The Intelligence Squared debate on drug legalization that we mentioned last week has taken place and may be viewed below. Your humble skeptical bloggers have not actually watched it and probably will not, given its extreme length and the fact that, according to this provocative and insightful description of it by participant Peter Hitchens, it includes “alleged comedian” Russell Brand behaving in the way that comes naturally to him, which is to say repugnantly.
In fact, your time is probably better spent reading Hitchens’ piece than watching the debate itself, as his theme is more universal and relevant, civility and decency being necessary precursors to productive debate.
A hat tip to commenter “WoarBoarBoar” for the link.
The exchange between Mr Hitchens and the Caliban, at 0:40, is worth watching. Our man, by the way, appears at 0:45 and 1:23.
Today the debate is ‘legalize or not’; tomorrow, after it becomes law, the debate will be whether the bureaucracies have the right to implement drugs upon us, as they do with approximately 1,000,000 boys in the UK, for not acting like good little feminists, in state schools.
Peter Hitchens the ex Trotsyist?
I guess it’s all about atonement.
@ Louise,
That would be his late brother, Christopher, who was a Trotskyite. And for his penitence, became an American citizen.
…or about getting beyond adolescence.
adolescence? I suppose you could argue that being an undergrad is a kind of prolonged adolescence.
Peter Hitchens was a Trotskyist when he was an undergrad at York and for about a decade after although his motivation for this is a little more complex than simply being dragged into the zeitgeist.
I’ve posted an extract from ‘The Rage Against God’ which is actually rather good:
http://rielouise.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/trotskyist.jpg
Thanks for the link Louise, I’ve not read all of Rage Against God but I certainly read the bit about the fear of damnation etc – it struck a rather ominous chord with me.
A book I’ve been reading more recently, is The Face of God by Roger Scruton (Gifford lectures, or adapted from)
http://tinyurl.com/7lf53my
I think really very good, what I’ve read so far.
why all that violence in the comments ? 🙁