Opinions from University Of Cambridge's alumni
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Guy Ryder,
agrees
Universal Health Care
Health protection is central to decent work and must be a reality for all.
Milton Friedman, American economist
disagrees
Tariffs
The benefits of a tariff are visible. Union workers can see they are "protected". The harm which a tariff does is invisible. It's spread widely. There are people that don't have jobs because of tariffs but they don't know it.
Manmohan Singh, Former prime minister of India
disagrees
Tariffs
Protectionism is a very real danger. It is understandable that in times of a severe downturn protectionist pressures mount but the lessons of history are clear. If we give in to protectionist pressures, we will only send the world into a downward spiral.
Lord Green of Deddington, Founding chairman of MigrationWatch UK
EU migration, taken as a whole, is not making the positive fiscal contribution that has so often been claimed.
John Oliver,
agrees
Net neutrality
ISPs should not be able to engage in any sort of f*ckery that limits or manipulates the choices you make online.
Bill Thompson,
disagrees
Electronic voting
I do not think it is possible to design an e-voting system that can be guaranteed secure against a concerted and well-funded attack.
I am concerned that this will happen, or worse, that it will be suspected and that the results of an election will be cast into doubt.
Toby Walsh, Professor of artificial intelligence
Even if we have as many as 47% of jobs automated, this won’t translate into 47% unemployment. One reason is that we might just work a shorter week. That was the case in the Industrial Revolution. Before the Industrial Revolution, many worked 60 hours per week. After the Industrial Revolution, work reduced to around 40 hours per week. The same could happen with the unfolding AI Revolution.
Benedict Brogan,
agrees
State-funded faith schools
They [faith schools] feel besieged by a Government that is using its statutory powers to challenge their very reason for being: the right to make faith and a commitment to it the deciding factor in admissions. Cristina Odone had it right...when she argued that to defend the rights of faith schools was to defend the right of parents to a school ethos that matches the one they promote at home.
Ha-Joon Chang, Economist. University of Cambridge
disagrees
Basic Income
The right-wing version of UBI (...) is that the government should provide its citizens with a basic income at the subsistence level, while providing no (or little) further goods and services. As far as I can see, this is the version of UBI supported by the Silicon Valley companies. I am totally against this. There are left-wing libertarians who support UBI, who would set its level quite high, whi...
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Guy Standing, University of London Professor, co-founder of the Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN)
agrees
Basic Income
It is very much the belief of us who favour a basic income that 99 per cent of people want to improve their lives. If you do not have basic security you cannot be rational
Tony Atkinson, Research Fellow at Oxford and Professor at the London School of Economics
disagrees
Basic Income
I don’t in fact favour a basic income as such, what I favour is what I call a participation income
stellacreasy, British Labour Co-operative politician, Member of Parliament
disagrees
Women-only train carriages
Can we make all carriages safe for all passengers rather than restricting where we can go? [It] doesn't keep women safe to restrict their movements - it normalises attacks. We need to be clear they [the attackers] are problem, not women's seating plans.
Alan Turing, British mathematician and logician, a major contributor to mathematics, cryptanalysis, and AI
Even if we could keep the machines in a subservient position, for instance by turning off the power at strategic moments, we should, as a species, feel greatly humbled. … [T]his new danger … is certainly something which can give us anxiety.
Ian McKellen, Actor and activist
disagrees
Brexit
It bothers me a bit that if Europe begins to break up then the idea that gay people should be looked after may go out the window. I think on those grounds, that’s why I’ll be voting to stay in.
Liz Kendall,
disagrees
Brexit
Being a member of the EU is vital for jobs, growth and investment … It is only by working with other EU countries that we can build a better, more confident future for people in my constituency and across Britain.
Julian Fellowes, English actor, novelist, film director and screenwriter, Conservative member of the House of Lords
agrees
Brexit
I believe we should be out. It’s about philosophy, it’s about democracy, it’s about democracy versus autocracy … the European Union can’t be accountable because the elected MEPs have no real control over the Commission.
Dominic Raab, Conservative Member of Parliament for Esher and Walton
agrees
Brexit
In terms of jobs, the real case for leaving the EU lies with the positive opportunities from winning back the freedom to craft our own laws at home, while trading more energetically abroad with the global economies of the future
Panicos Demetriades, University of Leicester
disagrees
Brexit
There is no doubt that Brexit is a factor that will weigh heavily on the prospects of the UK economy and beyond
Hugh Reginald Brentnall Pelham, Director, mrc laboratory of molecular biology, university of cambridge
disagrees
Brexit
Ketan Jayakrishna Patel, Staff scientist, mrc laboratory of molecular biology, cambridge
disagrees
Brexit
Martin Hume Johnson, Emeritus professor of reproductive sciences in the department of physiology, development and neuroscience (pdn) at the university of cambridge
disagrees
Brexit
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