Balloon debate: what’s the greatest protest song?

Recorded at the Battle of Ideas festival 2022 on Saturday 15 October at Church House, Westminster.

ORIGINAL INTRODUCTION

This year, the Battle of Ideas Balloon Debate tackles the greatest ever protest song.

Six participants will argue for their choice, in a light-hearted debate with a serious intent. Audience participation encourages you to agree, disagree, challenge, assess and dismiss those arguments and the songs that you think strike a bum note.

The panel will have a few minutes only to convince you of their choice. Could it be a Platinum Jubilee victory for the Sex Pistols, or will this finally be the year to ‘Give Peace a Chance’? Does the appeal of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born in the USA’ to Democrats and Republicans alike mean it’s an agitprop hit or a dud? Are you more Billie Holiday or NWA? This balloon debate will be informative and fun. There will be outrage as apparent frontrunners slide down the charts and less-obvious challengers make a charge for Number One.

The discussion allows just five minutes for each panelist’s defence before you, the audience, takes them to task. You can challenge or reinforce their choice. The audience then votes to chuck three contenders out of the virtual balloon before the remaining candidates make a final plea for your vote. Who knows, we might even ask the winner to lead us all in Battle-style karaoke singalong of the winning song!

SPEAKERS
Emma Burnell
founder and political consultant, Political Human; journalist; playwright, No Cure For Love and Triggered

Tom Collyer
musician; writer; assistant programmer, Battle of Ideas festival; sailing coach; alumnus, Debating Matters

Neil Davenport
cultural critic; head of faculty of social sciences, JFS Sixth Form Centre

Brian Denny
trade-union journalist, Rebuild Britain; author, Rebuild Britain’s Fishing Industry; curator, Working River: songs and music of the Thames project

Ralph Leonard
author, Unshackling Intimacy: Letters on Liberty; contributor, Areo

Winston Marshall
musician; writer; podcast host, Marshall Matters; founding member, Mumford & Sons

Joel Mills
acting director for music, British Council ; former programmer, The Spitz

Ali Miraj
columnist, TheArticle; founder, the Contrarian Prize; infrastructure financier; DJ

CHAIR
David Bowden
associate fellow, Academy of Ideas