More Past Events

Past Events

Michaelmas Term 2005

Marc Stears (tutor and lecturer in Politics at University College, Oxford) asked "Does Political Protest Still Matter?" Marc argued the case for "direct action" and suggested that a more robust form of political protest is necessary if real political change is to result.

Kenan Malik (author of "The Meaning of Race") and Martin Linton MP (Labour, Battersea) argued over the government bill that would ban Incitement to Religious Hatred. A heated discussion on the relative merits of tolerance and freedom, and whether multiculturalism encourages integration and respect or merely emphasises difference and leads to segregation.

Make Poverty History: Positive Progressive Movement or Endorsement of an Inadequate Government? Daniel Ben-Ami (author of Cowardly Capitalism: The Myth of the Global Financial Casino and writer from spiked-online.com) argued against the modest ambitions of the Make Poverty History campaign. He suggested that the movement promotes a double standard in the level of poverty that is deemed acceptable in the developed and developing worlds.

Trinity Term 2005

Mel Broughton, animal rights activist and co-chair of the SPEAK campaign against the new animal testing lab in Parks Road argued that the process is cruel, unfair and unnecessary.

Mark Leonard, author of Why Europe Will Run the 21st Century and founder of the Foreign Policy Centre aged just 24, debated with Dirk van Heck, a Euroskeptic from the European Foundation. A fascinating discussion started by two men at the cutting-edge of this crucial public debate.

Husam Zomlot of the Palestinian Delegation to the UK argued for a two-state solution to the conflict in the Middle East.

Dr Bill Durodie of the Royal Military College of Science, an expert in the politics of terror, argued that our fear of terrorist groups has come to reflect growing insecurities within ourselves and a crisis of confidence in institutions of power.

Oxford academic Adam Swift, author of How Not to Be a Hypocrite argued that expensive private schools ought to be abolished.

Hiliary Term 2005

John Lloyd, Editor of the FT Magazine, regular contributor to Prospect Magazine and author of 'What the Media are Doing to Our Politics', discussed The Media as a Political Actor and Rivalry with Politics

Ed Miliband, Chair of the Economic Advisors to Gordon Brown, asked Can Politics still Change Society?

Ceri Dingle, Director of WORLDwrite, and Dr Rival, University of Oxford, discussed Sustainable Development - barrier or prerequisite to progress?

Claire Fox, Director of the Institute of Ideas, disucussed The New Authoritarianism and the Nanny State around health issues and therapeutic politics

Michaelmas Term 2004

Tyrell Burgess, Emeritus Professor in the philosophy of social institutions at the University of East London, and Richard Pring, Emeritus Professor of Education at the University of Oxford, debated What is Education for?

Elizabeth Frazer of New College, Oxford, discussed the value of the Political Virtues

The Hive took part in a successful post-play discussion of the issues raised in Kindertransport

Karma Nabulsi, Nuffield College, Oxford, discussed the Future of Palestine, on the day of the death of Yassir Arafat

Zachary Kaufman, D.Phil candidate in international relations at Oxford, where he is a Marshall Scholar, asked What is the future of transitional justice? (issues dealing with war criminals, and justice in states in transmission from war to peace)

Hiliary Term 2004

Brendan O'Neil, from spiked-online.com, argued that Humanitarian Intervention does more Harm than Good

Alan Hudson, Director of Studies for Social and Political Science at Kellogg College Oxford, asked- What's wrong with elitism in education?

Tom Dale, with Matt Bottomley and Sally Knock opposed, debated What is the ethical status of animals? (all HT04)