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The Great Abdication: Why Britain's Decline is the Fault of the Middle Class (Amazon)

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My guide to debating is online here

18/04/08   I have a piece online over at Human Events: The BBC and Climate Change

07/04/08   Recent appearances on Iranian TV:

On the Archbishop of Canterbury: http://www.presstv.ir/pop/wmp.aspx?id=44937
On Anglo-Iranian relations: http://www.presstv.ir/pop/wmp.aspx?id=50048
On the Middle East: http://www.presstv.ir/pop/wmp.aspx?id=50082

15/01/07   I have begun blogging as part of a regular team over at www.conservativehome.blogs.com/centreright - do drop me a line and let me know what you think.

24/12/07   I wish you a Merry Christmas!

30/11/07   I am grateful to Iain Dale for the opportunity to have blogged the Australian election at www.iaindale.blogspot.com.  I am now back in the UK and back at the Bar.

16/11/07   In a tremendously thoughtful and thorough piece, Roger Kimball debunks the Norman Mailer myth in no uncertain terms.  Quite right too.

15/11/07   New article online: Avoid wall to wall Labor

24/10/07   An amusing article on the climate change zealots in The Age

23/10/07   Wanted to preserve a post on the Australian election:

CAMPAIGN DAY 8: The leadership election, and the environment:

Last night’s tight debate between the Prime Minister and Kevin Rudd, and critiques thereof, dominate today’s media. 

John Howard announced a new policy – a climate fund built with the funds gained from the auction of carbon permits, which will subsidise electricity bills for low income citizens.  His essential message, that there is a cost to dealing with climate change and that people need to be helped to deal with those costs, is related to the fact that the best way to get people to engage with climate change is to help them to do so more easily, rather than lecturing them – an argument I’ve previously heard expressed well by Conservative blogger James Cleverly and is put really well by Crikey here.

That policy aside, the debate was a recital of a number of lines we’ve already heard – or at least, those of us who watched have heard.  Debates such as these, IMHO, are watched almost solely by people who’ve made up their minds already.   Certainly, most people will at least read a headline about who won or not (and, like most leaders’ debates in the modern era, this didn’t feature any knockout blows and is being spun both ways) but they don’t commit to sitting down and watching the 90 minutes of to-and-fro.  I know that the heritage of such debates is very different in the USA of course, where great things supposedly turn on a candidate’s appearance, or whether he sighed or looked at his watch, but here it doesn’t receive the same focus.

I got away from the office on Sunday and headed up into the Yarra Valley.  It was lovely.

UPDATE

There is a meta-debate being conducted at the moment which threatens to drown out the debate proper.  More precisely, the debate is about the “worm”, a fluctuating line appearing at the bottom of the screen that allegedly shows how the leaders are performing in the debate, based on the view of a group of people chosen by a TV station.

By agreement, the worm was not to be used in last night’s debate.  Channel 9 chose to do it anyway.  Their feed was briefly interrupted.

The response?  Pandemonium.  Accusations that the Liberal Party has been shutting down debate, free speech etc (Tim Blair gives a list of links to all the relevant coverage here).  Kevin Rudd drew a parallel with the Soviet Union.

Putting aside the fact that the feed was interrupted by the National Press Club and not the government, the comparison is remarkably dumb, isn’t it?  As I’ve said elsewhere, I don’t know why people think that it’s ok to make references to the USSR when they wouldn’t do so about Nazi Germany.  Stalin was a tyrant just as evil as Hitler – indeed, in terms of the sheer number of people he murdered, even worse.

But Rudd must have a point in the end, no?  I mean, of course dissent’s being crushed in Australia – I know, because I read it in the newspapers.  Of course dissent’s being crushed – the momentary interruption of transmission of a debate between the Prime Minister and his opponent on one of the TV stations showing it displays that, doesn’t it?

12/10/07   New article online here

09/10/07   I have written an article to appear on www.onlineopinion.com.au on Friday - it is a new departure for me style-wise, so please let me know what you think!

09/10/07   Last night was very enjoyable indeed. Congratulations to the Melbourne University Debating Society on a very good and well attended event.

08/10/07   I shall speak against the motion "This House Believes That The Howard Government Has Failed the Australian Economy" tomorrow night at the University of Melbourne, with Greg Hunt and Ken Phillips, against Andrew Charlton, Ken Davidson and Liz Sheargold.

06/10/07   Delighted to see the Tories back home adopt as a policy a deep cut in inheritance tax.  I called for action on inheritance tax (albeit not quite like this) two years ago, here.

30/08/07   At the kind invitation of the Monash Association of Debaters, I spoke last night in the Vice-Chancellor's Annual Debate at Monash University, on the Motion "TTHW Abandon WorkChoices" Speaking in favour of the motion were Mordy Bromberg SC, Professor Julian Teicher and Shadow Minister Brendan O'Connor MHR.  Speaking against the motion: Ken Phillips of the IPA, David Gregory (General Manager of Workplace Relations for VECCI and myself.  It was a tremendous event – very well attended and much fun.  Thanks and congratulations to Monash on a great night.

24/08/07   New article online: Where the bloody hell are you, Julia Gillard?

20/08/07   New article online: Establish a policy group to rethink Britain’s relationship with Europe

17/08/07   New article online: Kevin 'Mini-Me' Rudd (co-authored with Felicity McMahon) 06/08/07   I gave a speech to the Queensland Young Liberals in Brisbane - "The Forthcoming Election: A British Perspective".  It was a delight to be back in Brisbane and the Qld YLs are a dynamic and productive group - most impressive.  Thank you to Peter Coulson for organising it so well.

13/07/07   New article online: The Great Global Warming Swindle 08/07/07   In Melbourne for some work with the Liberal Party.  Will be in Aus for a couple of months.05/06/07   Appeared as a guest on UP Front, Vox Politix and The End of the Day Show on www.18doughtystreet.com. 22/05/07   I was a guest on tonight's Up Front on www.18doughtystreet.com.  My fellow guest was Claire Fox of the Institute of Ideas.  I will present tomorrow's Up Front - a new thing for me!  I also appear as a guest on Thursday's World View - it was recorded tonight.  I had a good bust up with the journalist Neil Clark - it's worth watching! 16/05/07   I appeared on last night's Vox Politix and End of the Day Show on www.18doughtystreet.com.  It was tremendous fun as ever and my fellow guests John Torode (of the Daily Mail) and Warwick Lightfoot (a London Mayoral candidate) were insightful and pleasant companions.   They always give the book a plug too, which is nice... 03/05/07   I appeared on last night's Up Front on www.18doughtystreet.com.  The topics discussed included ticket touts and Northern Ireland's "peace talks" 01/05/07   I found the map images generated by Google Earth of the atrocities in Darfur to be absolutely remarkable - a new way of highlighting terror, I think. 14/04/07   Sometimes, a columnist really earns his pay cheque.  Charles Moore's piece in The Daily Telegraph on the Navy is tremendous.  If you're British and this article fails to move you - shame on you.06/04/07   I'm in Switzerland, but The International Herald Tribune tells me that Ruth Kelly plans to offer mosques bribes incentives to condemn terrorism.  Most of us would think, on a pragmatic basis, that if this danegeld results in peace, it's a price worth paying.  But the plan is a difficult one to accept in principle - that one should be paid for doing nothing more than what one should be doing already...

01/04/07   When I appeared on Start The Week many moons ago to discuss my Book The Great Abdication, my contention that community involvement is in decline in this country was pooh-poohed by host and guests.  Today's Daily Telegraph carries a story by Ben Leapman on the subject.  The headline tells it all - "The rise of can't-be-bothered Britain".  The piece details the decline in membership of almost every community organisation - from the Women's Institute to the Scouts to the political parties to religious organisations, etcetera.  The most popular organisation, it says, is Neighbourhood Watch.  One hardly hesitates to point out the fact that that is an organisation whose membership is driven upwards by fear.   (And yes, I note the date, but don't think that this story is a spoof...)

27/03/07   I was featured on last night's Dispatches, which was a Peter Hitchens hatchet job on David Cameron.  As I was loyal to the old boss, my aeon-long interview was reduced to about 5 seconds.  Hi ho. 

20/03/07   I appeared on two shows on www.18doughtystreet.com last night - "Vox Politix" and "The End of the Day Show".  As ever, both are available in the archive at the 18 Doughty St website.  The latter show was stuffed with jokes from "Airplane!".  I'm assured by my most valued critic that I made a prat of myself.  Plus la change. 18/03/07   I was proud and honoured to act as Chief Adjudicator for the Middle Temple Debating Intervarsity (The Ackner Cup, named after the late Lord Ackner).  The real work was done by Fred Cowell, Jax Renton, Alex Wright, Rosie Unwin and their team and they ran a great competition and did the Inn proud.  The competition was won by the University of Bristol. 15/03/07   I was a panellist on Up Front on www.18doughtystreet.com last night - I was too aggressive as usual but I loved it!08/03/07   I appear at 2030 tonight on World View, at www.18doughtystreet.com. The topic for discussion is Iran. 05/03/07   I appeared last night as an interviewee in a documentary in the BBC's Time Shift series - the title was "The New Middle Classes" and it was screened on BBC4 at 2230.  And some people I know saw it!  What are the odds!?25/02/07   In the absence of any writing at all of my own, here are two quotes that have been on my mind of late:

"It is not enough to have the courage of your convictions.  You must also have the courage to have your convictions challenged."  - Christopher Phillips. 

"Never ascribe to malice that which can be adequately ascribed to incompetence." - Napoleon 24/02/07   Judging the final of the Middle Temple internal debating competition (The Monroe Cup) - a delight to return to the Inn.

16/02/07   New piece online - The Independent's Trident "exclusive" 01/02/07   New piece online at www.thefisk.com - The Independent's coverage of the Birmingham terrorism raids. 23/01/07   I gave a talk entitled "British Social Behaviour In Decline" at the Bromley Branch of the University of the Third Age.  It was a most enjoyable event and the audience of 200 offered up some challenging and interesting questions.  Thanks to Chris King for her great efficiency in organising the event. 18/01/07   I appeared on "World View" at 2030 today at www.18doughtystreet.com, talking about Iraq.  My fellow guests were Charlie Wolf and Michael Klein and they were both very charming gentleman.  I was my usual abrasive self.  It was chaired by my old friend Alan Mendoza.  It can still be watched online on the site here. 11/01/07   Flailing fruitlessly against premature middle age, I have joined this facebook thing.  Hmm.

08/01/07   A pleasant Christmas and New Year in Vancouver, where I judged at the World Universities Debating Championships, graciously hosted by the University of British Columbia.  It was an honour to serve as one of the tournament's Deputy Chief Adjudicators, and my fellow Adjudication Team members Kevin Massie, Derek Lande and Tim Sonnreich were outstanding.  The Committee in charge of organisation earned my great admiration - Teddy Harrison, Miranda Weigler, Neo and the indomitable R. Jesse McWaters III being just some of them.  The tournament was won by the University of Sydney on a 9-0 unanimous decision in the final, which was held in the very impressive Chan Centre on campus at UBC.  The university's commitment to debating was a model for others to follow.  I am now in Whistler skiing, home to reality soon.
 

Please contact me on alexdeane@onetel.com

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