culture should come from. Some anti-austerity campaigners say that new projects like the V&A museum in Dundee, at a cost of £80million, put unnecessary pressure on already stretched budgets. Others argue that a vibrant cultural scene is key to building confidence in communities and creating social cohesion, threatened by visible inequalities in wealth, housing, health and education. What about private funding? Could that compromise artistic freedom? And should we view culture as a luxury or a necessity in a modern-day society?
ALEXANDER ADAMSartist, writer and art critic; author, Culture War: art, identity politics and cultural entryism (forthcoming)
DR TIFFANY JENKINSwriter and broadcaster; author, Keeping Their Marbles: how treasures of the past ended up in museums and why they should stay there
BARB JUNGRaward-winning singer, songwriter, composer and writer
SEAN GREGORYdirector of learning & engagement, Barbican Centre and Guildhall School of Music & Drama
CHAIR: CLAIRE FOXdirector, Academy of Ideas;

#BattleFest2018: From robots to UBI - is capitalism digging its own grave?

Recording of a debate at the Battle of Ideas Festival 2018.
After the fall of the Soviet Union, a broad political consensus emerged that ‘there is no alternative’ to capitalism, which even the 2008 financial crash did little to disturb. But now things appear to be changing, with support for politicians like Jeremy Corbyn and Bernie Sanders who call for a new way of organising the economy. A slew of recent books, epitomised by Paul Mason’s Post-Capitalism, argue that technological innovations have opened up ways to transcend capitalism from within. Are we now seeing the arrival of capitalism’s ‘undertaker’ in the shape of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation? Could it be true - is capitalism’s time nearly up?
AARON BASTANIco-founder, Novara Media; author, Fully Automated Luxury Communism: a manifesto
ROBERT HARRIESmembership coordinator, education trade association
WENDY LIU software developer; editor, economics section, New Socialist
NIKOS SOTIRAKOPOULOS lecturer in sociology, York St John University; author, The Rise of Lifestyle Activism: from new left to Occupy
PROFESSOR GUY STANDING professorial research associate, SOAS, University of London; author, Basic Income: and how we can make it happen
CHAIR: ROB LYONS convenor, Academy of Ideas Economy Forum

#BattleFest2018: Do the right thing? The moral responsibility of the artist

Recording of a debate at the Battle of Ideas Festival 2018.
‘There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all.’ Oscar Wilde’s view of art as essentially an aesthetic pursuit, one concerned with transcendent beauty and the human condition, has arguably now been superseded. But artists are routinely being ‘called out’ if their work represents minority groups in a light that is perceived as negative. The Globe’s new director, Michelle Terry, has been applauded for using blind casting to combat alleged inequality in the arts. Should art be judged on whether or not it is sending the right message? What are the implications for artists themselves?
JON BRITTAINstaff writer, Netflix’s The Crown; playwright, Rotterdam; comedy writer; director, Sight Gags for Perverts, Shtick and Don’t Bother, They’re Here
JAMES DREYFUSaward winning television, film and theatre actor
MO LOVATTwriter and researcher specialising in arts and culture policy; co-chair, The Great Debate
KIMBERLY MCINTOSHpolicy offcer, The Runnymede Trust and Race on the Agenda; writer, Guardian, gal-dem
CHAIR: ANDREW DOYLEwriter and comedian; co-author, Jonathan Pie: Off The Record

#BattleFest2018: From anti-vaxers to Alfie’s army - have we lost faith in medical science?

Recording of a debate at the Battle of Ideas Festival 2018.
According to the 2017 Ipsos MORI Veracity Index, nurses and doctors are the most-trusted people in the UK. But in certain contexts, this trust seems to evaporate. Take the ever-present anti-vaccination (or ‘anti-vax’) movement, the popular reaction when medical professionals decide it is no longer right to try to keep very sick children alive or instances of apparent malpractice have also raised serious public concerns. In these cases, doctors are regarded with suspicion rather than trust. What role does something like ‘fake news’ play in polarising these debates? Given the overwhelming scientific consensus about the merits of vaccines, is the ‘anti-vax’ movement simply anti-science, or even anti-intellectual? Or is it healthy to have more sceptical intellectual currents to hold the scientific establishment to account? And when it comes to controversial end-of-life decisions, are they simply about emotion versus reason, or are there important points of principle that need to be considered and debated between doctor, patient, and family?
RICHARD CLARKEPhD candidate, health psychology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
DR MICHAEL FITZPATRICKGeneral practitioner; writer on medicine and politics; author, MMR and Autism: what parents need to know and The Tyranny of Health
DR CLARE GERADAMedical director, NHS Practitioner Health Programme; former chair, Royal College of General Practitioners
DR KEVIN YUILLSenior lecturer in American history, University of Sunderland; author, Assisted Suicide: the liberal, humanist case against legalization and The Second Amendment and Gun Control: freedom, fear, and the American constitution
CHAIR: MAX SANDERSONAudio producer, Guardian

#BattleFest2018: Understanding anti-Semitism today

Recording of a debate from the Battle of Ideas Festival 2018.
From racist attacks to ominous  propaganda, anti-Semitism appears to be  making a comeback in Europe. In the UK,  the Labour Party has been very publicly  split over how it deals with the issue.  In one respect, it looks like the simple  return of what has been called ‘the longest  hatred’. But while anti-Semitism has long  been seen as a right-wing phenomenon,  particularly since the Nazis, today’s anti-Semites are more likely to rail against Jews  in the name of the Palestinians, a favourite  cause of the left. Is hatred of Jews really on  the rise? Is it re-emerging in new forms? 
RICHARD ANGELL  director, Progress; elected member,  TUC’s LGBT committee; formerly worked  for All Party Parliamentary Group on  Combatting Antisemitism 
DR STEPHEN LAWphilosopher; author, The War For Children’s  Minds 
BRENDAN O’NEILL  editor, spiked; columnist, Penthouse; writer  the Sun and the Spectator; author, A Duty  to Offend 
JULIAN PETLEY  professor of journalism, Brunel University;  editorial board member, British Journalism  Review; principal editor, Journal of British  Cinema and Television 
MELANIE PHILLIPS columnist, The Times; regular panellist,  BBC Radio 4’s Moral Maze; author, The  Legacy and best-selling book, Londonistan 
CHAIR: JACOB FUREDI junior commissioning editor, Daily Mail 

#BattleFest2018: How fear works

A recording of a discussion at the Battle of Ideas Festival 2018.
Published in 1997, Frank Furedi’s book Culture of Fear was widely acclaimed as perceptive and prophetic. In his new book, How Fear Works, Furedi seeks to explore two interrelated themes: why fear has acquired such a morally commanding status in society today and how the way we fear has changed from the way it was experienced in the past.
How has fear become detached from its material and physical source, so that it is now experienced as a secular version of a transcendental force? What is the role of the media in promoting fear and does anyone benefit from this culture of fear?
TIMANDRA HARKNESSjournalist, writer and broadcaster; presenter, FutureProofing; author,Big Data: does size matter?
IN CONVERSATION WITH:
PROFESSOR FRANK FUREDIsociologist and social commentator; author, How Fear Works: culture of fear in the 21st century and Populism and the European Culture Wars

#BattleFest2018: Automatic lovers - should we be worried about sex robots?

A recording of the debate at the Battle of Ideas Festival 2018.
Science fiction has long explored the use of robots for sex, but the application of new technologies has been pushing the boundaries of sexuality towards the mechanical in real life. Interaction with fully functioning robotic sexual partners could soon be a practical alternative to actual sex. Advocates claim many people could benefit, from men who struggle with intimacy to women trafficked into sex work. Critics claim sex robots are a ‘pornified’ ideal of female sexuality and they are concerned about how these robotic partners will represent women. So are sex robots an innovation to be embraced or a step towards sexual dystopia?
Please note that, given the subject matter, this podcast contains adult themes and language.
DR PIERS BENNadjunct professor at Fordham University London Centre
DR KATE DEVLINsenior lecturer in social and cultural AI, King’s College London; author, Turned On: the science of the sex robot
SIMON EVANScomedian; regular panellist, BBC Radio 4’s The News Quiz
TIMANDRA HARKNESSjournalist, writer and broadcaster; presenter, FutureProofing; author, Big Data: does size matter?