sixth-form debating competition
philosopher, author and lecturer Dr Piers Benn is a visiting lecturer in philosophy at the University of Roehampton and has recently taught at Heythrop College, University of London and Fordham University London Centre. Previously he held lectureships in philosophy at the universities of Leicester, St Andrews and Leeds, followed by medical ethics at Imperial College …
educational and child psychologist; founder of Not the Easy Way Dr. Peter D’Lima is an educational and child psychologist and co-founder of Not The Easy Way, an organisation developed to help young people face the inevitable challenges of life. Part of the mission of Not The Easy Way is to support young people to be …
Lecturer in Civil Engineering, Newcastle University; Director, The Great Debate Dr Caspar Hewett is the director of The Great Debate, a community organisation that has maintained a space for public debate in the North East of England since 1998 (http://www.thegreatdebate.org.uk/). He is a lecturer in the School of Engineering at Newcastle University and is Degree …
Assistant Comment Editor, The Telegraph Olivia Utley is a political journalist who was previously news editor at Reaction. She has written for the Times, the Telegraph, City AM, CapX, Reaction, the Sun and Standpoint, and is a regular paper reviewer for BBC and Sky News. She has a particular interest in intergenerational inequality, voting demographics, and the appeal of the far left to …
Emeritus Professor of Education, University of Derby Dennis is Emeritus Professor of Education at the University of Derby and the Director of the campaign group Academics For Academic Freedom (AFAF). Among his many publications is the controversial and best-selling book The Dangerous Rise of Therapeutic Education once described as ‘one of the most important books …
Political commentator & former MEP Belinda de Lucy is a former MEP for the Brexit Party where she was a member of the Women’s Rights (FEMM) Committee in the EU Parliament. She has a Masters in EU Law and is a regular political commentator on Talk Radio specialising in topics such as the EU, democracy …
Writer, broadcaster and political strategist Ed Rennie is a Catholic broadcaster, writer, political analyst and strategist. He is a leading advocate for both Blue Labour and Red Conservative approaches. Ed has worked for two MPs and was a local Councillor for Perivale. He led the virtue programme at the think tank ResPublica and later worked …
Teacher of English and Theory of Knowledge (TOK); Coordinator at Tonbridge Grammar School After graduating from The University of St Andrews, Ed was the London Coordinator of Debating Matters and was responsible for the expansion of the competition in the capital and overseeing the development of the alumni programme. In this position, Ed organised public …
Communications specialist; PR lecturer and co-author of Radical Blake Dr Shirley Dent is works in communications, specialising in political and policy-led PR. Shirley has written and commented widely on communications, arts and literature, including a blog at Guardian Arts Unlimited, and reviewing for the Times Literary Supplement. She researched the editorial and bibliographic history of William …
teacher of maths and economics; Associate Fellow, Academy of Ideas Tony is Curriculum Manager for Mathematics at MidKent College having previously taught maths and economics in two Kent grammar schools. Prior to teaching Tony was the director of the Debating Matters competition, overseeing its growth into a UK competition for nearly 300 schools and its …