The Battle of Ideas – a breath of fresh air

A quick reminder that I am speaking at the Battle of Ideas in London this weekend.

I wrote about last year's event here, noting that I took part in the first Battle of Ideas in, I think, 2005.

The first BoI took place over four weeks and featured a series of debates and discussions in a number of small venues across London. Writing about it later, I recalled that:

It concluded with a dinner to which every speaker was invited and that was the moment I realised how much more enjoyable it was to exchange views in a civilised manner without being dragged down to the level of party politics or no platformed by adversaries whether it be the tobacco control industry or anyone else.

It was the first time too that I began to realise that the political debate wasn’t as simple as left versus right because the political boundaries are often blurred, especially when it comes to free speech and individual autonomy.

Invited to endorse the event the following year, I commented:

The Battle of Ideas is a breath of fresh air. Freedom of speech is actively encouraged, which is hugely liberating. Audience and speakers are refreshingly candid. Apart from speaking their minds, many of them enjoy a drink. Others like to smoke. This is the real world, not the grey, bland, sanitised world our political masters would like us to inhabit.

In 2007 Forest organised and sponsored the farewell drinks party on board The Elizabethan, the Mississippi-style paddle steamer that we subsequently hired for our own boat party, Smoke On The Water, from 2011 to 2017.

A personal ‘highlight’ was discharging myself from hospital in order to host another farewell party at Ognisko, the smoker-friendly Polish club in South Kensington following the Battle of Ideas in 2008. For the full story of that bizarre weekend click here.

Since then I’ve spoken at the BoI on several occasions, the last time in 2019 (above) when we discussed 'problem lifestyles'.

Free speech is arguably under greater threat than ever. So too is smoking, which is why I was pleased to be invited this year to address the subject 'Freedom: Up In Smoke?' which is also the title of the essay I have just written for the Academy of Ideas.

Today, the Battle of Ideas is almost alone in giving a platform to the 'in defence of smoking' lobby. For that, and many other reasons, I urge you to support it.

Tickets for this weekend's event are available here.

Comments

[Pat Nurse]

I have seen nothing about the smoking debate at the BoI but plenty of other issues discussed including drag. It's good that they deemed it worthy as an issue of lifestyle freedom to include but the lack of promotion afterwards makes me feel a bit like even the BoI is trying to sweep it under the carpet in favour of issues they feel are far more important.

I do wish people would realise that smoking is the first domino that pushes the rest over... First they came for smoking and if they hadn't, they would not dare to go after even half the things that they demand be banned now including "inappropriate" freedom of speech.