I am spending this weekend at the Battle of Ideas at the Barbican. It got off to a bad start for me with a session on equality that was more like the deep graveyard peace of a single idea than a battle. Four leftists set out possible views of equality, all favourable, and concluded that "everyone" agreed it was good and we needed more of it for the sake of our mental health because envy apparently drives them mad. Who knew?

A token non-Leftist offered a slightly different view and the chairman declared (with no hint of irony) that every possible idea had been expressed. I was ready to throw myself off one of the Barbican's ugly balconies in despair for the future of my ideologically-blinkered nation, but later sessions on social media and lobbying (while tainted by the usual Downton Abbey snobbery about "trade" expressed in fake Estuary English) were marginally more interesting.

More posts will follow. If any of you are here come over and say "hi" to the two metre tall guy in the blue jacket with a big camera case on his shoulder and an iPad in his hand.