Battle of Ideas — 22 & 23 October 2016

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Our 2016 festival was a huge success, with hundreds of speakers challenged by thousands of attendees. Tickets for Battle of Ideas 2017 are now on sale at Early Bird prices. If you would like to get involved, find out about volunteering at the 2017 festival.

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Those who enjoy the comfort of conventional wisdom will find the Battle of Ideas a very unsafe space.
Nick Cater, executive director, Menzies Research Centre, Australia; columnist, The Australian

2016 sessions included

Feminism: in conversation with Camille Paglia

Trump: the rise of The Donald

From Bowie to Bieber: what makes a music icon?

Who owns jazz?

Immigration: what is the future of free movement?

Comedy and censorship: are you kidding me?

What is the truth about ‘post-factual politics’?

What’s wrong with men’s rights?

Driverless cars: who’s in control?

Are schools producing Generation Snowflake?

The UK economy after Brexit: sink or swim?

Dating apps: the end of romance?

Is utopian thinking dead? Attitudes to the future

Women’s trouble? The pay gap debate

Nihilism and terror: how political is the new jihadism?

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2016 speakers Included

Nicholas Kenyon

Peter York

Munira Mirza

Carey Oppenheim

James Kirchick

Thomas Hylland Eriksen

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