Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Why is Civil War a talking point? Introductory Speeches Battle of Ideas Festival
#ukpolitics
#socialcohesion
#civilwardebate
#mediafear
#battleofideas
Civil war in Britain is ‘inevitable’, prophesised Elon Musk after riots broke out following the Southport murders last summer. While we’ve yet to see tanks in Whitehall, there’s certainly a great deal of tension in the air.
Headlines warn of a ‘powder keg of tensions and grievances’ and caution we’re ‘lurching towards civil war, and nobody knows how to stop it’. A new government commission on cohesion rings alarm bells over ‘creeping balkanisation and extremism’ while Lisa Nandy predicts Labour’s northern heartlands ‘could go up in flames’. A YouGov survey suggests that a third of the public now believe civil war is likely to occur in Britain within the next 10 years.
How do we get the balance right between valuable insights and excessive fearmongering – and are critics right to worry that catastrophism risks escalating tensions?
The speakers in this keynote discussion are:
Professor David Betz - academic, Professor of War in the Modern World, Department of War Studies, King’s College London
Emma Trimble - writer and broadcaster; fellow, New Culture Forum
Luke Tryl - executive director, More in Common UK; writer and commentator; former political special advisor
Martin Wright - director, Positive News; formerly editor-in-chief, Green Futures; former director, Forum for the Future
The chair is:
Alastair Donald - co-convenor, Battle of Ideas festival; convenor, Living Freedom; organiser, European Free Speech Network
WORLDwrite is a charity and a volunteer-run citizen TV channel that stands up for free speech – no ifs or buts. We film hard-hitting political debates, including panels from the Battle of Ideas festival, tackling taboo topics and defending ordinary people against contempt and censorship. We train hundreds of young adults every year to shoot the arguments that matter, producing fearless films on politics, democracy, freedom, and global equality.
This is Citizen TV that punches above its weight. Subscribe for unapologetic documentaries, debate and dissent.
With no paid staff, the charity WORLDwrite which filmed and is editing the Battle of Ideas Festival sessions needs your help to keep its edit suites switched on. Please support the charity’s Christmas appeal if you can by visiting its JustGiving page at justgiving.com/campaign/worldwritesingathon
Why is Civil War a talking point? Introductory Speeches Battle of Ideas Festival
#ukpolitics
#socialcohesion
#civilwardebate
#mediafear
#battleofideas
Civil war in Britain is ‘inevitable’, prophesised Elon Musk after riots broke out following the Southport murders last summer. While we’ve yet to see tanks in Whitehall, there’s certainly a great deal of tension in the air.
Headlines warn of a ‘powder keg of tensions and grievances’ and caution we’re ‘lurching towards civil war, and nobody knows how to stop it’. A new government commission on cohesion rings alarm bells over ‘creeping balkanisation and extremism’ while Lisa Nandy predicts Labour’s northern heartlands ‘could go up in flames’. A YouGov survey suggests that a third of the public now believe civil war is likely to occur in Britain within the next 10 years.
How do we get the balance right between valuable insights and excessive fearmongering – and are critics right to worry that catastrophism risks escalating tensions?
The speakers in this keynote discussion are:
Professor David Betz - academic, Professor of War in the Modern World, Department of War Studies, King’s College London
Emma Trimble - writer and broadcaster; fellow, New Culture Forum
Luke Tryl - executive director, More in Common UK; writer and commentator; former political special advisor
Martin Wright - director, Positive News; formerly editor-in-chief, Green Futures; former director, Forum for the Future
The chair is:
Alastair Donald - co-convenor, Battle of Ideas festival; convenor, Living Freedom; organiser, European Free Speech Network
WORLDwrite is a charity and a volunteer-run citizen TV channel that stands up for free speech – no ifs or buts. We film hard-hitting political debates, including panels from the Battle of Ideas festival, tackling taboo topics and defending ordinary people against contempt and censorship. We train hundreds of young adults every year to shoot the arguments that matter, producing fearless films on politics, democracy, freedom, and global equality.
This is Citizen TV that punches above its weight. Subscribe for unapologetic documentaries, debate and dissent.
With no paid staff, the charity WORLDwrite which filmed and is editing the Battle of Ideas Festival sessions needs your help to keep its edit suites switched on. Please support the charity’s Christmas appeal if you can by visiting its JustGiving page at justgiving.com/campaign/worldwritesingathon
