Intelligence Squared

Speakers for the motion: Professor Laurie Taylor: Professor of Sociology, University of York. Author and broadcaster. Howard Jacobson: Author, critic and broadcaster whose latest novel is entitled "The Act of Love". Leonie Frieda: Translator, historian and biographer whose books include the biography of Catherine de Medici. Speakers against the motion: Christopher Booker: A weekly Columnist in the Sunday Telegraph and author of "The Great Deception: The Secret History of the European Union" and "The Seven Basic Plots: Why we tell stories". He was the founding editor of Private Eye, to which he still contributes. Rosie Boycott: Former Fleet Street editor, author and founder of Spare Rib. She has recorded her new life as a smallholder in the book "Spotted Pigs and Green Tomatoes: A Year in the Life of Our Farm" and has been appointed the capital's "food champion" by the Mayor of London. Claire Fox: Director of the Institute of Ideas, a panellist on BBC Radio 4's 'The Moral Maze' and comments on developments in culture, education and the media on TV and radio. Chair: Joan Bakewell Journalist and broadcaster. Final vote: 319 For, 333 Against

The panel debate the motion: Putin is the best hope for Russian liberalism. Chaired by Edward Lucas. Arguing for the motion are Michael Binyon, Christopher Granville and Mary Dejevsky. Michael Binyon states that liberalism is not something bestowed by a government on a people, but a much more organic process. He believes that Putin's enemies are nationalists crying out for a stronger state and that there are no opposition liberals waiting in the wings. Christopher Granville believes that legitimacy and the oligarch system are incompatible. He suggests that an individual occupying a majority position as president is by definition the best hope for Russian liberalism. Elections in Russia, he argues, are much fairer today than they were in Yeltsin's day. Mary Dejevsky suggests that elections have been free, fair and democratic under Putin. She claims that it’s the presence of the opposition which places constraints on Putin's ability to plough a reformist furrow, because this opposition comes from conservative and nationalist forces. Arguing against the motion are Dr Boris Berezovsky, Andrew Jack and Dr Alex Pravda. Dr Boris Berezovsky declares that Putin destroyed independent parliament, media and business. While he promised reform, he did not deliver it, and the people are not prepared to fight for freedom as in the UK. For Berezovsky therefore, Putin put an end to the fight for democracy in Russia. Andrew Jack believes that Putin should have stood down after his first term; now in his sixth year of rule, Putin's excuse that he has inherited such a long and difficult history is no longer viable. Though he concedes it is difficult to replace Putin, Jack feels that media centralisation has now gone too far and that parliament has become captive. Dr Alex Pravda says that while Putin is committed to modernising Russia, his attachment to liberal economic ideas is highly pragmatic. He suggests that Putin is not just illiberal and creating an authoritarian culture, but that he is also not performing well as measured by his own criteria. First Vote: 168 For, 299 Against, 265 Don't know Final Vote: 277 For, 377 Against, 98 Don't know The motion is defeated by 100 votes

The panel debate the motion: Nuclear energy must power our future. Chaired by Martyn Lewis. Arguing for the motion are Bruno Comby, Bishop Hugh Montefiore and Lord Parkinson. Arguing against the motion are Mycle Schneider, Zac Goldsmith, and Tony Juniper.

Speakers for the motion: Sir Andrew Green: Former British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and Syria. Former Director of the Middle East at the Foreign Commonwealth Office. Robert Lacey: British historian who has lived in Saudi Arabia and is the author of the international bestseller (banned in Saudi Arabia) "The Kingdom: Arabia and the House of Saud". Senator Wyche Fowler: Served in the US House of Representatives and as US Senator from Georgia before his appointment by President Bill Clinton as US Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1996. Speakers against the motion: Dr Mark Heller: Principal Research Associate, Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, Tel Aviv University, and author of numerous works on Middle Eastern political and strategic affairs, including The New Middle Class and Regime Stability in Saudi Arabia, Harvard Middle East Papers No. 3 (co-authored with Nadav Safran). John R Bradley: Lived in Saudi Arabia for 21/2 years and has written extensively on Saudi and wider Middle East issues for many publications, including The Economist, The New Republic, The Daily Telegraph, Prospect and The Independent. He is the author of "Saudi Arabia Exposed: Inside a Kingdom in Crisis" (Palgrave-Macmillan, May 2005). His website is www.johnrbradley.com. Jason Burke: Chief reporter of The Observer and the author of "Al-Qaeda: the true story of radical Islam". He has been working for British national newspapers for 12 years, spending much of that time in the Middle East and Southwest Asia. Burke lived in in Pakistan in the late 90s and covered the rise and fall of the Taliban and has spent much of the last two years in Iraq. He is a regular contributor to television and radio in the UK and overseas. His book has been translated into seven languages. Burke graduated from Oxford University in 1992. Chair: James Naughtie Presents Today on BBC Radio 4. His most recent book is 'The Accidental American', an account of the relationship between Tony Blair and George W Bush. Final vote: 328 For, 269 Against

The panel debates the motion: Let's keep Turkey out of Europe. Chaired by Francine Stock. Arguing for the motion are Dr John Casey, Dr Michael Stürmer, and Kevin Myers. Arguing against the motion are Dominique Moisi, Mark Leonard and Norman Stone.

Speakers for the motion: Professor Jacqueline Rose: Writer and presenter of "Dangerous Liaison - Israel and America", Channel 4 (2002) and author of "The Question of Zion" (Spring 2005). Professor Avi Shlaim: Professor of International Relations and Fellow of St Antony's College, Oxford, and author of "The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World". Amira Hass: Correspondent of Haaretz Daily in the occupied territories. She lived in Gaza for 3 years and has lived in Ramallah for the past 7 years. She is the author of "Reporting from Ramallah". Speakers against the motion: Melanie Phillips: Daily Mail columnist, panellist on Radio 4's The Moral Maze and author. Her 1996 book "All Must Have Prizes", a study of Britain's educational decline, provoked the fury of educationists and the delight and relief of parents. Her latest book "The Ascent of Woman" is a study of the suffragette movement and the ideas behind it. Shlomo Ben-Ami: Former Israel Foreign Minister during the last phase of the peace negotiations. He has written extensively on Israeli affairs, and has just completed a book on the Arab-Israeli conflict. Professor Raphael Israeli: Professor of Islamic, Middle Eastern and Chinese history at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Professor Israeli is the author of 15 books and some 80 scholarly articles in those domains. A member of the Steering Committee of the Ariel Centre for Policy Research (ACPR), his work in Hebrew, French and English frequently appears in leading international publications including NATIV, a bi-monthly publication of the ACPR. Chair: Richard Lindley Former journalist with ITN and BBC Panorama, who now writes about television journalism. Final vote: 355 For, 320 Against

The panel debates the motion: Monogamy is bad for the soul. Chaired by Joan Bakewell. Arguing for the motion are Rod Liddle, Jack Klaff, and Anthony Grayling. Arguing against the motion are Rowan Pelling, Taki Theodoracopulos and Howard Jacobson.

The panel debate the motion: Maggie Thatcher saved Britain. Chaired by Martyn Lewis. Arguing for the motion are Charles Moore, Lord Bell and Sir John Nott. Arguing against the motion are Sir Peregrine Worsthorne, Billy Bragg, and Diane Abbott MP.

The panel debate the motion 'The NHS is broken, it needs reinventing'. Arguing in favour of the motion are Professor Kenneth Minogue, Harriet Sergeant, and Dr Maurice Slevin. Arguing against the motion are Lord Hunt, Dr Mike Fitzpatrick, and Professor Raymond Tallis.

The panel debate the motion: A pre-emptive foreign policy is a recipe for disaster. Chaired by Francine Stock. Arguing for the motion are Senator Gary Hart and Sir Simon Jenkins. Arguing against the motion are Christopher Hitchens and David Aaronovitch.

Speakers for the motion: Tom Bower: A distinguished investigative historian, and an award-winning television producer and journalist. His books on "The Nazis - Blind Eye to Murder", "The Paperclip Conspiracy" and "Blood Money" - are regarded as groundbreaking, as are his two books on British intelligence, "The Red Web" and his biography of Sir Dick White. Andrew Gilligan: Journalist best known for his report, while Defence and Diplomatic corresondent for BBC Radio 4's The Today Programme, about the British Government's dossier on Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq. Anthony Glees: Reader in Politics and Director of European Studies at Brunel University. He is the author of "Reinventing Germany", "The Secrets of the Service" and most recently "The Stasi Files - East Germany's secret operations against Britain". Speakers against the motion: Sir Lawrence Freedman: Professor of War Studies at King's College, London since 1982. He has written extensively on nuclear strategy, the cold war and military intervention, as well as commentating regularly on contemporary security issues.His most recent book is "A Choice of Enemies: America confronts the Middle East". Oleg Gordievsky: One of the highest-ranking KGB officers ever to work for Britain. For 11 years he acted as a secret agent, reporting to the British Secret Intelligence Service while continuing to work as a KGB officer. He is the author of "KGB: The Inside Story of Its Foreign Operations from Lenin to Gorbachev (1990)" co-written with British academic Christopher Andrew. Sir Malcolm Rifkind: Former Conservative Foreign Secretary and currently Member of Parliament for Kensington and Chelsea. Chair: Nik Gowing The main presenter on BBC World's news programmes and a regular presenter for Dateline London. He also chairs BBC World Debates, including Nobel Minds, Stockholm and the World Economic Forum, Davos. Final vote: 198 For, 366 Against The debate took place at: Royal Geographical Society, Ondaatje Theatre. Speaker bios correct on date of event.

Lawrence James: Author of "Raj: The Making and Unmaking of British India", "Rise and Fall of the British Empire" and "Warrior Race: A History of the British at War". Professor Niall Ferguson: Writer and presenter of 'Empire' for Channel 4, a 6-part series on the history of the British Empire and Professor of Political and Financial History at Oxford University. Andrew Roberts: Historian who has spent 20 years researching, writing and broadcasting extensively about both Churchill and the Second World War. Speakers against the motion: Dr Richard Drayton: University Lecturer in Imperial and extra-European History since 1500, Cambridge University. Yasmin Alibhai-Brown: Senior Researcher at the Foreign Policy Centre and a leading commentator on race, multiculturalism and human rights. David Washbrook: Reader in Modern South Asian History at Oxford University; his special interesting lying in the history of southern India between the 18th and 20th centuries. Chair: Richard Lindley: Former journalist with ITN and BBC Panorama, who now writes about television journalism. Final vote: 321 For, 233 Against

Speakers for the motion: Richard Dowden: Director of the Royal African Society. He was born in Surrey and educated at St Georges College, Weybridge, Surrey and London University (BA in History). From 1970-72 he was a volunteer teacher in Uganda and between 1972 and 1975 he was Secretary of the Roman Catholic Justice and Peace Commission for England and Wales. He was a reporter then Editor of the Catholic Herald newspaper 1975 - 1980 and Reporter on The Times, specialising in foreign affairs 1980 - 1986. From 1986 - 1994 he was Africa Editor of The Independent and then in 1994 became Diplomatic Editor of The Independent. From 1995 - 2001 he was the Africa Editor of The Economist and he has been the Executive Director of the Royal African Society since 2002. He continues to work as a freelance journalist and has written for all the main national dailies and weeklies except The Daily Telegraph. I have also made three full-length documentary TV films about Africa for the BBC and Channel 4 and several smaller ones. Matthew Parris: Times newspaper columnist, television and radio broadcaster. Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem: General Secretary of the global Pan African Movement since 1994 and is resident in Uganda and London. Tajudeen is Nigerian by origin. He was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford where he gained his DPhil in political science. He was a founder member of the Africa Resource and Information Bureau, London, and has been at the centre of numerous initiatives to promote peace and democracy in Africa. Tajudeen writes and lectures on Africa for several journals and universities. He is Chairperson of the Centre for Democratic Development and the Pan African Development Education and Advocacy Programme. Tajudeen's "Thursday Postcard is widely read throughout Africa. Speakers against the motion: The Rt Hon Clare Short MP: Member of Parliament for Birmingham Ladywood since 1983. Secretary of State for International Development from 1997-2003. Author of "An honourable Deception? New Labour, Iraq and the Misuse of Power" (2004), an attempt to explain why Tony Blair did what he did on Iraq so that the lessons can be learned and things put right. Resigned the Labour whip in Parliament in October 2006, but remains a member of the Labour Party. Anthony Sampson: Keenly interested in South African affairs since 1951 when, after leaving Oxford, he first went to South Africa to become editor of the black magazine Drum in Johannesburg. He met Nelson Mandela that year in Soweto as Mandela was preparing for the Defiance Campaign against apartheid, which Drum covered extensively. In 1956 Anthony Sampson published his first book - a hugely entertaining account of his four years as editor (Drum: An African Adventure) - and frequently revisited South Africa thereafter. Subsequently he wrote a book about the treason trials in 1958 and reported Mandela's own trial before he was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1964. In London Sampson worked for the Observer for six years before publishing (in 1962) his groundbreaking, bestselling Anatomy Of Britain (later updated four times and read by Mandela in prison). He followed it with a succession of major books about international business, including Seven Sisters, The Arms Bazaar, Black And Gold (an account of the relations between business and apartheid) and Company Man. He has been chairman of the Society of Authors and a member of the Scott Trust, which owns the Guardian and Observer. His most recent books include Mandela: The Authorised Biography and his new Anatomy of Britain, "Who Runs this Place?" which will be published by John Murray in April. Sir Marrack Goulding: Educated at St. Paul's School, London, and Magdalen College, Oxford, where he received First Class Honours in Literae Humaniores (Greek and Latin Language and Literature, Ancient History, Greek and Modern Philosophy). He worked the British Diplomatic Service between 1959 and 1985. He served in the Foreign Office from 1964 -

The panel debate the motion: GM crops are good for us. Chaired by Peter Sissons. Arguing for the motion are Vivian Moses, Kerry Preete and Conrad Lichtenstein. Arguing against the motion are Sue Mayer, Michael Meacher and Devinder Sharma.

Arguing in favour of the motion are Michael Heseltine, Jerry Hayes, and Simon Jenkins. Arguing against the motion are Matthew Evans, Peter Hitchens, and David Aaronovitch.