Harley Richardson Claire talks to renowned writer and author Lionel Shriver about her latest book, cultural appropriation, free speech and more in this compelling in conversation filmed at the Battle of Ideas 2018.
“Since the EU referendum result last June our nation has been divided: not only by the vote but also by language. If 62 per cent of Britons (many of whom undoubtedly voted for Brexit) now say Britain ‘sometimes feels like a foreign country’, it’s not anti-foreigner prejudice so much as a feeling that people in … Read more
“Women of the world unite: a sinister patriarchal plot is out to get us. Evil tobacco companies are conspiring to seduce us by wrapping up ‘our poison’ in shades of ‘pale or pastel colours’. There is concern in public health circles that the dark arts of design, armed with images denoting ‘femininity, style, sophistication and … Read more
“Has your personal life been ‘denormalised’ yet? Mine is about to be, and believe me it’s not pleasant. The health ministries in Scotland and Westminster have just announced plans to make a perfectly legal habit seem as abnormal as possible. The SNP’s Public Health Minister Shona Robinson, quickly followed by England’s own health secretary Alan … Read more
Claire spoke for the motion ‘Too many people go to university’ in this Intelligence Squared debate chaired by Sir Clement Freud in 2007, and argued that the rapid expansion of universities has led to credentialism and grade inflation rather than a renaissance of knowledge. Also taking part in the debate: Anatole Kaletsky, Jenna Nicholas, Baroness … Read more