Hitchens vs. Blair: Be it resolved that religion is a force of good in the world [Paperback]

By Christopher Hitchens, Tony Blair

From The Publisher:
Hitchens vs. Blair is the highly anticipated volume featuring two of the world''s most powerful and charismatic speakers on the controversial topic of religion.

Format: Trade Paperback, 112 Pages
Published: February 26, 2011
Publisher: House Of Anansi Press Inc
The following ISBNs are associated with this title: ISBN - 10:1770890084 ISBN - 13:9781770890084

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The Blair Hitch Project

By Christopher Hitchens

"His (Tony Blair) principal day job is to serve as mediator for the “Quartet” of powers that supervise the Israeli-Palestinian “peace process.” This means regular efforts to reconcile Muslims, Jews, and Christians in the Holy Land. Cheer up, I want to tell him. At least it's a job for life."

Full Article (Vanity Fair)

The Blair - Hitchens event in Toronto

By Peter Hitchens

Peter gives his view on the Blair debate. (Which he hasn't watched or listened to.)

"I'm asked to comment on my brother's encounter (styled by some a 'debate') with Anthony Blair in Toronto, recently broadcast on BBC radio. Delighted as I am that the BBC (which can and often does reduce an important Parliamentary event to three jokey minutes) has taken to broadcasting debates on major issues on Radio 4, I do wonder whether the habit will last, and why this particular one made it so swiftly on to the air."

Read More (http://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk)

Thanks swh

Results of the Munk Debate on Religion

BE IT RESOLVED, religion is a force for good in the world.

This question was put directly to the audience of the Munk Debates on Religion both before and after they listened to a debate on the issue between former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, arguing in favour of the resolution AND bestselling author, journalist and literary critic Christopher Hitchens, arguing against the resolution.

Prior to the debate, 25% of the 2,600 audience members agreed with the resolution, while 55% disagreed and 20% were undecided. Immediately following the debate, agreement with the resolution had risen to 32% while disagreement with the resolution had risen to 68%.

About This Study

This poll was conducted for the Munk Debates (www.munkdebates.com) by Innovative Research Group, Inc. (www.innovativeresearch.ca), a national public opinion research firm on Friday, November 26th, 2010.
Prior to the start of the debate, members of the audience at the Munk Debates on Religion were asked to fill out a ballot where they indicated whether they agreed or disagreed with the resolution or were undecided. Ballots were collected and the results recorded using Scantron readers.
After the debate concluded, the audience was again asked to fill out a ballot where they indicated whether they still agreed or disagreed with the resolution. In the post debate ballot, the undecided option was not provided. Again, the ballots were collected and results recorded using Scantron readers. See detailed findings below for the ballot question wording and results.
The results of this poll are based on ballots collected among spectators at the Munk Debates on Religion.

DETAILED FINDINGS

Pre-Debate Ballot

QUESTION #1
Be it resolved, religion is a force for good in the world.
AGREE - 25%
DISAGREE - 55%
UNDECIDED – 20%

QUESTION #2
Depending on what you hear during the debate are you open to changing your vote?
YES - 76%
NO - 24%

Post-Debate Ballot

QUESTION #1
Be it resolved, religion is a force for good in the world.
AGREE - 32%
DISAGREE - 68%

Debating Tony Blair on faith

By Christopher Hitchens

"I am sometimes asked whether I ever get tired of debating the faithful. There are two reasons why I never do. The first is that this argument is at the root of all other arguments: constituting the essential underlay of differences about philosophy, cosmology, history, textual criticism and even medicine. The second is that I never know what my antagonist is going to say, or affirm, or claim to believe."
Read More (Washington Post)

Blair's thoughts about the event.

Munk Debates: Tony Blair vs Christopher Hitchens

Friday, November 26, 2010. Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto, Canada. The official resolution, "Be it resolved, religion is a force of good for the world".

Christopher Hitchens vs. Tony Blair: The Full Transcript

New Statesman: "You may need to set aside the rest of your Saturday to get through this, but here in full is the transcript of the long-anticipated Munk debate between Christopher Hitchens and former prime minister Tony Blair. The motion: "Be it resolved, religion is a force for good in the world". No prizes for guessing who was arguing for and against.
Read it here. (newstatesman.com)

Preliminary poll results show Hitchens winner of religion debate with Tony Blair

“To terrify children with the image of hell...to consider women an inferior creation. Is that good for the world?” - Christopher Hitchens.

Preliminary results posted on the Munk Debates website from an audience poll suggest Mr. Hitchens won the debate. Read More (theglobeandmail.com)

Clip from the debate
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11843586

Watch the debate for $2.99 at
 http://www.munkdebates.com/debates/Religion

Hitchens debate with Blair scheduled around chemo treatments

“I arranged my chemotherapy around this so that I wouldn’t be demoralized. I’m tired, but I’m not fogged as one can be, so that was the main consideration,” he said.
Read More (thestar.com)

Blair v. Hitchens: Is religion a force for good or ill?

The Globe and Mail has a few short videos with CH and Tony Blair being interviewed before the Munk debate.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/video/christopher-hitchens-the-seed-of-doubt/article1814310/?from=1814261

Transcript and audio: Hitchens on not believing
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/transcripts-and-audio-christopher-hitchens-on-not-believing/article1814261/

Tony Blair and Christopher Hitchens to debate religion

Former UK prime minister Tony Blair is to take on Christopher Hitchens in a televised public debate for and against religion. Friday Nov 26.

BBC World Service radio will air the Blair-Hitchens debate on December 4, followed by Radio 4 on December 11.

It can be viewed on BBC World News and the News Channel on January 1, 2011
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11843586

Livestream: http://www.munkdebates.com/debates/Religion

Hitchens Vs. Blair Is Hot Ticket

Shinan Govani, National Post · Sunday, Nov. 14, 2010

"The demand. For the crossfire on dogma that's slated for Friday Nov. 26 at Roy Thompson Hall, when that incorrigible pundit Christopher Hitchens is all set to taken on former British PM Tony Blair."

More: http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/columnists/Hitchens+Blair+Ticket/3828772/story.html#ixzz15MX5l8cu

Hitchens/Blair Debate - MORE TICKETS!

Everyone, log on to http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/hitchensblair/ and sign the petition. Do it right away to give the organizers time to relocate the event and to release more tickets for this debate. Remember, it has happened before. Hitchens' debates have been relocated due to great demand, so this is absolutely possible.

You could also email the organizers at http://www.munkdebates.com/organizers.

Christopher Hitchens and Tony Blair to debate Religion

Friday, November 26, 2010. 7 pm.
Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto, Canada.

“This debate is not about the existence of God,” says Rudyard Griffiths, co-director and moderator of the Munk Debates. “We have asked Mr. Blair and Mr. Hitchens to wrestle with the more immediate question facing developed and developing nations: Is religion a force for peace or conflict in the modern world?”

More info:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/hitchens-blair-to-debate-role-of-faith/article1752752/

http://www.munkdebates.com/debates/Religion

Almost Noble

Tony Blair’s memoir reveals him to be neither a cynic nor an innocent, but a man of some principle.
By Christopher Hitchens

WHEN I WENT to interview Tony Blair, the newly elected leader of the opposition in the House of Commons, in 1994, I wanted to ask him about his membership in the Christian Socialist Movement, a very traditionalist affiliate of the British Labour Party. I had, I told him, by now read all his speeches since he had become leader, and could find no trace of any such commitment in his rhetoric. With the very disarming open-faced grin that so many people would later come to dislike, he replied that this was because he couldn’t stand the sort of politician who exploited religion for electoral purposes.

Continue reading (The Atlantic)

Hitchens' verdict on Tony Blair's memoir

"The righteous will evidently never tire of the pelting and taunting of Tony Blair."


Read more. (The Guardian, Sept 5, 2010)