Podcast appearances and mentions of Melissa Benn

Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are Labour MP Tom Hayes, writer and campaigner Melissa Benn, Conservative MP Sir Alec Shelbrooke and Poppy Coburn from The Telegraph.

Do you wake up early enough?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are Labour MP Tom Hayes, writer and campaigner Melissa Benn, Conservative MP Sir Alec Shelbrooke and Poppy Coburn from The Telegraph.

UPDATE: 10/04/25: President Trump has planned to pause extended tariffs on most countries for 90 days, while pushing ahead on plans to implement a 104% tariff on Chinese goods. A flat 10% tariff remains in place. Trump's tariffs continue to cause chaos in the stock markets and the threat of a recession looms. As Rachel Reeves put it in her Spring Statement - the world is changing before our eyes - but is it enough to see her back down on her precious fiscal rules? Co-host Zoë Grünewald joins Nish to make sense of it all. Can ‘the most dangerous man in Britain' shed light on this moment of global chaos? Author and education campaigner Melissa Benn, daughter of the late great politician Tony Benn, reflects on her father's relevance today and the future of the left.  Plus, Melissa takes a look at what's in Labour's new education bill. Kemi Badenoch has labelled it “an act of vandalism” - but are the reforms as revolutionary as critics claim? And a couple of monumental WTF's for you this week - Israel has barred two Labour MPs, just as human rights lawyers deliver a landmark report to the Met Police's War Crimes Team, making accusations of war crimes against 10 Britons, who served in the Israeli military in Gaza. It's chilling stuff. CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS  Shopify https://www.shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk  VOY https://www.joinvoy.com/psuk Useful Links The Most Dangerous Man in Britain?: The Political Writing by Tony Benn https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/products/3318-the-most-dangerous-man-in-britain?srsltid=AfmBOoqeWPvXcuRrm3zzK1FZ0GZ0JYD7BY6lSBtIpztZdp5gR12u7fmr Guests Melissa Benn Audio Credits CBS News Sky The Guardian Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media. Contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.uk Insta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk Twitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the second instalment of our live debate with an expert panel deciding whether the UK's private schools should continue to enjoy their tax advantages. The UK has an education system that perpetuates inequality. Seven per cent of its children go to private schools and yet these institutions receive around three times the funding per student as the average state school. Privately educated people then go on to dominate our elite institutions. They are seven times as likely to win a place at Oxford and Cambridge universities as their state-educated peers, and they make up 65 per cent of senior judges and 29 per cent of members of parliament. Who could possibly object to a tax that would benefit the majority of Britain's schoolchildren? Those who believe in aspiration, that's who, argue the champions of private schools. People like Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's parents, who, as he has explained, were not wealthy or privileged but who worked hard so that they could send their son to one of this country's top independent schools. Removing the tax breaks on private schools would amount to class war and punish parents who are prepared to make sacrifices to give their children the best start in life. Because, let's be honest, it won't be the one per cent who will be affected by this change, but the children of the ‘squeezed middle' and the less well off who rely on bursaries and scholarships to access private education – many of whom these schools may no longer be able to support under Labour's proposals. Should private schools continue to enjoy their tax advantages or not? On stage to discuss it for this event was our panel; Fraser Nelson, Editor of The Spectator, Helen Pike, Master of Magdalen College School, Oxford, the journalist, broadcaster and Contributing Editor at Novara Media, Ash Sarkar, and Melissa Benn, writer and campaigner for a high-quality comprehensive school system. The discussion is in two halves. If you're an Intelligence Squared Member you can get the whole thing right now – no waiting around. Head to intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events - Our member-only newsletter The Monthly Read, sent straight to your inbox ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series ... Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content, early access and much more ... Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this live debate, our expert panel decides whether the UK's private schools should continue to enjoy their tax advantages. The UK has an education system that perpetuates inequality. Seven per cent of its children go to private schools and yet these institutions receive around three times the funding per student as the average state school. Privately educated people then go on to dominate our elite institutions. They are seven times as likely to win a place at Oxford and Cambridge universities as their state-educated peers, and they make up 65 per cent of senior judges and 29 per cent of members of parliament. Who could possibly object to a tax that would benefit the majority of Britain's schoolchildren? Those who believe in aspiration, that's who, argue the champions of private schools. People like Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's parents, who, as he has explained, were not wealthy or privileged but who worked hard so that they could send their son to one of this country's top independent schools. Removing the tax breaks on private schools would amount to class war and punish parents who are prepared to make sacrifices to give their children the best start in life. Because, let's be honest, it won't be the one per cent who will be affected by this change, but the children of the ‘squeezed middle' and the less well off who rely on bursaries and scholarships to access private education – many of whom these schools may no longer be able to support under Labour's proposals. Should private schools continue to enjoy their tax advantages or not? On stage to discuss it for this event was our panel; Fraser Nelson, Editor of The Spectator, Helen Pike, Master of Magdalen College School, Oxford, the journalist, broadcaster and Contributing Editor at Novara Media, Ash Sarkar, and Melissa Benn, writer and campaigner for a high-quality comprehensive school system. The discussion is in two halves. If you're an Intelligence Squared Member you can get the whole thing right now – no waiting around. Head to intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events - Our member-only newsletter The Monthly Read, sent straight to your inbox ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series ... Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content, early access and much more ... Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Melissa Benn, a climate finance specialist, discusses her role in helping climate tech companies secure funding. She highlights the importance of external reviewers, challenges in document limitations, and nuances in domestic versus international projects. Melissa also shares insights into her startup's business model, emphasizing the role of AI tools like OpenAI, perplexity.ai, and Zapier.  She explores the potential impact of personal AI assistants on communication and offers valuable perspectives for those interested in a career in climate finance. Please join in to find more.  Connect with Sohail Hasnie: Facebook @sohailhasnie Twitter @shasnie LinkedIn @shasnie ADB Blog Sohail Hasnie

This episode features a fascinating conversation with Fiona Millar, a journalist and campaigner on education and parenting issues whose work I have admired for many years. Following a career in journalism, Fiona worked in the office of the Leader of the Opposition from 1995 to 1997, and as an adviser to Tony and Cherie Blair from 1995 to 2003. On leaving Downing Street, Fiona started writing a monthly column for The Guardian about education, and in 2004 she made a documentary film for Channel Four called The Best for My Child, examining how the quasi-market in schools was working in practice. In 2018, to mark the 30th anniversary of the Education Reform Act 1988, Fiona published a fascinating book with the same name as her earlier documentary - The Best for My Child: Did the schools market deliver? Of this book, Melissa Benn wrote: Fiona Millar combines a profound understanding of the way schools work on the ground with unrivalled political acumen. This insightful account of what the market revolution has really meant for England's education system is an important and absorbing read. I whole-heartedly agree. It's very well written and I think it's really required reading for anyone who wants to understand the weirdly hierarchical, disjointed school system that we have today - and therefore how we might create a more equitable system that works for all young people. It's also well worth reading back through Fiona's many excellent articles in the Guardian, including her most recent setting out how Labour can fix the education system - a topic on which we alight in this conversation. There's a link to her Guardian profile below and it's well worth an hour of your time. LINKS Fiona's Guardian articles: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/fionamillar  Education Policy Alliance: educationpa.org Sign up to the Rethinking Education Round-up Newsletter: rethinkinged.beehiiv.com DON'T BE A STRANGER The Rethinking Education podcast is hosted and produced by Dr James Mannion. You can contact him at rethinking-ed.org/contact SUPPORT THE RETHINKING ED PODCAST: Become a patron: https://patreon.com/repod Buy James a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/repod

Hello! Geoff's off this week and friend of the pod and writer Melissa Benn is practicing what we preach in this episode by trialing a new vocation as podcast co-host. This week, sparked by the news of the resignation of Jacinda Ardern and Nicola Sturgeon - we're talking all about what happens when you take a step back from a high-pressure job. What comes next? And why is the way we think about careers all wrong? We talk to four guests about navigating new career paths, having a mid-career gap year, and whether the dream job really exists. Plus: Ed's gone down a new internet rabbit hole. What is it this time?GuestsDr Ali Budjanovcanin, Senior Lecturer in Work Psychology and Public Sector Management at King's College London, and Career Coach (@AliBudj)Lucy Kellaway, Economics Teacher and Co-Founder of NowTeach (@lucykellaway / @NowTeachOrg)Katie White, taking a career break from her role at WWF (@KatieJWhite)Jaega Wise, Co-Founder and Head Brewer at Wild Card Brewery, London (@jaegawise)More infoFollow Melissa on Twitter (@Melissa_Benn)Interested in a career in teaching? Learn more about NowTeachCheck out Wild Card BreweryReady to quit your job? Here are 17 things to ask yourself first. (Opinion, Guardian, August 2021) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Melissa Benn comes from a long line of outspoken campaigners and prominent Parliamentarians. She was educated at Holland Park comprehensive and the London School of Economics where she graduated with a First in History, the first woman in a generation to do so. Melissa's journalism has appeared in a wide range of publications, including the Independent, the Times, Public Finance, Marxism Today, London Review of Books, Cosmopolitan and the Financial Times. She is a regular contributor to the Guardian, the New Statesman, and Teach Secondary magazine, where she writes a regular column. Melissa has published nine books, including two novels. In her writing on education, Melissa has consistently tried to tackle contemporary myths about state education and to set out the case for a more equal system. With Fiona Millar she co-authored 'A Comprehensive Future: Quality and Equality For All Our Children', an influential pamphlet that challenged the drift towards the marketisation of state education within the then New Labour government and made the case for strong, non-selective, community schools. This was followed by School Wars: The Battle for Britain's Education, described by the Observer as ‘a tremendous book.In it, Melissa sketched the history of, and struggles around, secondary education from the post-war period onward and offered a critique of the education policies of successive governments, in particular the Coalition government of 2010-2015. With Janet Downs, she co-authored, 'The Truth About Our Schools: Exposing the Myths, Exploring the Evidence', which tackled some increasingly prevalent and pernicious myths about state education. Caroline Lucas MP described it as a ‘hugely important book that should be required reading for every Education Secretary.' In Life Lessons, Melissa set out the Case for a National Education Service, and this book was described by Guardian Education columnist Fiona Millar as ‘an eloquent and much needed blueprint for reform when radical ideas are in short supply.' I find Melissa's writing to be a uniquely refreshing contribution to the education debate. I recommend catching up on Melissa's many excellent columns in the publications listed earlier. And her book School Wars, which remains incredibly relevant, 12 years after publication, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to understand why we have the weird, patchwork education system that we have. LINKS Melissa's website: https://melissabenn.co.uk/ Rethinking Metacognition tickets: https://bit.ly/rethinkmetacog Making Change Stick - contact: https://www.makingchangestick.co/contact Rethinking Ed Mighty Network: https://rethinking-education.mn.co The Rethinking Education podcast is hosted and produced by Dr James Mannion. You can contact him at www.rethinking-ed.org/contact, or via a social platform of your choosing: Twitter: https://twitter.com/RethinkingJames Insta: https://www.instagram.com/drjamesmannion LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-mannion/ SUPPORT THE RETHINKING ED PODCAST: Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/repod Buy me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/repod

Martin Robinson is an educationalist, author, writer, consultant, orator and liberal artist. He worked in East London state schools for more than 20 years as a teacher, head of department, advanced skills teacher and school leader. For the last ten years he has worked as an education consultant delivering workshops and keynote speeches about curriculum design, teaching methodology and culture. He is a regular on the conference circuit both in the UK and internationally. Of his first book, Trivium 21C: Preparing young people for the future with lessons from the past, Melissa Benn wrote: "Martin Robinson sets out on a quest to discover the kind of education he wishes for his daughter and we all learn a great deal in the process. I love his writing: wise, well informed, provocative, thinking-out-loud. A terrific feat." Of his second book, Curriculum: Athena vs the Machine, Ben Newmark wrote: "While the dumb and brutal ugliness of instrumentalist education is all too familiar to many of us, never before has it been so clearly expressed or so convincingly unpicked and exposed... a beautifully written love letter to the very substance of education, a triumphant call to arms, and the manifesto on which the fightback against the Machine should be based." And of his most recent book, Curriculum Revolutions, Tom Sherrington wrote: "A powerful conceptual framework, designed with the artful craftsmanship of a beautiful clock and insightful understanding of how teachers thrive." LINKS: Martin's website: https://www.martinrobinson.net/ Rethinking Ed Mighty Network: https://rethinking-education.mn.co The Rethinking Education podcast is hosted and produced by Dr James Mannion. You can contact him at www.rethinking-ed.org/contact, or via a social platform of your choosing: Twitter: https://twitter.com/RethinkingJames Insta: https://www.instagram.com/drjamesmannion LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-mannion/ SUPPORT THE RETHINKING ED PODCAST: Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/repod Shout James a herbal tea: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/repod

Britain's class system is rigid and incomprehensible – and education keeps it that way. Why do so many of us think we're working class when we're not? Why do we still believe in making it through hard work, yet hate social climbers? After the War, we told ourselves we were on the way towards a classless society. Ros Taylor talks to people as diverse as campaigner and educationalist Melissa Benn and class commentator Peter York to find that decades of meddling with education and work only entrenched class power. How do we get out of the class trap? “The top universities say that anyone can get in if you're good enough… The problem is, you might not realise it unless you've been to the right kind of schools.” – Ros Taylor “There's British plutocracy and British poshocracy… but in Belgravia you will find precious few British achievers.” – Peter York “The freedoms that academies were promised don't really exist now… the whole thing was a hugely expensive time and energy trap.” – Fiona Millar “Should we stop talking about the Upper Classes at all and be honest about who really holds wealth and power in Britain?” – Ros Taylor Follow Jam Tomorrow on Twitter Written and presented by Ros Taylor. Produced by Jade Bailey. Voiceovers by Imogen Robertson. Original music by Dubstar. Lead producer: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Jam Tomorrow is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode we welcome our special guest Melissa Benn. We discuss so much it's hard to list it all, but topics include, education, music, the Labour Party, Melissa's childhood, and much more. It was a privilege to be involved in the making of this podcast. A big thank you from me to both Thelma and Melissa. As usual my thanks to Hurricane for the production and the music. If you enjoy listening to our podcast please remember to subscribe - the numbers really help get us out there in to the big wide world. Solidarity.

Hello! What happened to the UK’s thriving tradition of adult education? How can we rebuild it for the 21st century? Union learning rep Sue Mann tells us about her experience and the importance of having opportunities to learn throughout life. Then friend of the pod Melissa Benn and adult education guru Sir Alan Tuckett talk us through their vision for adult education and how to make it a reality. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Once again Pete (@mr_van_w) and John (@jfcatto) jaw off about teaching adjacent topics like seating plans and youngsters accessing pornography. John explores the UK trad-prog divide, questioning Michael Gove's effect on the situation. Pete highlights a study showing most teachers want to be mentored beyond the usual induction training.    'Drill and kill' for England's state schools while private sector goes progressive - Melissa Benn https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/aug/18/drill-and-kill-for-englands-state-schools-while-private-sector-goes-progressive   Nest generation mentoring : Supporting teachers beyond induction - Bressman, Winter, Efron https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0742051X17316608     Visit our website: https://www.catfish.education/ Email us feedback or suggestions: catfisheducation@gmail.com  Read Pete's blog: https://mrvanw.com/ Support us on Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/CatfishEducation Buy some merch:  https://www.redbubble.com/people/CatfishEd/explore

Once again Pete (@mr_van_w) and John (@jfcatto) jaw off about teaching adjacent topics like seating plans and youngsters accessing pornography. John explores the UK trad-prog divide, questioning Michael Gove's effect on the situation. Pete highlights a study showing most teachers want to be mentored beyond the usual induction training.    'Drill and kill' for England's state schools while private sector goes progressive - Melissa Benn https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/aug/18/drill-and-kill-for-englands-state-schools-while-private-sector-goes-progressive   Nest generation mentoring : Supporting teachers beyond induction - Bressman, Winter, Efron https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0742051X17316608     Visit our website: https://www.catfish.education/ Email us feedback or suggestions: catfisheducation@gmail.com  Read Pete's blog: https://mrvanw.com/ Support us on Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/CatfishEducation Buy some merch:  https://www.redbubble.com/people/CatfishEd/explore

The wonderful Melissa Benn joins us as a guest co-host this week! We chat to Alex Beard, author of ‘Natural Born Learners’. Alex talks about his experience of teaching in London and how it inspired him to travel the world exploring the future of educationFollow Cheerful on TwitterLike Cheerful on FacebookLet us know what you thinkCheerful Book Club is brought to you by VINTAGE books See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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Melissa Benn is a writer, journalist and campaigner. She was educated at Holland Park comprehensive and the London School of Economics where she graduated with a First in history. Her essays and journalism have appeared in a wide range of publications, including The Independent, The Times, Marxism Today, the London Review of Books and Cosmopolitan. A speaker and broadcaster, Benn is a regular contributor to The Guardian and New Statesman, and has written several acclaimed books, including School Wars: The Battle for Britain’s Education (2011), What Should We Tell Our Daughters? (2014) and The Truth About Our Schools (2016). Her latest, Life Lessons (2018) ‘is an eloquent and much needed blueprint for a more equitable education system.’ @melissa_benn Recorded live at Wilton's Music Hall London in April 2019. 5x15 brings together five outstanding individuals to tell of their lives, passions and inspirations. There are only two rules - no scripts and only 15 minutes each. Learn more about 5x15 events: 5x15stories.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/5x15stories Facebook: www.facebook.com/5x15stories Instagram: www.instagram.com/5x15stories ‏

How self-revealing and frank should a writer be? Lara Feigel, David Aaronovitch, Melissa Benn and Xiaolu Guo join Matthew Sweet to look at the life of Doris Lessing and her 1962 novel in which she explores difficult love, life, war, politics and dreams. Inspired by her re-reading of Doris Lessing, Lara Feigel has written a revealing book which is part memoir part biography called "Free Woman: Life, Liberation and Doris Lessing". It is out in paperback. Melissa Benn's books include Mother and Child, One of Us and School Wars David Aaronovitch is the author of Party Animals: My Family and Other Communists and a former winner of the Orwell Prize for Political Journalism. Xiaolu Guo has written a memoir Once Upon a Time in the East, and novels including UFO in Her Eyes, and Lovers In the Age of Indifference. Producer: Fiona McLean

'Women and Power: Changing the Stories We Tell Ourselves’ is the keynote by the writer and campaigner Melissa Benn at the Women and Power conference which took place on the 6th and 7th March 2019. Women and Power: Redressing the Balance was a 2-day conference, jointly convened by the National Trust and the University of Oxford, which took place on the 6th and 7th March 2019 at St Hugh’s College in Oxford. The conference brought together professionals from across the academic and heritage sectors to reflect on programming around the 2018 centenary of the Representation of the People Act which granted some women the right to vote and to look to the future of researching and programming women’s histories. The conference featured papers from a range of heritage, cultural and academic institutions who marked the centenary anniversary. Many of the programmes, exhibitions and events that responded to the centenary not only explored the stories of 100 years ago but openly questioned the representation of women’s lives in the histories inherited by curators and researchers, and experienced in public life, today. ‘Women and Power: Changing the Stories We Tell Ourselves’ is the keynote by the writer and campaigner Melissa Benn. Speakers: Prof Senia Paseta, Associate Professor of Modern History and Women in Humanities Programme Co-Director, University of Oxford (Introduction) Melissa Benn, Writer and Campaigner For more information about the Women and Power conference and the National Trust Partnership at the University of Oxford please visit: www.torch.ox.ac.uk/national-trust-partnership

Hello! Around 7% of the population is educated in private schools but they are disproportionately represented at top universities and in society's most coveted professions. What is the impact of private schools on our overall education system and our society and what, if anything could or should be done about it? David Kynaston, author of new book "Engines of Privilege: Britain’s Private School Problem" and Melissa Benn, author of 'Life Lessons' join us. Plus we hear from renowned educationalist Pasi Sahlberg on how Finland dealt with its private school issues and succeeded in achieving both greater equality and educational excellence. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ayesha Hazarika is joined by Melissa Benn, campaigner and author of Life Lessons: The Case for a National Education Service, and journalist James Bloodworth, to discuss their under-reported stories of the week. James highlighted Amazon's pay-rise for its warehouse workers, while Melissa raised the case of the Italian village of Riace, whose mayor has been defying Italy's hardline Interior Minister, Matteo Salvini. The panel also discuss their hero of the week, Monica Lewinsky, and villains, millennials.

Melissa Benn, Alan Finlayson, Jeremy Gilbert, Francis Foley For Labour to build the coalition of support that it needs, we need to be able to tell people a clear and comprehensive story about how the country got into the state it is in, and how we think we can get out of it. What should that story be?

Geoff Barton, ASCL General Secretary, talks to Melissa Benn about her book ‘Life Lessons: The Case for a National Education Service’.

This week we’re talking education and what the big vision should be at our live show at The Politics Festival. We’re joined by Melissa Benn, author of forthcoming book Life Lessons: The Case For A National Education Service and Holly Rigby, a teacher in inner London, who make the case for a broad, lifelong education.Plus comedian Aisling Bea on what we can learn from Love Island, why we need to go into group therapy with strangers and why we all need a social media ‘minder’. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hilary Wainwright, co-editor of Red Pepper magazine and fellow of the Transnational Institute, has been a significant figure on the left of the Labour Movement since the heyday of the GLC. Her latest book A New Politics from the Left (Polity) reflects on the recent reinvigoration of the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn, and presents a grass-roots up vision of the future that is both profoundly radical and entirely practical. She was in conversation about her book, and the future of the left in Britain, with journalist, activist and author Melissa Benn, and Alex Nunns, author of The Candidate (OR Books). See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

How self-revealing and frank should a writer be? Lara Feigel, David Aaronovitch, Melissa Benn and Xiaolu Guo join Matthew Sweet to look at the life of Doris Lessing and her 1962 novel in which she explores difficult love, life, war, politics and dreams. Inspired by her re-reading of Doris Lessing, Lara Feigel has written a revealing book which is part memoir part biography called "Free Woman: Life, Liberation and Doris Lessing". Melissa Benn's books include Mother and Child, One of Us and School Wars David Aaronovitch is the author of Party Animals: My Family and Other Communists and a former winner of the Orwell Prize for Political Journalism. Xiaolu Guo has written a memoir Once Upon a Time in the East, and novels including UFO in Her Eyes, and Lovers In the Age of Indifference. Producer: Fiona McLean

In an age of increasing individualism, we have never been more alone and miserable. But what if the true nature of happiness can only be found in others? In Radical Happiness, leading feminist thinker Lynne Segal argues that we have lost the art of radical happiness—the art of transformative, collective joy. Lynne Segal was at the shop to discuss Radical Happiness and the political and emotional potential of being together with writer and campaigner Melissa Benn. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sheila Rowbotham was one of the leading figures behind the Women’s Liberation Movement in Britain and is one of the best-loved feminists of our times. In conversation with Melissa Benn, Rowbotham discussed her latest book 'Rebel Crossings: New Women, Free Lovers and Radicals in Britain and the United States' and its transatlantic story of six radical pioneers, showing how rebellious ideas were formed and travelled across the Atlantic. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Feminists, acadeamics and journalists reflect on feminism's achievements and future path. Melissa Benn (author of What Should We Tell Our Daughters?), Trudy Coe (Head of Oxford University's Equality and Diversity Unit), Caroline Criado-Perez (feminist campaigner and journalist) and Imaobong Umoren (DPhil Candidate, University of Oxford) discuss feminism and the state of women's rights.

Melissa Benn, writer and journalist, delivers the inaugural Lady English Lecture at St Hilda's College, Oxford University.

TWITTER - Laurie Taylor talks to the sociologist, Dhiraj Murthy, about his new book 'Twitter: Social Communication in the Twitter Age'. This form of social media is now a household name, discussed for its role in political movements, national elections and natural disasters. But what's the real significance of this 'electronically diminished turn to terseness' as Murphy describes it? Using case studies including citizen journalism and health, his groundbreaking study deciphers the ways in which Twitter is re-making contemporary life.Also, elite university admissions. Harvard Professor of Education, Natasha Kumar Warikoo, discusses her research into the perceptions of meritocracy and inequality among undergraduates at Oxford University - part of a wider study of students at the highest ranking universities in the United States and Britain.Given the frequent critiques of such universities for admitting low numbers of state school graduates and, more recently, British Afro-Caribbean students, how do their students make meaning of the admissions process? Melissa Benn, writer and education campaigner joins the discussion.Producer: Jayne Egerton.

Jonathan Derbyshire, the Managing Editor of Prospect magazine, and Observer columnist Nick Cohen discuss the genealogy of left wing politics in Britain. The thinker and psychoanalyst Slavoj Zizek takes on the ideology machine of Hollywood in his new film, The Pervert's Guide to Ideology. Directors Richard Eyre and Stephen Unwin discuss their two respective productions of Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts, which have both just opened. Melissa Benn asks what messages we are conveying to young women and what advice we should be giving our daughters to empower them for the future.

The introduction of the National Curriculum in 1988 laid out clear directions for schools on how young people should be taught. However the teaching of the next generation remains as controversial as ever the curriculum is widely debated and the very purpose of education often questioned. If, as some have argued, the role of the curriculum is to ensure that established knowledge is passed on or that good citizens are created and the problems of society addressed, then what are the implications for the decision-makers in government? Is education simply there to promote political values? Who else has a say in how schools are run? Professor John White (Institute of Education), Andy Thornton (Citizenship Foundation), Frank Furedi (Professor of Sociology, University of Kent) and Melissa Benn (writer and journalist) in a lively discussion about the school curriculum.

Laurie Taylor explores new research examining the motives of middle class parents who deliberately send their children to failing or under-performing schools.'White, Middle Class Identities in Urban Schools' is discussed by the paper's author Diane Reay, Professor of Education at Cambridge University and journalist Melissa Benn.Laurie also talks to Dr Lee Miller, Department of Sociology, Sam Houston State University in Texas, about her paper 'Hazards of Neo-Liberalism: Delayed Electric Power Restoration after Hurricane Ike'.Producer Chris Wilson Presenter LAURIE TAYLOR.