A week ago, thousands of us crammed into Church House for the Battle of Ideas festival. What a great weekend! The enormous goodwill offered by our speakers, partners and attendees helped us demonstrate, in real time, the immense value of the public square and the virtue of open-ended debate and free speech. The festival was a hugely stimulating exchange of ideas – often passionate, but with civility and a willingness to listen to those we disagreed with.
Our motto – ‘Conversations for the public, with the public, in public’ – really came alive, with the audience making sharp points and incisive questions from the floor. But we have had one consistent complaint, summed up by one attendee: ‘There were so many panels to choose from, and I keep hearing – “You should have come to this session” – so now I feel I have missed out on loads of brilliant speeches.’ Luckily, large parts of the festival have been filmed – do sign up to our YouTube channel to watch what you missed. But also, thanks to Substack and other outlets, many contributors have published their speeches, and I include a selection below.
Also check out both the remaining UK Satellite events and international Battle of Ideas Europe 2026 events. I am off to Helsinki next week for our first-ever event in Finland, and then there are Battle satellites in Berlin on 28 November and Paris on 5 December. Closer to home there’s still lots more to debate, starting on next Wednesday, 28 October, in Leeds with Vibe Shift with Brendan O’Neill and including two fabulous Comedy Unleashed gigs in London and Knaresborough.
But for now, no more FOMO – enjoy reading SOME of what you missed here and sign up to the Substacks of those speakers who were so insightful at this year’s Battle of Ideas.
Claire
My Opening Remarks at Two Sessions of the Battle of Ideas 2026
‘Lies, damned lies… let’s talk about stats’ and ‘Techlash’
Professor Abhishek Saha 18 October 2026
#Battlefest 2026 - Conversion Practices Bill
Great panel, energised audience - this Bill must not become law.
Sarah Phillimore 18 October 2026
Why I oppose the puberty blocker trial
An expanded version of the paper I gave at the Battle of Ideas.
Marcus Evans 19 October 2026
Motherhood is unappealing
The culture around parenting is putting women off becoming mums.
Dr Rebecca Steinfeld 19 October 2026
Why is policing Britain so difficult?
My contribution to the above topic at the Battle of Ideas 2026.
Paul Birch 19 October 2026
“State-Sanctioned Child Abuse” – My Speech at the Battle of Ideas
James Esses 19 October 2026
My Statement for ‘From Boycotts to Renaissance: Threats and Opportunities in the Arts’
Debate on Saturday 17 October 2026, Battle of Ideas, London
Professor Ian Pace 19 October 2026
The Battle of Ideas vs The Battle for Europe
While I spent the weekend at the Battle of Ideas, France spent it on fire.
Gill Levy The Ultracrepidarian, 19 October 2026
The arts establishment does not own culture
The transcript of my speech at Battle of Ideas panel, ‘From boycotts to renaissance: threats and opportunities in the arts’.
Rosie Kay 19 October 2026
A note on the ‘War on Women’ panel
Marnie Riches 19 October 2026
Power to Every Postcode, Terms Apply
Speech - sort of delivered to the Battle of Ideas: From metro mayors to Manchesterism: a devolution revolution?
Gawain Towler 19 October 2026
The Battle of Ideas
It’s not enough to get the ‘right’ people elected, though that is needed. We also need to win the battle of ideas – that’s why we went to last weekend’s Festival, not the party conferences.
Rt Hon Steve Baker Fighting for a Free Future, 20 October 2026
Artistic License
Arts First at Battle of Ideas 2026: Wendy Earle’s introductory remarks on the importance of defending artistic license.
Arts First 20 October 2026
After the wildfires and floods: should we reassess climate change?
Net Zero is stupid, but we can do *something* about climate change: adapt to changing weather and decarbonise where it makes wider economic or strategic sense.
Rob Lyons 21 October 2026
Is it Islamism – or is there a problem with Islam?
My opening remarks at the Battle of Ideas 2026.
Connie Shaw 21 October 2026
MAGA, Israel, and the Vegan-Chicken Farmer Alliance
Some ideas are controversial. Others are downright outrageous and I found plenty of both in London.
Phelim McAleer 21 October 2026
Audio: Meet the author of Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit
Toby Marshall Toby’s Jug, 21 October 2026
When Saturn eats his children: the case against the triple lock
A pay-as-you-go pension, an ageing population and stagnant productivity add up to a growing bill for the young
Maxwell Marlow Institute of Economic Affairs, 22 October 2026
Debating Diagnosis at the Battle of Ideas
ADHD to Autism: Negotiating the special needs crisis
Carrie Clark 22 October 2026
A civilised battle at the Battle of Ideas
War on Women: publishing those who refused to be cancelled,
Louise Guinness 22 October 2026
Beyond narrative control
How the British government is increasingly applying a model designed in the EU to control opposition to the contemporary regime.
Jacob Reynolds 23 October 2026
At the Battle of Ideas, Gender is Part of the Greater Challenge
A monster revealed: a sobering but inspiring Battle of Ideas in London.
Nancy McDermott Genspect, 23 October 2026
From Vietnam to Iran, Why Can’t the West Win Wars?
The military historian, John Keegan, defined war as ‘collective killing for a purpose’. Contemporary society has a problem with all three of these elements.
Professor Bill Durodié FSI Europe, 24 October 2026