Forthcoming Events
- IoI Forum
- Current Affairs Forum
- Venue: London
- Date: Ongoing
The IoI Current Affairs Forum (CAF) provides an opportunity for people to discuss what is behind the news headlines, with the intention of developing a deeper understanding of the world. More than just a talking shop, the CAF encourages an examination of the way that ideas can be taken forward in society, with discussions ranging from international affairs to lifestyle issues, from culture to the state of politics.
The CAF is run by a group of young professionals and students who wanted to create a lively and informal environment to interrogate contemporary social and political issues. The Forum meets regularly in Central London to investigate a specific issue in the news, and draws on the thoughts and experience of its members and occasional guest speakers.
Contact currentaffairs@instituteofideas.com for more information.
Next forum
Sunday 7 December
Police state or policing the state?
The arrest of Tory shadow immigration minister Damian Green last week has sparked a ferocious debate. Whilst many claim that the police's 'Stalinist' tactics are a step too far, others maintain that MPs shouldn't be above the law. This scandal comes in the wake of several years of what many see as an increasingly authoritarian shift of power towards the state.
- Is Green's arrest the latest step along the road to a police state, or a storm in a teacup?
- Should MPs have special privileges, or should they live by the same rules as the rest of us?
- Have the police got too big for their boots?
- What has happened to the political class' old parliamentary 'rules of the game'?
- What does this issue mean for all of our liberties?
Introduction by Robin Walsh (editorial assitant at a medical publisher and CAF committee member); Chair - Alex Hochuli (CAF Committee member)
Readings:
Q&A: Damian Green arrested
BBC News, 1 December 2008
Damian Green's arrest shows parliament in decay
Henry Porter, Guardian, 1 December 2008
MPs are not above the law
Vernon Bogdanor, Guardian, 2 December 2008
Kick the police out of politics
Robin Walsh, spiked, 5 February 2008
Arresting MPs and nationalising banks happen in dictatorships
Janet Daley, Daily Telegraph, 30 November 2008
Into conspiracy theory territory
Jacqui Smith MP interviewed by Andrew Marr, Andrew Marr Show (BBC One), 30 November 2008
Previous forums
Sunday 9 November
A Brand new era for the BBC?
For television executives and politicians, celebrities like Russell Brand are seen as a means of connecting with ‘yoof’. But since Brand and Jonathan Ross carried out a prank call on Radio 2 that many considered tasteless, their other material has been called obscene and sexist, seen to be overstepping the boundaries of propriety.
- Do the 30,000+ complainants to Ofcom about this episode rightly suggest that Brand and Ross should be taken off air for being offensive?
- Are we seeing the dawn of a '‘new morality’' when it comes to public life, or simply a lack of deference?
- Does the BBC’'s apology indicate a loss of a confidence in trying to be more ‘'relevant'’ to contemporary culture, or is this just another incident that illustrates a longer-term trend?
- Will the affair lead to overly cautious regulation of broadcasted content?
Introduction by Sarah Boyes (assistant editor, Culture Wars); Chair - Dave Bowden (CAF Committee member)
Readings:
Brandgate: turning crudity into a crisis
Tim Black, spiked, 30 October
Brand damage and the cost of Ross
Steve Hewlett, Guardian, 3 November
Jonathan Ross' theatre of cruelty must be stopped with BBC license fee boycott
Charles Moore, Daily Telegraph, 1 November
Unreserved apologies
Mark Thompson, BBC Complaints
Sunday 5 October
Economic crisis, or crisis of politics?
The financial crisis is developing so quickly that every day seems to bring news of banks collapsing, merging or being nationalised. As George Bush declares that “our entire economy may be in danger” and Gordon Brown exclaims that “we haven't seen anything this big since the industrial revolution”, a sense of urgency about the state of the economy is palpable. But while the financial world faces grave problems, it remains unclear what the consequences of this crisis will be for the rest of us. Although job losses and the rising cost of living are real problems, comparisons with the Great Depression appear overblown. What will be the impact on the ‘real economy’ and what does this mean for politics?
- Is this crisis driven by real economic problems, or are we talking ourselves into a recession?
- Is anyone in control of the situation? Should there be more regulation?
- Does the crisis herald a re-politicisation of the economy and the prospect of real political alternatives?
Introduction by Stuart Simpson (convener, IoI Emerging Economies Forum); Chair - Suzy Dean (CAF committee)
Readings:
No time for old hands either
The Economist, 25 September
It's the politics, stupid
Phil Mullan, spiked, 25 September
The end of American capitalism (as we knew it)
Willem Buiter, openDemocracy, 20 September
Is the credit crunch bringing Marxism back into fashion?
Cosmo Landesman, The Times, 13 July
Sunday 7 September
US Elections: From crisis of confidence to audacity of hope?
Following the impact of 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, the debacle in Iraq and the subprime mortgage crisis, America seems to have suffered a crisis of confidence. At last week’s Democratic National Convention, Barack Obama pledged change in the form of a new ‘American Promise’. Can Obama realise his vision of reinvigorating the American Dream?
- Does the prospect of the first black American president (or first female VP!) suggest a real change in American attitudes?
- Do Obama’s policies match up to his promise?
- What if Obama doesn’t win?
- Should we hold out hope for a British Obama?
Introduced by Dolan Cummings (editor, Culture Wars); Chair - Suzy Dean (CAF committee).
Download Dolan's introduction by clicking here (MP3; 13.5MB).
Readings:
Acceptance speech of the Democratic nomination for president
Barack Obama, republished in The Guardian, 29 August
What Bush supporters? (review of The Big Sort)
Kevin Yuill, Culture Wars, 23 July
Obama’s Democrats: as Conventional as ever
Guy Rundle, spiked, 27 August
Eventually, we will all hate Obama too
David Aaronovitch, The Times, 22 July
For more in-depth coverage see:
Real Clear Politics
The Economist: US Election 2008
