Hello and I'm here in London with spiked columnist Ella Wielen

Hi and joining us down the line from Canterbury is Spiked's associate editor

Joanna Williams.

Hello.

This week on the podcast we're discussing the Conservative Party in Crisis, the Me Too Show Trial of

Brett Kavanaugh and the students who've swapped clapping for jazz hands. But before we begin, next weekend on the 13th and 14th of

October is the annual Battle of Ideas. The Battle of Ideas is an unmissible weekend of debate

and discussion, tackling all the big issues of our time.

I'm organizing a strand of debates on race and identity. Joanna will be speaking on a number of

panels on feminism and sex, and Ella, you're organizing a whole strand of debates on feminism.

Would you like to tell us a bit about the Battle of Ideas and why it's not to be missed?

This year is the 14th year of the Battle of Ideas

it's been going on for a while and really the motto of the festival is free speech allowed.

That means that you can say whatever you want at any debate and the key thing about each debate at the Battle of Ideas is that it's

public it's audience led you get to have your say you don't just ask questions you

make statements short speeches and it really interact with the panels.

So we have sessions on everything from

cryptocurrences to optimistic bees and animal sentience from feminism as the ones I'm organizing to the modern family what

about surrogacy adoption right through to Windrush Brexit I mean you name it

there is something there for everyone so be there on the 13th and 14th of October.

We've had disagreements in this party about Britain's membership of the EU for a long time.

So it's no surprise that we've had a range of different views

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