Battle of Ideas/Free Society party

The Battle of Ideas is an annual festival of debate produced by the Institute of Ideas. Launched in 2005, it attracts high-profile speakers discussing topical issues plus subjects that are frequently ignored by the mainstream media.

I was recently asked to describe the event and I came up with the following quote:

“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, sanitized world our political masters would like us to inhabit.”

The fourth Battle of Ideas will take place on 1 & 2 November at London's Royal College of Art, and I am delighted to announce that on Sunday 2 November the festival will end with a party hosted by The Free Society with the support of SAB Miller.

Venue for the End of Festival 'Free Society' Party is Ognisko, the famous Polish Club in Exhibition Road, Kensington. The party starts at 7.00pm and there will be canapes, complimentary drinks and live jazz.

We expect 200+ guests so it should be a great evening. Entry is by invitation only but if you drop me a note we'll add you to the guest list.

PS. If you're a smoker The Polish Club is as a good a venue as any. I'll say no more.

There's no escape

I did an interview with CNN (about graphic health warnings) earlier this week. A friend has just emailed to say: "I'm in Hong Kong at the moment. Was watching CNN and whose angry face should pop on the screen in front of me? No matter how far away I go I just can't seem to get away from it!!"

The Freedom Zone - Day 2

Tuesday ... Although I didn't get to bed until 4.00am I still managed to crawl into The Freedom Zone shortly after nine. Our first task - following several cups of coffee and a bacon butty - was to hand out more promotional leaflets to conference delegates. Needless to say the Forest/Free Society team of Brian Monteith, Sarah Bland, Neil Rafferty and yours truly had just taken up our positions outside the main conference area when it started to rain. I didn't mind at all. Nor, for the first hour, did Brian or Sarah. Neil, on the other hand, looked a picture of misery. Not a pretty sight.

Shortly before midday we returned to The Freedom Zone for the lunchtime meeting - "Libertarian Paternalism and the Nanny State" organised by The Free Society and Progressive Vision. Chaired by Claire Fox (Institute of Ideas), it featured rather a good panel - Tim Montgomerie (editor, Conservative Home and an influential figure in Conservative circles), Dr Eamonn Butler (director, Adam Smith Institute), Brian Monteith (The Free Society) and Shane Frith (director, Progressive Vision).

Tim was the lone voice in defence of libertarian paternalism (aka "nudging") and without him the meeting would not have worked half as well as it did. Eamonn expressed sympathy for the concept, but doubted that politicians could implement it without going too far. Brian talked of the "bully state" and Shane criticised the extent to which government intrudes into people's lives. A lively discussion, well chaired, in front of an appreciative audience.

With the afternoon session in the hands of The Freedom Association (Chris Monckton, I was told, delivered a withering rebuttal of the "evidence" on climate change), I wandered over to the International Convention Centre where I was being interviewed by CNN. I was very impressed. It's a fantastic venue with superb facilities including Symphony Hall where the main conference was taking place. The ICC is a far cry from the Winter Gardens, Blackpool. It's light, modern, compact. There are meeting rooms galore, plus coffee and other catering outlets. In competition with this, I marvelled that we had managed to entice anyone - let alone hundreds of delegates - to brave the rain and visit The Freedom Zone at Austin Court.

And the best was yet to come because at 5.30 I was back in The Zone for the Forest reception (aka Cigarettes and Civil Liberties) featuring - all the way from London - the Boisdale Blue Rhythm Band. Sadly the rain prevented the band from playing outside, alongside the smokers, but the weather didn't deter 200 or more guests from turning up. At one stage the lounge bar was seriously crowded. Fortunately the rain did stop and the smokers took up residence in the sheltered courtyard (where the 'No Smoking' signs had been covered up for the evening).

Last but not least it was time for Tories Got Talent which I conceived as a political rival to Britain's Got Talent. Contestants were invited to speak for up to three minutes on a topical political issue. (Believe me, three minutes is quite a long time. Next year it's going to be two!) Their contributions were then commented upon by a panel of judges including compere Iain Dale, Nadine Dorries MP and Jonathan Isaby, soon to be co-editor of Conservative Home but currently working for the Daily Telegraph.

To be honest, some people (yes, you, Iain Dale) had their doubts about this event. They thought it wouldn't work. I felt that if we got the right compere, the right judges and enough contestants everything would be fine!! We did and it was. The only problem was that, unexpectedly, too many people (15) wanted to take part with the result that the event over-ran and we had to drop three speakers as the clock ticked on ... and on.

Tories Got Talent was exactly what I hoped it would be - good entertainment allied to some serious political messages. There were two deliberately funny speeches and one inadvertently funny speech as speakers tackled Europe, the Post Office, the smoking ban and so on. Some were better than others (as you would expect) but the judges hit just the right note, offering constructive criticism without being too harsh.

The winner - chosen by the audience from a shortlist of five selected by the judges - was Rupert Matthew, a prospective European parliamentary candidate for the East Midlands, who enacted a brilliant piece of satire on the subject of, what else, Europe.

And that, as they, was that. There were lots of things I would have done differently (and some things I wouldn't have done at all!), but for a first attempt The Freedom Zone was a success. Thanks to those who worked hard to make it happen - notably Simon Richards and Vicky Stephens of The Freedom Association.

Thanks too to everyone who helped out in Birmingham, whether it was handing out flyers, manning stands, meeting and greeting, or crisis management! A long list includes Sarah Bland, Brian Monteith, Kenny Irvine, Josie Appleton, Dolan Cummings, James Panton, Suzy Dean and many more.

Finally, thanks to the staff at Austin Court who were very helpful and extremely professional. I exclude the over zealous member of staff who (allegedly) escorted a couple of smokers from the open courtyard to the car park; stared at them, arms folded, while they smoked their cigarettes; and then produced a broom which he used to brush the ground around them.

The Freedom Zone? We did our best.

Update on Thursday, October 2, 2008 by Simon Clark

Iain Dale writes about Tories Got Talent HERE. Likewise Nadine Dorries HERE (scroll down).

The Freedom Zone - Day 1

Monday ... The Freedom Zone got off to a good start with healthy audiences for "Freedom Beyond the EU" and "An Audience with David Davis". Neither session was full however and the reasons were fairly obvious.

This was the first time the Conservative conference had come to Birmingham and we were all feeling our way around. Although Austin Court is only a few minutes from the International Convention Centre, it takes a little finding first time. Nevertheless, having got there, people seemed to like the facilities (which are first class) and the coffee lounge was a hive of activity for much of the day.

For me, David Davis was a disappointment. Questioned by Iain Dale about his reasons for resigning as shadow home secretary to fight a by-election and whether he now regretted it, Davis maintained that he hadn't lost a moment's sleep over it and he accepted his fate without complaint. Frankly, I didn't believe him. And if you think someone is being economic with the truth, you start to question everything he says. It was a slick performance - but not an engaging one. DD's answers lacked passion. He didn't sound as if he really cared.

To be fair, he gave a good answer as to why he supported an increase from 14 to 28-day detention, for which he has been criticised by some civil rights campaigners. Basically, said Davis, it boiled down to real politik. In order to defeat the government's 90-day proposal, he had to accept a compromise - in this case 28 days - although he now believes that 28 days, like 42 or 90 days, is wrong.

The most entertaining event of the day was "Freedom and the Internet" with Iain Dale, Guido Fawkes, Dizzy Thinks, Devil's Kitchen and Nadine Dorries, Tory MP for Mid Bedfordshire.

It wasn't the day's best attended event - that accolade went (I think) to "Heffer's Half Hour" with the Daily Telegraph's Simon Heffer - but I enjoyed it because it was the one event that attracted plenty of laughs from both audience and panel. The chemistry was good, the session passed very quickly, and the audience was left wanting more (always a good sign).

"Freedom and the Internet" was followed by the second of four Free Society events, this one in association with the Manifesto Club. "You Can't Do That! The Anti-Social Regulation of Public Space" featured James Panton and Suzy Dean of the Manifesto Club, Cllr Brian Coleman of the London Assembly, and me.

There wasn't a large audience but the meeting went well, I thought. It was certainly lively. Credit to Brian Coleman for entering the libertarian lion's den, but I wasn't going to be nice to him just because he had the balls to turn up.

Frankly, his views on smoking ("disgusting habit") were quite offensive. So I suggested he probably has one or two disgusting habits himself. I also made the point that if his views are now representative of the Conservative party, they can kiss my vote goodbye. (And I write as someone who has never voted for anyone other than the Tory party.)

I was a bit shocked, however, by one or two smokers in the audience who said they oppose the smoking ban but support booze bans. They don't get it, do they? A ban on drinking in outdoor public spaces is just as bad as the smoking ban. If people are drunk and disorderly, legislation already exists to deal with it.

As long as it doesn't get out of hand, why shouldn't I be allowed to drink alcohol in the park, with family and friends (or on my own), without committing a criminal offence? Smokers, drinkers, smokers who drink, drinkers who smoke - we all have to stick together and defend one another's interests. You can't pick and choose according to your likes and dislikes.

Heffer's Half Hour with Telegraph columnist Simon Heffer did what it said on the tin. This was followed by two more Freedom Association meetings and the last event of the day, a "political chat show" featuring Claire Fox (Institute of Ideas), Michael White (assistant editor, the Guardian), Mark Littlewood (Progressive Vision), freedom of information campaigner Heather Brooke, Brian Monteith (The Free Society) and Neil Rafferty (The Daily Mash).

There was plenty of good discussion but the format didn't work as well as I'd hoped. My fault. I'd intended to have some live music to add a touch of light entertainment (think Parky or Jonathan Ross), but that didn't happen. (The stage wasn't big enough for a band as well as guests, and it would have been impossible to organise a sound check etc. Another time, perhaps.) A bigger audience would have helped but hindsight tells me that come 8.00pm at party conference most people want to be in a bar or consuming free drinks at one of the many receptions that are taking place.

And so, shortly after 9.00pm, we staggered across the finishing line, decamped to the pub, and on to a very nice Thai restaurant. Six hours later my head finally hit the pillow.

Update on Thursday, October 2, 2008 by Simon Clark

Dizzy writes about the David Davis meeting HERE. As does Devil's Kitchen HERE.

Zzzzzzzzz .....

Thank God, the 2008 conference season is finally over. Having spent much of the last three weeks in Bournemouth, Manchester and now Birmingham (where the earliest I got to bed was 2.00am), I am dead on my feet and looking forward to a long, long sleep.

As it happens, I slept through most of Cameron's speech this afternoon, but I'm sure I would have fallen asleep anyway. It wasn't exactly riveting or inspiring. Was I dreaming when he said, "I am a Conservative, not a libertarian"? Probably not. He wasn't telling us anything we didn't already know. The interesting thing is that he felt the need to spell it out.

PS. When I get a moment, I'll post a report about The Freedom Zone.

Open for business

6.00am The Freedom Zone opens in a couple of hours with the first event at 10.00pm. Before that I have to do a couple of interviews on BBC local radio about graphic images. I don't have access to a landline in my hotel room, my mobile has run out of juice, so I shall have to do the interviews in my car (which is half a mile from the hotel in a public car park) with the mobile plugged into the cigarette lighter. Glamorous, eh?

I got up early to write a (short) speech for this afternoon's Manifesto Club/Free Society meeting, "You Can't Do That! The Anti-Social Regulation of Public Space". Needless to say I'll be talking about the smoking ban and proposals to extend the ban to public parks and town centres. I'll talk about the social and economic impact of these regulations and the pettiness of what passes for public policy these days.

PS. Iain Dale writes on his blog: "Anyone in Birmingham, don't forget the Freedom Zone fringe at 12.30pm where I'll be interviewing David Davis, followed at 2.30 by the blogging fringe with Guido, Nadine, Dizzy and the Devil. I don't drink, but if you see me in a bar later on tomorrow afternoon you'll understand why I might need a double vodka ..."

Room without a view

Just arrived in Birmingham with a car full of leaflets, flyers, pop-up banners and a bottle of champagne left over from the Labour conference last week. (I may give it to the winner of Tories Got Talent on Tuesday night - or I may not.)

The first thing I did was to check into into my hotel. We've had to book rooms in four hotels - The Apollo, in Edgbaston; the Ramada and Crowne Plaza in the city centre. And NiteNite, which is a good stone's throw from the ICC.

That's where I'm staying, with Brian Monteith and three others. I wrote about NiteNite when we booked these rooms earlier this year. There's been a lot of hype about the windowless city-rooms with their widescreen TVs showing, er, pictures of a grey, nondescript looking city (yes, Birmingham!).

Some reviews are quite kind - and the rooms are certainly clean and fresh - but nothing (certainly not the pictures HERE) can quite prepare you for how small the rooms are. If you swung a cat in here, its head would be bouncing off every wall.

I'd compare it to an internal cabin on a modern cruise ship - but smaller. Don't stay here if you're claustrophobic. The last time I stayed in a room this size, it was a converted linen cupboard in a guest house off Sloane Square.

Oh well, I won't be spending much time in my room. In fact, it's time to hand out some leaflets.

Warning signs

Tomorrow morning I shall be on Radio Four News (at 5.30am!) and Radio Wales (8.15) reacting to the graphic health warnings that will appear on cigarette packets from the beginning of October. (Five Live is also doing an item on the subject - around 7.30am - but they're using an advertising guy from Saatchi and Saatchi who will argue that shock ads don't work.) Then, later in the morning, I'm doing a piece for ITV News.

My response to graphic health warnings is quite simple: we support measures that educate people about the health risks of smoking, but these pictures are designed not just to educate but to shock and coerce people to give up a legal product. They are unnecessarily intrusive, gratuitously offensive, and yet another example of smokers being singled out for special attention.

To paraphrase David Hockney, this is yet another step towards the uglification of Britain.

Update on Friday, September 26, 2008 by Simon Clark

Oh, I forgot ... I shall also be on the Gabby Logan Show on Five Live on Sunday morning ... and the Today programme tomorrow morning.

Update on Sunday, September 28, 2008 by Simon Clark

I got bumped from Five Live this morning, but at least it allowed me to set off for Birmingham a bit earlier. I have just checked into my hotel - watch this space!

Reading matters

The Free Society will be giving away ONE THOUSAND copies of George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four to people attending The Freedom Zone.

The publisher, Penguin, says: "Nineteen Eighty-Four is George Orwell’s terrifying vision of a totalitarian future in which everything and everyone is slave to a tyrannical regime."

According to its Wikipedia entry, "The book has major significance for its vision of an all-knowing government which uses pervasive and constant surveillance of the populace, insidious and blatant propaganda, and brutal control over its citizens."

The Freedom Zone and Nineteen Eighty-Four. Spot the connection?

Taking Liberties - Live!

Taking Liberties Live! is one of four Free Society events taking place at The Freedom Zone.

Presented by Claire Fox, director of the Institute of Ideas and a regular panellist on Radio 4's The Moral Maze, guests currently include Michael White, assistant editor of the Guardian, freedom of information campaigner Heather Brooke and author of Your Right To Know, and Mark Littlewood, chairman of Progressive Vision and Lib Dem head of media, 2004-1007. More guests will be announced shortly.

I am, ahem, the producer of the "show" so I may give myself a walk on part. Watch this space.

On with the show

Manchester is gone, forgotten. Next stop Birmingham and the Conservative party conference. Between now and Monday, when The Freedom Zone opens its doors, it's all hands to the pump.

We still need speakers for one or two meetings and there's a long list of other things that need doing. Not least, we need what Margaret Thatcher famously called the "oxygen of publicity". Come Monday we want as many people as possible to know about The Freedom Zone, the programme of events, and the 40+ speakers. So here's what we're going to do:

• On Sunday 2500 flyers will be distributed to party conference delegates in the official delegate pack.

• On Monday and Tuesday a further 2500 programmes will be distributed to delegates inside and outside the secure area.

• The Freedom Zone will be advertised in the conference issue of Total Politics magazine - and banner ads are already appearing on leading blogs such as Guido Fawkes and Iain Dale's Diary.

• Last but not least, we're publicising the event on various social networks.
  
  I can't promise that The Freedom Zone will be a success - but we're giving it our best shot. Final programme of events HERE. Anything you can do to help would be greatly appreciated.

Kiss and tell

Not many MPs but no shortage of champagne at last night's New Statesman party in the Great Hall within Manchester Town Hall. (Think Hogwarts and you've got a good idea of what this extraordinary neo-gothic building is like.)

"I'm a leftie," said the waiter, pouring champagne into my glass with his left hand. "Well, you're in the right place," said I. Ho, ho.

A friend told me that, at another party the previous night, a well-known broadcaster had asked her - out of the blue - "Would you have sex with a smoker?"

Ignoring her discomfort, he added: "I'd never kiss a smoker." Charming.

Labour isn't working

I can't bring myself to say how many people attended last night's meeting. It was double figures, but only just, and most of them were personal friends. Clearly, Labour has no interest in how to win back the smokers' vote. Not that it matters. As Brian Monteith (left) told one trades unionist who popped his head in: "It's too late. You're fucked."

Labour's failure to include our meeting in the conference brochure may not have been the simple cock-up I thought it was. Like Forest, the Tobacco Retailers Alliance submitted details of their event before the deadline. Mysteriously, the TRA reception on Sunday night was also omitted from the fringe listings.

That's quite a coincidence. Do you think the word "tobacco" could have had something to do with it?

Loitering with intent to leaflet

Was it something I said? This morning, while we were handing out flyers promoting this evening's meeting, we were moved on at least five times. It's alright, apparently, to hand out flyers in the street outside the secure area - but not inside where most of the delegates are.

This is a complete pain. It cost us hundreds of pounds (£600, I think) to get fringe passes that give us access to the secure area (and our own meeting!!), and for that money I don't expect to be stuck out in the street rubbing shoulders with the "Ban Tobacco" campaigner and his soapbox, or the class warriors distributing copies of the Morning Star.

The first time we were approached by a security guard I thanked him for doing his job and explained that it was nothing personal but I would continue to do mine.

"Are you telling me to piss off?" he asked.

"Yes," I said, "in a polite way."

"Well, you can piss off too," he said. "I'm going to speak to my manager."

Later we ended up in the entrance to the exhibition area. "You can't stand there," we were told. "You'll have to move on."

So we did - to the smoking area (which was outside, naturally). "Sorry," said an official, as we produced our flyers. "You can't do that."

Aaaarrrrgggghhhh!!!!!

Labour pains

Well, Brian got his pass (see below). Since then we've been flitting around the conference zone, handing out flyers to the likes of Harriet Harman and Rebecca Wade (editor of The Sun), consuming lots of coffee, the occasional pint or two, but generally behaving ourselves.

I'm not the first to comment on this, but the atmosphere is definitely subdued. And no-one - apart from the most blinkered Labour MP - is falling for the idea that David Miliband's speech yesterday was anything other than very average.

In fact I have just spoken to a former aide to Tony Blair and the word is that Miliband is no longer seen as the Blairite heir to Blair. Apparently it's ... James Purnell, the work and pensions minister.

Although, publicly, ministers and aides are trying to maintain a united front, insiders say the reality is very different. For example, I have just been told that Gordon Brown could be challenged even before the Glenrothes by-election. Personally, I can't see this happening - but the very fact that this line is being spun by people close to government shows the turmoil that Labour is in.

When I think back 12 months the difference is amazing. This time last year we were in Bournemouth for the 2007 Labour conference. Everyone was striding around, busy, busy, busy, mobiles clasped to their ears. Confident, purposeful, getting on with government - and just weeks away from a fourth consecutive election victory.

The following week, in Blackpool, I sensed that the Conservatives were enjoying themselves (for the first time in many years) but there was nothing to suggest that this was a party preparing for government.

A few weeks later Gordon Brown bottled the election and it's been downhill ever since.