Event recordings
View recordings of past events under our Disagreeing Well campaign.
Disagreeing Well public series
- Disagreeing Well: is politics corrupting religion?
- What does reckoning with the British imperial past involve in 2026?
- Disagreeing Well on Diplomacy
- Disagreeing Well: Reporting Conflict
- Disagreeing Well across Generations
- Disagreeing Well in Public Life
- Disagreeing Well in an Online World
- Disagreeing Well in Higher Education
Disagreeing Well events for UCL community
- How can we Disagree Well at UCL? Dr Michael Spence ‘in conversation’ with Dr Puja Mehta
- How can we Disagree Well at UCL? Disagreeing Well launch event
Events related to Disagreeing Well campaign
Disagreeing Well public series
Is politics corrupting religion?
(2 July 2026)
This timely public conversation brought together diverse perspectives to explore one of the most contested questions shaping contemporary public life: Is politics corrupting religion?
Structured around themes of defining religion, religion and power, and corruption or co-production, the event aimed to foster rigorous, respectful, and intellectually serious dialogue in the spirit of the Disagreeing Well series.
Chaired by Reverend Professor Keith Magee, the event moved beyond simple binaries and invited audiences into a deeper exploration of the relationship between faith, power, and public life. Rather than treating religion as a fixed or narrowly defined concept, the discussion challenged participants to consider who defines religion, how the sacred is understood across cultures, and whether politics merely corrupts religion or competes to define what is sacred in society.
Find out more about the event, chair and panel.
What does reckoning with the British imperial past involve in 2026?
(13 May 2026)
On 13 May 2026, UCL hosted a panel of experts from academia, education, policy and the arts and media to explore these issues through informed discussion and audience engagement. The event considered how approaches to colonial legacies have developed, what challenges institutions face in addressing contested histories, and what constructive engagement looks like in 2026.
Through dialogue and debate, the panel and audience reflected on how institutions can navigate disagreement thoughtfully, balance differing viewpoints, and contribute to shared understanding in a diverse public sphere.
During the event, we honoured Eric Huntley (1929–2026) and the publishing partnership he shared with Jessica Huntley (1927–2013), founders of Bogle-L’Ouverture Publications and Bookshop. Their work helped establish a radical Black publishing presence in Britain and is sustained by Friends of the Huntley Archives at LMA (FHALMA) through the Huntley collections deposited at The London Archives.
Student content writer, Solomiia Vavryshchuk, shares her reflections of attending the UCL Disagreeing Well event: What does reckoning with the British imperial past involve in 2026? Read Solomiia’s article
Disagreeing Well on Diplomacy
(3 July 2025)
On 3rd July, UCL’s Bloomsbury Theatre hosted leading voices in diplomacy and international relations. Featuring Former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Helen Clark, and chaired by UCL expert Professor Kristin M Bakke, the event examined the role of diplomatic bodies in mediating and resolving crises.
Together with questions from the audience, the speakers explored whether traditional diplomacy can still deliver peace in a fractured world.
Student content writer Harshitha Shankara shares her reflections of attending the UCL Disagreeing Well event: Reporting Conflict. Read Harshitha’s article.
Disagreeing Well: Reporting Conflict
(29 April 2025)
With the breakout of multiple wars and conflicts across the globe, traditional journalistic principles – independence, accuracy, and impartiality – have never been more crucial. But in a “post-truth” era where fake news, echo-chambers and political agendas dominate the media landscape, they are also increasingly under threat.
On 29 April, we welcomed an expert panel from mainstream and alternative backgrounds, including reporters with direct experience reporting in live war zones. Alongside a UCL specialist, the panel investigated media representations of global conflicts, and the challenges to ensuring independence and impartiality in war coverage.
Spanning the Middle East, Ukraine, and beyond, this event interrogated the media’s treatment of some of the most polarising conflicts of our time. Together with questions from the audience, we considered whether the free press is truly free, and how facts can survive in a post-truth world.
Find out more about the speakers
Student content writer Hetvi Rutvikbhai shares her reflections of attending the UCL Disagreeing Well event: Reporting Conflict. Read Hetvi’s article.
Disagreeing Well across Generations
(23 October 2024)
From culture wars to climate change, housing to migration, younger and older people are often cast as opponents. Coming from diverse ages and backgrounds, our panel tackled this assumption, aiming to understand and bridge the generational gap. Together with participation from the audience, the event explored how we can have constructive conversations – not only across society, but within our personal lives.
Speakers at this event were:
- Bobby Duffy (Professor of Public Policy and Director of the Policy Institute, King’s College London)
- David Johnston (Former Chief Executive, Social Mobility Foundation)
- Fraser Nelson (Former Editor, The Spectator) - Chair
- Timi Okuwa (CEO of the Black Equity Organisation (BEO))
- Kwajo Tweneboa (25-year-old activist from south London)
- Rawleka Wilson (Person of Colour Students’ Officer and undergraduate psychology student, UCL)
Disagreeing Well in Public Life
(15 May 2024)
The third panel event in our Disagreeing Well public series explored the role of discourse and disagreement in politics and public life. In a world increasingly polarised with ever more provocative polemic, the highly acclaimed panel from across the political spectrum explored the role of debate and disagreement in politics – whether that be in Parliament, on the campaign trail, or online. The panel discussed how politics needs to become less of a divisive shouting match and more about how competing parties and agendas can debate policy whilst finding common ground and maintaining mutual respect.
Speakers at this event were:
- Ayesha Hazarika (Broadcaster and Times Radio presenter) - Panel Chair
- Luke Tryl (UK Director, More in Common)
- Luciana Berger (Chair of the Maternal Mental Health Alliance)
- Jeff Howard (Associate Professor of Political Philosophy and Public Policy at UCL)
- Su Moore (CEO, Jo Cox Foundation)
- Ryan Shorthouse (Executive Chair, Bright Blue)
Find out more about the speakers
VPEE Student Journalist Defne Kutay shares highlights and reflections on the Disagreeing Well in Public Life panel discussion event. Read Defne’s article.
Disagreeing Well in an Online World
(26 March 2024)
This second event in our Disagreeing Well public series brought together a highly acclaimed panel of speakers, chaired by Ayesha Hazarika, broadcaster and Times Radio presenter. The panel discussed the impact that social media platforms have on our society, and how we can better communicate with people who hold very different views to our own. The event examined the rise of misinformation online and the damage it can cause, as well as the opportunities that communicating online can bring. Find out more about the speakers.
VPEE Student Journalist, Antara Basu, reflects on the second panel of UCL’s Disagreeing Well event series. Read Antara’s article.
Disagreeing Well in Higher Education
(9 November 2023)
This was the first event in the Public Event Series on Disagreeing Well. Attendees heard UCL’s dynamic line up of speakers on why it is important for university students and those starting university life to be able to Disagree Well.
Speakers at this event were UCL President & Provost Michael Spence, Union Affairs Officer at Students’ Union UCL Mary McHarg, Journalist and author Tomiwa Owolade, Vice-Chancellor and President at University of Sussex Professor Sasha Roseneil, and Chief Executive at The British Academy Hetan Shah. Find out more about the speakers.
VPEE Student Journalist, Giovanna Cantarin, shared her reflections of attending this first UCL Disagreeing Well public event. Read Giovanna’s article.
Disagreeing Well events for UCL community
How can we Disagree Well at UCL?
Dr Michael Spence ‘in conversation’ with Dr Puja Mehta
(21 February 2024)
Hosted by the UCL Division of Medicine on 21 February 2024, the UCL President & Provost, Dr Michael Spence discussed UCL’s campaign and the importance of disagreeing well.
Dr. Michael Spence was interviewed by Dr. Puja Mehta, Rheumatologist and Clinical Research Training fellow at UCL Respiratory and Clinical Chair of the ECR network. The subject was UCL’s “Disagreeing Well” campaign in a hybrid event that was live-streamed across UCL.
During the conversation, the Provost spoke on the need to learn how to approach discussions with humility and a willingness to listen carefully. He also discussed the opportunities and challenges of disagreement, relevant to all faculties and career stages.
How can we Disagree Well at UCL?
Disagreeing Well launch event
(28 June 2023)
This interactive panel launch event for UCL community aimed to bring the art of disagreeing well to life here at UCL, and beyond.
UCL President & Provost Michael Spence was joined by international mediator Mia Forbes Pirie, and a panel of speakers (Professor of Law at UCL Prince Saprai, our Student’s Union Equity and Inclusion Officer Seyi Osi and Professor of Political Theory at the University of Oxford Teresa Bejan) to discuss how they navigate disagreement and what this looks like in a university setting.
UCL student journalist Sophia Crack reported on this event. The article delves deep into the thought-provoking discussions among panellists and gains valuable insights into the art of respectful disagreement. Read Sophia’s article
Event related to the Disagreeing Well campaign
Academic Freedom: What it is, what it isn’t, and why it’s under threat - with Professor Michael Ignatieff
(30 October 2025)
At a time when academic freedom is under unprecedented political pressure from without and confusion and uncertainty about what it means within, it’s important to distinguish academic freedom from freedom of speech, to differentiate between teaching and indoctrination in the classroom and to be clear about what external political authority has the right to demand of a university and what autonomy in teaching, learning and research external authorities must respect. Find out more about the lecture and watch the recording below.
Policy & Practice: But What Can I Do? In Conversation with Alastair Campbell
(5 October 2023)
This event, which took place on 5 October 2023, explored the hopes and concerns of young people from across UCL and London about engaging in politics, and considered how our political system can become more open to their participation.
Political Strategist, New European editor-at-large, mental health campaigner and co-host of the country’s Number 1 podcast, The Rest is Politics, Alastair Campbell’s new book “But What Can I Do?” went straight to the top of the Sunday Times best-seller lists. In it, Campbell argues that the next generation has to rescue politics from the populist, post-truth morass into which it has fallen in the era of Trump, Johnson, Brexit and Putin.
Facilitated by the brilliant Julia Macfarlane of ABC News and joined on stage by students from UCL Political Science, Alastair addressed the challenge laid out in the sub-title of his book: Why Politics Has Gone So Wrong, and How YOU Can Help Fix It.
