Maverick Club
The Maverick Club was associated with the libertarian anti-environmental LM network. It was a dinner and debating club founded and ran by LM associates Jan MacVarish [1] and Tony Gilland. Maverick Club was active between around 2000 [2] [3] and 2002. [4] Amongst its speakers was LM associate Kenan Malik. [5]
Contents
Beyond orthodoxy?
According to a report on the Lobbywatch website, one of those who ran the Maverick club was Tony Gilland, at the time the He is Science and Society Director at the Institute of Ideas (IoI) which 'claims to be all about opening up public debate. Its declared mission is to go beyond the "orthodoxies" that "narrow discussion", and the impression created is one of ardent support for free speech.'[6]
One of those invited to the club to give a talk contacted Lobbywatch. 'The people at the dinner', the source said 'were mainly under 35 and reasonably well off - it was a GBP40 dinner.' The invitation had come from the Club's leading light, Tony Gilland.
To the 'astonishment', of the guest, 'when the dinner took place, only the opposing speaker was given the opportunity to put her point of view. As a result, the person who contacted us tried to respond from the floor, arguing against what had been said. "Tony Gilland, who was chairing the event, then aided and abetted the audience into literally howling me down. Their howls when I tried to speak were astounding. A cross between a coven and a very nasty gang of teenagers."'[6]
According to Lobbywatch 'The only comparable experience the speaker had ever had was in a debate on violent pornography at a cult film theatre.' On that occasion "the audience had been dressed entirely in black leather - not one person was dressed in any other colour. They too howled at me and one man raised his arm and pointed it at me like a gun and shouted, 'Freedom is the barrel of a gun!' - and was cheered."[6]
Contact
- The Maverick Club UK Limited
- 36 Tritton Road
- London SE21 8DE
- www.MaverickClub.com
- 020 8761 4592
- 07909 993 007
Notes
- ↑ "Jan MacVarish", Debating Matters website, accessed 4 July 2010
- ↑ "Jan McVarish", Debating Matters website, accessed 6 Nov 2010
- ↑ "Man, Beast and Zombie", MediaMarket website, accessed 31 May 2010
- ↑ "One More Step? The Case for Colonising Mars", JISC website, accessed 15 November 2010
- ↑ "Jan McVarish", Amazon website, accessed 4 November 2010
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Lobbywatch Inside LM, accessed 11 November 2010
Resources
- Lobbywatch Inside LM", Lobbywatch website, accessed 6 Nov 2010
