The Battle of Ideas 2010 was a two-day festival of high-level, thought-provoking debate organised by the Academy of Ideas and hosted by the Royal College of Art.
David Aaronovitch, columnist,
The Times; author,
Voodoo Histories; chair, Index on Censorship
Julie Bindel, journalist, author, broadcaster and feminist activist; research fellow, Lincoln University
John Cooper, leading criminal and human rights barrister; regular columnist,
The Times and
Observer; editor,
Criminal Bar Quarterly
Frank Furedi, sociologist and social commentator; author,
What's Happened to the University?,
Power of Reading: from Socrates to Twitter, On Tolerance and
Authority: a sociological history
Clare Gerada, GP; past chair, Royal College of General Practitioners
Tom Holland, award-winning historian; author,
Rubicon: the triumph and tragedy of the Roman Republic; winner, 2007 Classical Association Prize
Bettany Hughes, president, Joint Association of Classical Teachers; broadcaster; author,
The Hemlock Cup: Socrates, Athens and the search for the good life
Virginia Ironside, journalist; agony aunt,
Independent; author,
The Virginia Monologues: why it's great to be sixty
Rebecca Jenkins, cultural historian and novelist; Royal Literary Fund Fellow; former writing partner of Bishop of Durham, David Jenkins
Wendy Kaminer, US-based writer on law, liberty, feminism, religion, and popular culture; author,
Worst Instincts: cowardice, conformity and the ACLU
Irma Kurtz, writer; broadcaster; agony aunt,
Cosmopolitan Magazine; author,
About Time: growing old disgracefully
Philippe Legrain, visiting senior fellow, LSE’s European Institute; author,
Immigrants: your country needs them and
European Spring: Why Our Economies and Politics are in a Mess – and How to Put Them Right
Paul Mason, broadcaster; author,
Financial Meltdown and the End of the Age of Greed; technology editor, BBC's
Newsnight
Munira Mirza, advisor on arts and philanthropy; former deputy mayor of London for education and culture; author,
The Politics of Culture: the case for universalism
Brendan O'Neill, editor,
spiked; columnist,
Big Issue; contributor,
Spectator; author,
A Duty to Offend: Selected Essays
Tim Parks, novelist, essayist and translator; author of
Teach Us to Sit Still: a sceptic’s search for health and healing and
Dreams of Rivers and Seas; associate professor of English and translation, IULM University, Milan
Steve Rayner, James Martin Professor of Science and Civilization; director, Institute for Science, Innovation and Society, University of Oxford
Anthony Seldon, master, Wellington College; historian; political commentator; author,
Trust: how we lost it and how to get it back and
Brown at 10
George Szirtes, reader in creative writing, UEA; poet; editor; translator; author,
The Burning of the Books and Other Poems
Raymond Tallis, fellow, Academy of Medical Sciences; author, philosopher, critic and poet; recent books include
NHS SOS and
Aping Mankind; chair, Healthcare Professionals for Assisted Dying
GM Tamás, visiting professor, Central European University; author,
Les Idoles de la Tribu
Tarun J. Tejpal, founder and editor,
Tehelka; former editor,
India Today; novelist; author,
The Story of My Assassins
Mark Walport, director, Wellcome Trust; Government Chief Scientific Adviser (from April 2013)
David Willetts MP, Minister of State for Universities and Science; author,
The Pinch: how baby boomers took their children's future - and why they should give it back
David Yelland, partner, Brunswick Group LLP; former editor,
The Sun; author,
The Truth About Leo
Peter York, broadcaster, management consultant, journalist and author