Tony Gilland

This article is part of the Nuclear Spin project of Spinwatch.

Tony Gilland

Tony Gilland was the science and society director of the Institute of Ideas which was founded after the collapse of the magazine LM, formerly Living Marxism - the monthly review of the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP) and director of its offshoot, Debating Matters. Gilland was also a Living Marxism and Spiked contributor and is thus associated with the LM network.

Current and recent Roles

According to his Battle of Ideas 'speaker profile' Gilland is now studying for a PGCE in Mathematics. The current description of Gilland states: 'Tony stood down as the director of the Institute of Ideas Debating Matters competition earlier this year to pursue a career in education. He is currently training to teach secondary school Maths in Kent'. However, this wording is used on all of his Battle of Ideas 'speaker profiles' back to 2007, so it is unclear when this referred to exactly. Given that he did not leave debating matters until March 2014, according to his Linkedin profile, it is likely he began the PGCE in either 2013 or 2014. Prior to this, from its foundation in September 2000 until March 2014, Gilland was the Science and Society Director for the Institute of Ideas (which is part funded by GM company Novartis ), where he organised public conferences on issues relating to science, environment and health; and commentated on these issues on national radio and TV. During this time he also chaired and spoke on 29 Battle of Ideas panels between 2005-2014, only failing to appear on the 2013 programme. Many of these panels were heavily weighted with other members of the LM Network. According to his Linkedin profile he has received recommendations for his time working here from Anne Ferguson (a Director at PwC), Simon O'Connor (Principal / CEO at GEMS Education), David Aldrich (Head of Relationship Management, E-EMEA at Moody's Investors Service), Sarah Dauncey (a digital learning consultant) and Jack Watters (VP at Pfizer). During this time he also helped establish the competition Debating Matters from 2002-2004, and was its director from 2009 until March 2014. In addition he established Debating Matters India in collaboration with the British Council in July 2008. He continues to sit on a six member organising team for this competition alongside Mayur Porwal, Arnab Banerjee, Debanjan Chakrabati, Claire Fox, and Justine Brian. Gilland also contributed 15 articles to Spiked between March 2001 and May 2008.

Previous Roles

Between September 1997 and August 2000, Gilland was the Director of a (now seemingly defunct) company called Open Dialogue Ltd. His Linkedin profile states that during this time he:

Investigated and wrote research reports and articles about the controversy surrounding agricultural biotechnology. Engaged with scientific and commercial sectors on strategies to better engage with the debate about GM crops; leading to my participation in the US State Department's International Visitor Leadership Program

Prior to this he was a 'Senior Business Analyst' for Kinetica Natural Gas, for whom he was a representative in discussions with the Department for Trade and Industry in the build up to the UK Gas Act of 1995. He also represented the company in industry forums, including with the industry regulator Ofgas. From September 1991 until February 1995 he was a 'Senior Researcher' for the (now defunct) Centre for the study of Regulated Industries (CRI), which was formally established by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA). During this time Gilland carried out a number of sectoral regulatory reviews alongside Peter Vass. This included a review of the regulation of the Telecommunications industry in the UK, a Customer Consultation and Periodic Review in the Water Industry, and a review of regulatory policy in the energy sector.

Education

Gilland graduated from the University of Oxford in 1990 after stdying for a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, beginning in 1987. Prior to this he studied for his A Levels at Harrow Weald Sixth Form College, taking Further Pure Maths, Economics, and Sociology between 1985 and 1987.

Links with the Network

Genes & Society Festival April (2003)

In April 2003, Gilland organised the Genes & Society Festival for the Institute of Ideas with sponsorship from Pfizer and assistance from CropLife International. Of the main contributors that Gilland brought in for the two day event, as many as 15-20 are known to be part of the network behind LM/IoI. Predictably, though, there was nothing to alert either their fellow contributors or the audience to this affiliation. This typifies the often underhand approach of the LM network. In addition, the claimed expertise of some of the network members was seriously open to question. Genes & Society Festival contributor Thomas Deichmann provides a good example of this.

Sense About Science Working Party on peer review (2004)

Gilland was a member of the Working Party on peer review set up by Sense about Science, whose director Tracey Brown is also part of the LM-network, as was another member of the Working Party Fiona Fox of the Science Media Centre (SMC). Gilland is a regular attender at SMC events. Despite the Wellcome Trust being well known for its generous support of work on the public understanding of science, and being a regular donor to Sense About Science, the composition of this working group was deemed so narrow that they declined an offer to be a part of the working party. The Wellcome Trust said in a letter that this 'extremely narrow' group ran 'the risk of being seen as a closed and defensive strategy' and argued the project was based on many assumptions based on little direct evidence. The final report covered many topics frequently cited by the LM network, which would not instantly spring to mind as relating to peer review including multiple general references to GM along with MMR, mobile phone radiation and other "scares", as examples of concerns not based on rigorous peer reviewed research.

Debating Matters: Nuclear Power (2011)

In August 2011, Gilland published a topic guide to Nuclear Power entitled 'After Fukushima, we should abandon nuclear power'. The document provides and air of balance. However, despite this title and some balanced portrayal of the debates over nuclear technology the contents largely paint a different picture of the author's perspective on nuclear power to the title. For example, with the inclusion of theories of conspiracies to exaggerate the damage of Fukushima, the downplaying of previous nuclear accidents and description of nuclear as a low-risk technology:

In response to the calls for an end to nuclear power, some commentators argue that the reaction to the Fukushima disaster has been seriously overblown [Ref: New York Times], with coverups rampant, doom-ridden predictions rife and figures distorted to fuel anti-nuclear sentiments [Ref: The Times]. Comparatively speaking, nuclear still remains one of the safest forms of energy, with Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima the only three major accidents to have occurred in over 14,500 cumulative reactor-years of commercial operation in 32 countries [Ref: World Nuclear Association]. Why abandon nuclear when it creates abundant, low-carbon energy with minimal risks simply because of the fear attached to this form of energy?

In addition, when considering the future of nuclear the safety of nuclear energy was again stressed as the topic guide asked:

If the reaction to Fukushima shows that we are still fearful of nuclear technology, should we accept public fear or

make the case for nuclear as a relatively safe, abundant and clean fuel that can meet the worlds needs? Or should we accept that the risk of a serious nuclear disaster, like Chernobyl or worse, is too great for us to contemplate as a society?

The document lists Greenpeace International, No2Nuclear Power, UKERC and World Nuclear Association as having had some involvement with the creation of the topic guide. Suggested reading included pieces by Damian Carrington, Charles Clover, Richard Black, Jonathon Porritt, Ulrich Beck, Roland Nelles, Dr. Éric Notebaert, Paul Josephson, Mark Lynas, Péter Zentai, Bjorn Lomborg, David Aaranovitch, two pieces by nuclear convert George Monbiot, Jeremy Warner, Frank Furedi, and Roger Highfield.

Views

Media Presence (1997-2013)

Tony Gilland has a limited media presence, appearing 38 times in a Nexis search for "Tony Gilland". This presence largely relates to promotion of the Debating Matters competition and surveys carried out by the Institute of Ideas. One such survey reported in the Times found that: forty-one per cent of scientists felt regulation and ethical oversight had gone too far, 40 per cent said that the level was about right, and 10 percent felt more checks were needed. Despite this markedly mixed response, the article reported that Tony Gilland 'said that while the respondents were self-selected, their views reflected a clear mood that science was overregulated' and argued 'if we really want value for money from publicly funded scientists then we have to be willing to allow them to pursue their curiosity and see what comes of it'. He

Writing for Living Marxism/LM (1998-2000)

In 1998 Gilland, together with the 'father' of the RCP, Frank Furedi, sent a letter headed Research Proposal: The impact of safety panics on the debate about the use of GMOs in food production to the major supermarkets, the Food and Drink Federation and the National Farmers' Union. For £7,500, it offered to educate their customers 'about complex scientific issues'.

LM network resources Core elements: Institute of Ideas | Spiked | List of all pages on the network Key People: Frank Furedi, Michael Fitzpatrick, Claire Fox, Helene Guldberg, James Heartfield, Mick Hume, Phil Mullan, Brendan O'Neill, Keith Teare, James Woudhuysen, Publications: Living Marxism | LM Contents | LM Commentaries | Frank Furedi: List of Publications | Confrontation | The next step Precursors: Revolutionary Communist Tendency | Revolutionary Communist Party Companies: Junius Publications | Informinc (LM) Limited | Cyberia | Easynet | CScape | Academy of Ideas Background: Bibliography | Chronology | Images and logos | Scribd document archive

The LM perspective on such issues is made clear in Gilland's article "Food frights" (LM, Feb 99) in which he argues that the 'panic' about GM food is not based on science or fact, but on fear. 'Until more people are prepared to challenge the way in which the flow of "information" to consumers and the public is controlled by a minority of people within campaign groups and sections of the media, the ability of consumers - and society - to enjoy the benefits of GM technology will be undermined'.

Like other members of the LM network, Gilland follows Furedi in believing that the public rejection of GM foods is 'irrational' and stems from a 'culture of fear' and of risk-aversion which is undermining a belief in science as a driver of human 'progress'. The need is to confront such irrational fears and the mistrust of science and technology that they lead to. 'The GM debate,' writes Gilland, 'is the terrain upon which society's relationship to science and human endeavour is currently being worked out.'

Like other followers of Furedi, Gilland invokes 'science' and 'technology', particularly biotechnology, as panaceas that can be deployed without care or reservation. A good example of this attitude of unquestioning acceptance is provided by an article contributed to a Spiked Online debate on GM, entitled Let the Sowing Begin. Here Gilland argues that the UK's GM farm-scale trials were 'an unnecessary obstacle to the introduction of this beneficial technology'. He also twice refers to GM crops simply as a 'benign technology'. No argument or evidence is advanced in support of this position. For Gilland, like Furedi's other followers, it is simply something that can be assumed. Anything that does not fit with that assumption is rejected.

Writing for Spiked (2001-2008)

Gilland contributed 15 articles to Spiked between March 2001 and May 2008. He continued to write on the benefits of GM and critices work raising concerns against the technology. In a February 2002 piece for Spiked, entitled "GM food: putting fear before facts," Gilland wrote that, 'The Royal Society's review of Pusztai's research, published in June 1999, concluded that his research was "flawed in many aspects of design, execution and analysis" and "no conclusions should be drawn from it". This was pretty much the end of the Pusztai story.' In fact, it is less than half the story. Gilland makes no mention of the fact that a year after those claims by the Royal Society, Pusztai's research was published in the Lancet after successfully being peer reviewed. Nor does he mention that the Royal Society has been the subject of much critical comment for the tactics deployed by its leading Fellows in their efforts to discredit Pusztai and to suppress his research.In these he expanded his repertoire from Living Marxism, which had exclusively focused on the merits of GM, to include an attack on environmentalists as enemies of scientific progress and apologists for underdevelopment. Typically for Spiked writers, this included a glowing report on Bjørn Lomborg's work 'The Skeptical Environmentalist: Measuring the Real State of the World' in which he argues environmentalism has inflicted a negative view on humanity:

Facts are crucial, but Lomborg’s analysis of the facts have led him to something just as important - the understanding that a human-centred world is something to be celebrated. Building on these points is the only way we will ever get to explore the full potential of being human. In this sense, the issue is not simply one of resource optimisation and prioritisation...but one of recognising that human beings are our most important resource, as an asset not a burden.

While it is important to win the argument that in general things have got better and better, this alone would be too complacent. You only have to look at the underdeveloped character of so many parts of the world (of which Sub-Saharan Africa is the most glaring example), which the phrase ‘sustainable development’ has become an apology for, to see how human lives, creativity and potential are being squandered

He also Implies that the IPCC's research is unscientific and stifling debate through consensus:

It may turn out to be the case that most of the observed global warming over the last 50 years has been man-made. This may, in turn, imply the need for some action on the part of society. However, there is much to be debated – both in terms of the complexities of what is and is not known scientifically about climate change, and in terms of political discussion about how we wish to respond to this knowledge. Yet increasingly, the IPCC is not a positive mechanism for throwing light on the situation and allowing perspectives to be worked through. Instead, those who wish to conduct such debates – unless on the extremely narrow terms laid down by the IPCC – are being portrayed as beyond the pale. Democratic debate is being stifled rather than encouraged for fear that people will come to the wrong opinions and make the wrong choices

Career Chronology

• September 1991 - February 1995 - Centre for Regulated Industries (CIPFA) – Senior Researcher
• March 1995 - August 1997 - Kinetica Natural Gas - Senior Business Analyst
• September 1997 - August 2000 - Open Dialogue Ltd. - Director
• February 1998 - April 2000 - Living Marxism/LM - Contributor/Writer
• September 2000 – March 2014 - Institute of Ideas - Science and Society Director
• 8 March 2001 - 30 May 2008 - Spiked - Contributor/Writer
• December 2002 - Debating Matters - Founding Member
• 2004 - Sense About Science Working Party on Peer Review - Member
• July 2008 – Present - Institute of Ideas, Debating Matters India - Organisational Board Member
• 2009 – March 2014 - Institute of Ideas - Director, Debating Matters
• 2014 - Present (Approx) - University of Kent - PGCE Training in Mathematics

Affiliations

• Culture Wars
• Worldbytes
• Worldbytes

Educational Background

• 1985 – 1987 - Harrow Weald Sixth Form College - Further Pure Maths, Economics, Sociology
• 1987 - 1990 - University of Oxford - BA, Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Other Links with the network

Battle of Ideas Panel Appearances

2005

• Saturday 29th October 2005 - Tony Gilland appeared with: Dr Eliot Forster (vice-president of development, Pfizer, links to Big Potatoes), Mick Hume (he was editor of the weekly paper The Next Step from January 1987. In 1988, he became the founding editor of Living Marxism, for which he wrote both under his own name and under the pseudonym Eddie Veale. Following the dissolution of the RCP, the magazine was relaunched under his editorship as LM. Following the magazine's bankruptcy in a libel trial, he become the founding editor of its successor Spiked in 2001), Dr Norman Lewis (Director of Technology Research, Wanadoo (formerly Freeserve), has written for Living Marxism and Spiked, worked for cScape, is a co-author of the Big Potatoes founding manifesto, and has spoken at the East Midlands Salon, runs/ran Futures-diagnosis which began in collaboration with Professor Frank Furedi), and Andrew Nahum (Visiting Professor, Vehicle Design, RCA and Senior Curator of Aeronautics, Science Museum), discussing 'Innovation in an era of caution at the Battle of Ideas.
• Sunday 30th October 2005 - Tony Gilland appeared with: Dr Richard Ashcroft (Head of Medical Ethics, Imperial College London), Simon Crompton (freelance health writer and medical editor of Body&Soul, the Saturday health section of The Times), Dr Stuart Derbyshire (reader in psychology, University of Birmingham; associate editor, Psychosomatic Medicine and Pain, has written for Living Marxism, and Spiked, adjudicated for Debating Matters, spoken at the Manchester Salon and is a spokesperson for Academics For Academic Freedom), and Tim Lewens (lecturer in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge), discussing 'Ethics on trial at the Battle of Ideas.

2006

• Saturday 28th October 2006 - Tony Gilland appeared with: Dr Stuart Derbyshire (reader in psychology, University of Birmingham; associate editor, Psychosomatic Medicine and Pain, has written for Living Marxism, and Spiked, adjudicated for Debating Matters, spoken at the Manchester Salon and is a spokesperson for Academics For Academic Freedom), Jon Entine (adjunct fellow, American Enterprise Institute, links with NGO Watch), Pierre Magistretti (vice-chairman, European Dana Alliance for the Brain; professor of neuroscience and co-director, Brain Mind Institute (BMI) Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale Lausanne (EPFL)), and Raymond Tallis (professor of geriatric medicine, University of Manchester, has written with Frank Furedi), discussing 'Human enhancement: creating superhumans or dicing with our destinies?' at the Battle of Ideas (Sponsored by EDAB and produced by Clare Fox and Caliah Jackson).
• Saturday 28th October 2006 - Tony Gilland appeared with: Dr Eliot Forster (vice-president of development, Pfizer, links to Big Potatoes), Dr Brian Iddon (MP, Bolton, South East; member, House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee), David Perks (principal, East London Science School; author, What is science education for? Writes for Spiked and Culture Wars), and Michael Reiss (professor of science education, Institute of Education; director of education, Royal Society), discussing 'Tomorrow's innovators – will today's science education create the Brunels and Einsteins of tomorrow?' at the Battle of Ideas (In association with Pfizer).
• Sunday 29th October 2006 - Tony Gilland appeared with: Thomas Deichmann (editor, NovoArgumente and has contributed to the London International Research Exchange, Institute of Ideas events and Spiked), Jon Entine (adjunct fellow, American Enterprise Institute, links with NGO Watch), Matthew Syed (journalist, The Times; commentator, BBC and Eurosport), and Myles Allen (principal investigator, climateprediction.net; review editor, 4th Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report), discussing 'What do we want from science?', at the Battle of Ideas (in association with Novo).
• Sunday 29th October 2006 - Tony Gilland appeared with: Dr Myles Allen (head of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics Department, University of Oxford; Natural Environment Research Council research fellow), Richard Rees (architect; urban design director, Building Design Partnership), Lucy Siegle (columnist, Observer),and Austin Williams (has written for Living Marxism, director of the Future Cities Project, has led the ManTownHuman, Bookshop Barnies and the defunct Transport Research Group, participated in Audacity and in Institute of Ideas events, spoken at the Manchester Salon, adjudicated for Debating Matters, appeared on WORLDbytes and written for Spiked and Culture Wars), discussing 'Carbon, carbon everywhere?', at the Battle of Ideas.

2007

• Friday 26th October 2007 - Tony Gilland appeared with: Professor Ruth Chadwick (distinguished research professor, Cardiff University; director, Centre for Economic and Social Aspects of Genomics (CESAGen), Dr Christine Hauskeller (senior lecturer, ESRC Centre for Genomics in Society (Egenis), University of Exeter), Mark Henderson (head of communications, Wellcome Trust; author, The Geek Manifesto: why science matters), Dr Anna Krassowska (research manager, UK Stem Cell Foundation) and Thomas Deichmann (editor, NovoArgumente and has contributed to the London International Research Exchange, Institute of Ideas events and Spiked), discussing 'The battle over ethics and regulation', at the Battle of Ideas.
• Sunday 28th October 2007 - Tony Gilland appeared with: Joe Kaplinsky (He has written for Living Marxism, Culture Wars and Spiked, contributed to the Institute of Ideas and WORLDbytes, spoken at the Battle of Ideas, Manifesto Club and Manchester Salon and is a shareholder of Spiked Ltd), Professor Chris Rapley CBE (director, Science Museum; outgoing director, British Antarctic Survey), Hans Von Storch (director, Institute for Coastal Research, GKSS Research Centre; professor at Meteorological Institute, University of Hamburg), discussing 'The science and politics of climate change', at the Battle of Ideas.
• Sunday 28th October 2007 - Tony Gilland appeared with: Jeffrey Rosen (professor of law, George Washington University), Raymond Tallis (fellow, Academy of Medical Sciences; author, philosopher, critic and poet; recent books include NHS SOS and Aping Mankind; chair, Healthcare Professionals for Assisted Dying), Professor Pierre Magistretti (professor of neuroscience, University of Lausanne; vice-chairman, European Dana Alliance for the Brain; co-author, The Biology of Freedom), Professor Steve Yearley (director, ESRC Genomics Policy and Research Forum), and David Perks (principal, East London Science School; author, 'What is science education for?'; he writes for Spiked and Culture Wars), discussing 'My brain made me do it' at the Battle of Ideas.
• Sunday 28th October 2007 - Tony Gilland appeared with: Dr Ruth McKernan (vice president, external research - Europe, Pfizer Global R&D, sits on the council of the Medical Research Council), Dr Evan Harris (campaigner for secularism in the public sphere; former science spokesman, Liberal Democrats, trustee for the Industry and Parliament Trust, patron of the Westminster Diet and Health Forum, Professor Monica Grady (professor of planetary and space sciences, Open University), and Bill Durodié (member of the advisory board of the Scientific Alliance, writer for Living Marxism, Audacity, and Spiked and a founder member of the Manifesto Club), discussing 'What are the barriers to science in the 21st century?', at the Battle of Ideas.

2008

• Saturday 12th July 2008 - Tony Gilland appeared with: James Pollard Woudhuysen (professor of forecasting and innovation, De Montfort University; co-author, with Joe Kaplinsky, of Energise! A future for energy innovation, as James Wood he wrote for the 'theoretical journal' of the Revolutionary Communist Group in 1975, as well as writing for Living Marxism, he has written or spoken for the pro-growth Big Potatoes for which he co-authored their manifesto, the East Midlands Salon, the Brighton Salon, the New York Salon, the Leeds Salon, Culture Wars, the Battle of Ideas, the Institute of Ideas, Novo Argumente, WORLDwrite, for whom he is also a tour guide trainer, and Spiked, of which he is also a shareholder), Daniel Ben-Ami (finance and economics writer; author Ferraris for All: in defence of economic progress and Cowardly Capitalism, has written (under the pseudonym Daniel Nassim) for The next step, (as far back as November 1984), Living Marxism, the Transport Research Group, Spiked, Culture Wars and WORLDwrite), Michael Massey (associate fellow, Energy, Environment and Development Programme, Chatham House; sustainability advisor), Dr Yiyi Lu (research fellow, China Policy Institute, University of Nottingham), discussing 'Choking on growth – from Yellow Peril to Green Menace!', at the Battle of Ideas.
• Tuesday 28th October 2008 - Tony Gilland appeared with: Dr Tiffany Jenkins (sociologist and cultural commentator, she has written for Living Marxism, is director of the arts and society programme at the Institute of Ideas and has written for Spiked), Julia Neuberger (peer (Lib Dem) in the House of Lords), Professor David Oliver (national clinical director for older people, Department of Health; consultant physician, Royal Berkshire Hospital; visiting professor, medicine for older people, City University, London), Dr Liz Lloyd (senior lecturer, Social Gerontology, School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol), and Dr Marcus Richards (programme leader, Medical Research Council’s Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing; reader in cognitive epidemiology, University College London), discussing 'Contemporary attitudes to ageing and dying', at the Battle of Ideas.
• Saturday 1st November 2008 - Tony Gilland appeared with: Professor Sir Christopher Frayling (rector, Royal College of Art; Professor of Cultural History, RCA; chairman, Arts Council England member of the ministerial group the Britain Abroad Task Force), Professor Sir Astrid Wissenburg (director, communications and information, ESRC Economic and Social Research Council), Sujata Sen (director East India British Council, programme leader, projects related to Intercultural Dialogue and Literature), and John Dovey (acting president UK Corporates BT Global Services), at the 'Battle of Ideas 2008 Welcome Address', Battle of Ideas.
• Sunday 2nd November 2008 - Tony Gilland appeared with: Professor Sir Mark Walport (director, Wellcome Trust; Government Chief Scientific Adviser (from April 2013), Professor Sir Ross Anderson (professor of security engineering, University of Cambridge; chair, Foundation for Information Policy Research), Tim Kelsey (Tim Kelsey, chair, Executive Board, Dr Foster Intelligence, the UK's leading health and social care informatics organisation; chief executive, Dr Foster Research), Jeffrey Rosen (professor of law, George Washington University, was appointed a director of WPP in January 2005. He is also deputy chairman and managing director of Lazard LLC and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and of the International Advisory Board of BABi, the successor of the British American Chamber of Commerce), and Dr Stuart Derbyshire (reader in psychology, University of Birmingham; associate editor, Psychosomatic Medicine and Pain, has written for Living Marxism, and Spiked, adjudicated for Debating Matters, spoken at the Manchester Salon and is a spokesperson for Academics For Academic Freedom), discussing 'Whose data is it anyway? Medical databases, privacy and trust', at the Battle of Ideas.
• Sunday 2nd November 2008 - Tony Gilland appeared with: Michael Fitzpatrick (GP and writer for Spiked and Living Marxism, leading member of the Revolutionary Communist Party, wrote for Confrontation, The next step and the Revolutionary Communist Pamphlets), Dr Clare Gerada (GP; past chair, Royal College of General Practitioners), Dr Peter Marsh (co-director, The Social Issues Research Centre), Dr Gray Smith-Lang (consultant gastroenterologist, Medway Maritime Hospital), discussing 'Boozy Britain', at the Battle of Ideas.
• Sunday 2nd November 2008 - Tony Gilland appeared with: Tracey Brown (director of the pro-GM lobby group Sense about Science, has been published by Living Marxism, Spiked and the Institute of Ideas), Shaun Matisonn (chief executive officer, PruProtection, Holding company of PruHealth and PruProtect), Raymond Tallis (fellow, Academy of Medical Sciences; author, philosopher, critic and poet; recent books include NHS SOS and Aping Mankind; chair, Healthcare Professionals for Assisted Dying), Dr Martyn Lobley (NHS GP and medical journalist; columnist and feature writer for The Times ‘Body & Soul’ section and for Pulse, the GP’s newspaper), Professor Sir Simon Wessley (head, department of psychological medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London; president, Royal College of Psychiatrists, ACSH Scientific advisor), discussing 'Hypochondriac Nation', at the Battle of Ideas.

2009

• Saturday 31st October 2009 - Tony Gilland appeared with: Sandy Starr (communications officer, Progress Educational Trust; webmaster, BioNews, has written for Living Marxism and Culture Wars, written and worked for Spiked, is a member of the Manifesto Club, and adjudged for Debating Matters), Mark Henderson (head of communications, Wellcome Trust; author, The Geek Manifesto: why science matters), Ken MacLeod (award-winning science fiction writer), Dr Alan Thornhill (scientific director, The London Bridge Fertility, Gynaecology and Genetics Centre, member of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority), and Fiona Fox (director of the Science Media Centre (SMC), Fiona Fox wrote, using her party name, Fiona Foster, for Living Marxism, appeared in Spiked and Novo Argumente, is an adviser to the Progress Educational Trust), discussing 'Frankenstein's Daughters: from science fiction to science fact?', at the Battle of Ideas.
• Saturday 31st October 2009 - Tony Gilland appeared with: Professor Peter Braude (head of department, Women's Health, King's College London; director, Centre for Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis, Guy's and St Thomas Hospital), Ann Furedi (chief executive, British Pregnancy Advisory Service, wrote for Confrontation and regularly for Living Marxism and Spiked, was Director of Policy and Communications for the UK regulator of infertility treatment and embryo research, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority), and Professor Sally Sheldon (professor of law, Kent Law School, University of Kent, has written for Spiked, and chaired an event for the Progress Educational Trust), discussing 'Whose Right to Choose? Choice, ethics and regulation in 21st-century reproduction', Battle of Ideas.
• Saturday 31st October 2009 - Tony Gilland appeared with: Dr Austen Ivereigh (Catholic commentator; joint co-ordinator, Catholic Voices), Dr Ellie Lee (reader in social policy, University of Kent, Canterbury; director, Centre for Parenting Culture Studies, she has written for Living Marxism, is a director and shareholder of the Academy of Ideas, whose principal operation is the Institute of Ideas, is an editor for Debating Matters and is a shareholder of, and writes regularly for, Spiked), Adrian Stott (principal, Enable Solutions; Trustee, Optimum Population Trust), and Professor Sir Mark Walport (director, Wellcome Trust; Government Chief Scientific Adviser (from April 2013)), discussing 'Three's a crowd? The battle over population and reproduction', at the Battle of Ideas.

2010

• Saturday 20th March 2010 - Tony Gilland appeared with: Dr Evan Harris (Science spokesperson, Liberal Democrats; Member of House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee, patron of Westminster Diet and Health Forum and links to the Nuclear Industry Association), Jeremy Webb (Editor-in-chief, New Scientist), and Dr Robin Walsh (Editorial Assistant, Medical Publishing Company; Co-founder, Current Affairs Forum, he is a contributor to Culture Wars, has written for Spiked, was a member of the Modern Movement, presented to the Future Cities Project, and is an organiser for the Sheffield Salon), discussing 'Evidence-based policy: Are politicians evading responsibility by hiding behind science?', at the Battle of Ideas.
• Monday 18th October 2010 - Tony Gilland appeared with: Timandra Harkness (journalist, writer & broadcaster; presenter, she has written for Living Marxism, writes for Spiked, produces and hosts Battle of Ideas events, has chaired part of an Audacity event and was director of Engaging Cogs), Nigel Hawkes (director, Straight Statistics; columnist, British Medical Journal; former health editor, The Times), Dr Amanda Killoran (public health analyst, National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence), Dr Jon Rohrer (member, Royal Society of Medicine Council; neuroscience researcher; neurology trainee), and Chris Tyler (executive director and member of executive committee, Centre for Science and Policy, University of Cambridge and on the board of directors for the Campaign for Science and Engineering), discussing 'Public Health: should evidence always dictate policy?', at the Battle of Ideas.
• Saturday 30th October - Tony Gilland appeared with: Professor Sir Michael Rawlins (chairman, National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence), Professor Raymond Tallis (fellow, Academy of Medical Sciences; author, philosopher, critic and poet, chair, Healthcare Professionals for Assisted Dying), John Harris (Lord Alliance Professor of Bioethics, University of Manchester; joint editor-in-chief The Journal of Medical Ethics; member, Human Genetics Commission), and Jonathan Waxman (professor of oncology, Imperial; consultant, Hammersmith and West Middlesex Hospitals), discussing 'Rationing and medicine: what price life?', at the Battle of Ideas.
• Sunday 31st October 2010 - Tony Gilland appeared with: Oliver Morton (energy and environment editor, The Economist), Fred Pearce (freelance journalist; environment consultant, New Scientist), and Craig Fairnington (online resources manager, Institute of Ideas), discussing 'Can we trust the evidence? The IPCC – a case study', at the Battle of Ideas.

2011

• Monday 24th October 2011 - Tony Gilland appeared with: Dame Sue Ion (fellow, Royal Academy of Engineering; visiting professor, Imperial College London, formerly, she began working at British Nuclear Fuels Limited in 1979 and was BNFL's Executive Director of Technology from 1992 until 2006), Rob Lyons (columnist, Spiked; website registree for Spiked and Sense About Science, writer on science and risk; author, Panic on a Plate: how society developed an eating disorder; co-convenor, IoI Economy Forum), and Dr John Roberts (nuclear fellow, Dalton Nuclear Institute, University of Manchester), discussing 'Fukushima fallout', at the Battle of Ideas.
• Saturday 29th October 2011 - Tony Gilland appeared with: Professor Conrad Lichtenstein (chief scientific officer, Population Genetics Technologies, he was also a member of CropGen), Mark Maslin (professor of palaeoclimatology, University College London; Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Scholar; author, Global Warming: a very short introduction), David Perks (principal, East London Science School; author, What is science education for?; he writes for Spiked and Culture Wars), and Professor Brian Wynne (research director, Centre for the Study of Environmental Change, University of Lancaster; associate director, ESRC Centre for Economic and Social Aspects of Genomics), discussing 'Censoring science: have scientists become the new inquisitors?', at the Battle of Ideas.
• Sunday 30th October 2011 - Tony Gilland appeared with: Professor Gordon MacKerron (director of Science and Technology Policy Research, School of Business, Management and Economics, University of Sussex), Tanya Morrison (government relations manager, climate changes, Shell), and James Pollard Woudhuysen (professor of forecasting and innovation, De Montfort University; co-author, with Joe Kaplinsky, of Energise! A future for energy innovation, as James Wood he wrote for the 'theoretical journal' of the Revolutionary Communist Group in 1975, as well as writing for Living Marxism, he has written or spoken for the pro-growth Big Potatoes for which he co-authored their manifesto, the East Midlands Salon, the Brighton Salon, the New York Salon, the Leeds Salon, Culture Wars, the Battle of Ideas, the Institute of Ideas, Novo Argumente, WORLDwrite, for whom he is also a tour guide trainer, and Spiked of which he is also a shareholder), discussing 'Fracking and Fukushima: our energy security fears', at the Battle of Ideas.
• Thursday 17th November 2011 - Tony Gilland appeared with: Dr Kiran Bedi (chairperson, India Vision Foundation; first female police officer, Indian Police Force), Dolan Cummings (associate fellow, Institute of Ideas; editor, Debating Humanism; was a co-founder of the Manifesto Club, editorial director of the Institute of Ideas, is the editor of Culture Wars, writes for Spiked), Jug Suraiya (former editorial opinion editor and associate editor, Times of India; author and popular columnist, 'Jugular Vein'), Claire Fox (director, Institute of Ideas), discussing 'The battle for democracy', at the Battle of Ideas.

2012

• Saturday 20th October 2012 - Tony Gilland appeared with: Stephen Bull (vice president, Statoil (US onshore operations), which is a Norwegian energy firm with investment in fracking in the US), Fiona Harvey (environment correspondent, The Guardian), and Professor Hywel Thomas (pro vice-chancellor, International and Engagement, Cardiff University; fellow, Royal Academy of Engineering), discussing 'Gas Galore? Fracking and the future of energy', at the Battle of Ideas.

2014

• Saturday 18th October 2014 - Tony Gilland appeared with: Gemma Adams (principal sustainability advisor, Forum for the Future), Paul Ekins (professor of resources and environmental policy, director, UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources, University College London; deputy director, UK Energy Research Centre, Associate Director of Forum for the Future), Rob Lyons (columnist, Spiked; website registree for Spiked and Sense About Science, writer on science and risk; author, Panic on a Plate: how society developed an eating disorder; co-convenor, IoI Economy Forum), Dr Keith MacLean (independent energy advisor; industry chair, Energy Research Partnership), and Dr Alan Walker (Head of policy, Royal Academy of Engineering), discussing 'Energy Futures: how can we keep the lights on?', at the Battle of Ideas.

Other Panel Appearances

2002

• 11 October 2002 - Tony Gilland chaired a panel with: Steve Jones (geneticist and author of The Language of Genes (1995)), Susan Blackmore (author of The Meme Machine (2000)), Kenan Malik (wrote 'Man, Beast and Zombie' (2002) and 'What Is it To Be Human?' (2001)), and Maggie Gee (Novelist), discussing 'What is it to be human?'. The debate was presented by the Institute of Ideas at the Cheltenham Festival of Literature

2003

• February 2003 - Tony Gilland chaired a series of panels with: David Clements (writes for the Manifesto Club, organises and speaks at the Battle of Ideas and the Manchester Salon, has participated in the Future Cities Project and writes and is a shareholder of Spiked Ltd., Austin Williams (has written for Living Marxism, director of the Future Cities Project, has led the ManTownHuman, Bookshop Barnies and the defunct Transport Research Group, participated in Audacity and in Institute of Ideas events, spoken at the Manchester Salon, adjudicated for Debating Matters, appeared on WORLDbytes and written for Spiked and Culture Wars), Jonathan Meades (has wrtten for and is a shareholder of Spiked, has spoken at Debating Matters), Christian Wolmar (writer and broadcaster, has worked for Know Comment), Francis Terry (Centre for Transport Studies, Imperial College London), James Pollard Woudhuysen (Professor of Forecasting and Innovation at De Montfort University, wrote for theoretical journal of the RCP, Living Marxism/LMSpiked, has spoken for anummber of the salons, Big Potatoes, Audacity and is a signatory of Academics for Academic Freedom), Dr Rana Roy (Consulting Economist to the European Conference of Ministers of Transport), Professor John Adams (author of OECD report 'The Social Implications of Hypermobility'), Terence Bendixson (President of Living Streets/Pedestrians' Association), and Peter Smith (Customer Relations Manager at STA Travel, writes for Spiked, speaks at the Battle of Ideas and at Institute of Ideas events, and has adjudged for Debating Matters), discussing ' are more cars a problem, do we need more infrastructure, and does mobility matter anyway?', for the Transport Research Group.

2004

• 13 March 2014 - Tony Gilland chaired a panel with: Juliet Tizzard (Progress Educational Trust, has written for Living Marxism, currently works for HFEA), Josephine Quintaville (Comment on Reproductive Ethics (CORE)), Ellie lee (reader in social policy, University of Kent, Canterbury; director, Centre for Parenting Culture Studies, she has written for Living Marxism, is a director and shareholder of the Academy of Ideas, whose principal operation is the Institute of Ideas, is an editor for Debating Matters and is a shareholder of, and writes regularly for, Spiked), and Caroline Jones (lecturer in law at University of Southampton), discussing 'Designer Babies: Myth or Reality', at Solent People's Theatre, Portsmouth.

2006

• Tuesday 14th February 14 2006 - Tony Gilland spoke at a conference with: Jon Entine, (AEI), Frank Furedi (University of Kent), Roger Bate, Claire Fox, (UK Institute of Ideas), Christina Hoff Sommers (AEI), Charles Paul Freund, Philip K. Howard (Covington and Burling), Robert Pollock (The Wall Street Journal), Lester Crawford (Policy Directions Inc., former FDA commissioner), James K. Glassman (AEI), Ron Bailey (Reason), Alan Wolfe (Center for Religion and American Public Life, Boston College), Discussing 'Panic Attack: The New Precautionary Culture, the Politics of Fear, and the Risks to Innovation', at Wohlstetter Conference Center, Twelfth Floor, AEI, 1150 Seventeenth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036.
• Tuesday 14th February 14 2006 - Tony Gilland appeared on a panel with: Frank Furedi (University of Kent), and Alan Wolfe (Center for Religion and American Public Life, Boston College), discussing 'Can We Rediscover Our Purpose and Commitment to Innovation?', at the 'Panic Attack: The New Precautionary Culture, the Politics of Fear, and the Risks to Innovation conference'

Publications

1992

• Tony Gilland, The changing water business, Centre for the Study of Regulated Industries: London, 1992.
• Tony Gilland, Incentive regulation : reviewing RPI-X & promoting competition, Centre for the Study of Regulated Industries: London, CRI Public Finance Foundation, ISBN 0852995490, 1992.

1993

• Tony Gilland, Efficiency & effectiveness in the modern water business, Centre for the Study of Regulated Industries: London, CRI Public Finance Foundation, ISBN 0852995709, 1993.
• Tony Gilland, Regulatory policy & the energy sector, Centre for the Study of Regulated Industries: London, CRI Public Finance Foundation, ISBN 0852995571, 1993.
• Tony Gilland & Peter Vass, Regulatory Review 1993, Centre for the Study of Regulated Industries; Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy: London, ISBN 0852995733, 1993.

1994

• Tony Gilland & Peter Vass, Regulatory Review, Centre for the Study of Regulated Industries; Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy: London, 1994.
• Tony Gilland & Peter Vass, Customer consultation and the periodic review : the case of the water industry, Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy; Centre for Study of Regulated Industries; University of Bath, School of Management, ISBN 0852996314, 1994.

1996

• Tony Gilland & Peter Vass,

1998

• Tony Gilland, 'Futures: Genes, Greens and soya beans', LM 107, p. 30, February 1998.
• Tony Gilland, 'Soya Scare - The UK supermarket chain Iceland has come out against genetically modified foods, Tony Gilland objects to its irresponsible campaign', 20 March 1998.
• Tony Gilland, 'Futures: Who's afraid of Frankenfood?', LM 116, p. 38, December/January 1998/1999.

1999

• Tony Gilland, [http://web.archive.org/web/20000309063531/www.informinc.co.uk/LM/discuss/commentary/02-17-99-GMO.html 'Food frights - The panic about GM food is not based on science or fact, but on fear, argues Tony Gilland', LM Commentary 17 February 1999.
• Tony Gilland, Mick Fuller and Thomas J Hoban, 'The great GMO debate', LM 119, p. 27, April 1999.
• Tony Gilland, 'Strictly for the birds', LM 126, p. 36, December/January 1999/2000.

2000

• Tony Gilland, 'Fudging Frankenfood', LM 129, p. 21, April 2000.
• Tony Gilland, 'No Future in Eternity', at Gilded Balloon Theatre (Venue 38), Edinburgh, Culture Wars, 2000.
• Tony Gilland, 'Precaution, GM crops and farmland birds', in Rethinking Risk and the Precautionary Principle, Julian Morris Ed., Butterworth-Heinemann, 19 September 2000.

2001

• Tony Gilland, 'Greenfield cites: Pro-science crusader - or media luvvie? Professor Susan Greenfield talks about the difficulties of doing both', Spiked, 8 March 2001.
• Tony Gilland, 'Strictly for the birds: Tony Gilland questions the assumption that modern agriculture is threatening farmland birds', Spiked, 28 March 2001, reproduced from LM magazine, issue 126, December 1999/January 2000.
• Tony Gilland, 'A statistician with a mission: Bjørn Lomborg, author of The Skeptical Environmentalist, tells Tony Gilland what made him ask the right questions', Spiked, 30 August 2001.
• Tony Gilland, 'Science, Knowledge and Humanity: 'Science, Knowledge and Humanity' is a major series of public debates about the future prospects for human innovation and progress, taking place in New York City from 26 to 28 October 2001', Spiked, 9 October 2001.

2002

• Tony Gilland, 'HyperLynx: Pleasance Dome', Culture Wars, Edinburgh Festival, 2002.
• Tony Gilland, 'Seven Affidavits on Authority', Culture Wars, Edinburgh Festival, 2002.
• Tony Gilland, [http://www.spiked-online.com/newsite/article/828#.VRF2G_msWwM 'GM food: putting fear before facts: The Royal Society, the UK's premier scientific body, thinks GM food is safe. So why did its report spin such scary headlines?', Spiked, 14 February 2002.
• Tony Gilland, Science: Can You Trust the Experts?, (Debating Matters) by Institute of Ideas, Paperback - 31 May 2002.
• Tony Gilland, Nature's Revenge?: Hurricanes, Floods and Climate Change, (Debating Matters) by Institute of Ideas, Paperback - 31 May 2002.
• Tony Gilland, Animal Experimentation: Good or Bad?, (Debating Matters) by Institute of Ideas, Paperback - 30 Aug 2002.
• Tony Gilland, 'Four legs better? What the animal research debate tells us about humans', Spiked, 6 December 2002.

2003

• Tony Gilland, 'GM crop trials: Why? The GM issue is not about how many butterflies can fit on a beet leaf', Spiked, 17 October 2003.
• Tony Gilland, 'Bird-brained theories: Is modern farming chasing birds from the hedgerows?', Spiked, 27 November 2003.

2004

• Tony Gilland, 'The Culture War Behind the Biotech Battle: How Irrational Fear Could Really Give Us Something to Worry About', American Enterprise, Vol. 15 Issue 2, pp. 28-30, March 2004.

2005

• Tony Gilland, 'Trade War or Culture War? The GM Debate in Britain and the European Union', in Let Them Eat Precaution, Jon Entine Ed., AEI Press, 7 December 2005.

2006

• Tony Gilland, 'What is Science Education For?', Academy of Ideas, David Perks Ed., 2006.

2007

• Tony Gilland, 'Behind the IVF ‘trial by television’: There is more to the HFEA regulators' pursuit of top infertility doctor Mohamed Taranissi than meets the viewer's eye', Spiked, 19 January 2007.
• Tony Gilland, 'Digging up the roots of the IPCC: The UN's all-powerful climate change panel is no straightforward scientific body. It is a deeply political organisation that was born out of disenchantment with progress', Spiked, 28 June 2007.
• Tony Gilland, 'IPCC: the dangers of enforcing ‘consensus’: While appearing to be the ultimate experts on global warming, the UN's climate panel has actually distorted public discussion of the issue', Spiked, 15 October 2007.
• Tony Gilland, 'RETURN OF THE SKEPTICAL ENVIRONMENTALIST: In his new book Cool It, Bjørn Lomborg shows how ‘the science’ on global warming – covering everything from polar bear extinction to the disappearance of Greenland – has been distorted and politicised', Spiked, 21 December 2007.

2008

• Tony Gilland, 'Climate catastrophe? Cool it!: In his new book, Bjørn Lomborg shows how the ‘climate science’ on everything from polar bears to pollution has been politicised', Spiked, 11 January 2008.
• Tony Gilland, 'THE KING OF ‘CLIMATE PORN’: A new book by the UK government’s former chief scientific adviser sheds yet more heat than light on the global warming debate – despite its promises of balance', Spiked, 28 February 2008.
• Tony Gilland, 'Shooting down the enemies of progress: Environmentalists argue that the debate about global warming is done and dusted, and we now have no choice but to rein in development and shrink the ‘human footprint’. Two powerful new books beg to differ', Spiked, 30 May 2008.
• Tony Gilland, 'Shooting down the enemies of progress', Institute of Public Affairs Review, Vol 60(4), pp. 44-48, 2008.

Resources

Profile, Tony Gilland

Twitter, tonygilland

Linkedin Tony Gilland