Academy of Ideas

#PodcastOfIdeas: the morning after Election 2017

Rob Lyons is joined by Alastair Donald, Claire Fox and Geoff Kidder to discuss the surprise result in the General Election.
Why did May’s gamble fail? What’s behind Labour’s relative success? What does the SNP’s decline mean for Scottish independence? What does it all mean for Brexit?

#PodcastOfIdeas: UK general election - episode 4

Adam Rawcliffe is joined by Rob Lyons, Jacob Reynolds and Izzy Lyons to discuss the ramifications of the London Bridge attack for the election, why the opinion polls are so inconsistent, the state of play in Scotland and what people should consider when deciding who to vote for.

#PodcastOfIdeas: UK general election - episode 3

Adam Rawcliffe is joined by Claire Fox, Jacob Furedi and Jacob Reynolds to discuss the political response to the Manchester bombing, the pause in the election campaign, the Tories' u-turn on social-care policy and the need to bring the debate back to Brexit.

#PodcastOfIdeas: UK general election - episode 2

As the UK general election gets into full swing, Adam Rawcliffe is joined by Geoff Kidder, Izzy Lyons and Fraser Myers to talk about the latest developments.
Are the local election results any guide to how the country will vote on 8 June? Why are the Conservatives riding high in the polls? Can the Labour Party - or Jeremy Corbyn at least - survive a heavy defeat? And what should we make of the 'progressive alliance' of Labour, Lib Dems, Greens and Scottish Nationalists? Does it amount to anything and can it stop the Tories?

#PodcastOfIdeas: UK general election - episode 1

In the first of a series of podcasts in the run-up to June's general election in the UK, Adam Rawcliffe introduces a discussion with Claire Fox, Alastair Donald and Geoff Kidder.
What do the team think about the decision to call an election? What are the key debates in Election 2017? Are traditional party political considerations relevant at the moment? Indeed, as suggested by the first round of voting in the French presidential election, are the old parties in terminal decline?

Book Launch: Phil Mullan’s Creative Destruction - how to start an economic renaissance

Phil Mullan discusses his latest book, Creative Destruction: How to Start an Economic Renaissance (Policy Press), with Austin Williams, director of the Future Cities Project. This was the official launch of the book.
While governments talk of rebalancing the economy, Mullan talks about a fourth industrial revolution - a revolution that doesn't prioritise holding onto jobs, but "lets the low-productivity parts of the economy go". Discuss.
As Mullan puts it, we have "a zombie economy that is being propped up to ensure the semblance of life". So is it time to turn off the life support, or continue CPR?

#BattleFest2016: Cosmopolitanism and sovereignty - what next for Europe?

According to Jean-Claude Juncker, ‘borders are the worst invention ever made by politicians’. For the president of the European Commission, transnational institutions like the EU are champions of cosmopolitanism. But is there really a contradiction between national sovereignty and internationalism? The cosmopolitan ideal, first conceptualised by Immanuel Kant, emerged in parallel with the rise of the nation state. Looking to the future of Europe, Frank Furedi explores the changing meaning of cosmopolitanism for European identity today, and asks how we might find a way to be European, openminded and outward-looking beyond the borders of the EU.
PROFESSOR FRANK FUREDIsociologist and social commentator; author, What’s Happened to the University?, Power of Reading: from Socrates to Twitter, and Authority: a sociological history
CHAIR: ANGUS KENNEDYconvenor, The Academy; author, Being Cultured: in defence of discrimination

#PodcastOfIdeas: What next for Brexit?

Parliament has given the government the power to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty and the formal process of the UK’s departure from the EU should begin before the end of this month. What should British negotiators be seeking from the talks? What should any deal mean for immigration, trade and wider cooperation? Are the difficulties of getting out so great that we should reconsider our decision to leave?
Earlier this week, Rob Lyons was joined by Ian Dunt and Luke Gittos for a lively and passionate discussion of the issues. Ian Dunt is editor of Politics.co.uk and author of Brexit: what the hell happens now? Luke Gittos is law editor for spiked, an author and a regular speaker at the Battle of Ideas festival.