Debate: This House Regrets the Welfare State w/Dominic Frisby, Razi Ginzberg, Cllr Rachel Bentley, Dr David Sexton

The motion we will be debating is this: "This House Regrets the Welfare State".  Do you?

Was the welfare state a regrettable mistake?

Join the libertarian satirist, author and actor Dominic Frisby and the founder and director of the Ayn Rand Centre, Razi Ginzberg, as they make the case for why the welfare state was a moral and financial mistake. Opposing the motion will be the Liberal Democrat Councillor Rachel Bentley and Agora member Dr David Sexton.

Ticket price includes a free drinks reception from 6pm onwards.

The welfare state, as it emerged from the ruins of World War II, was supposed to do away with poverty, want and unemployment and build a brave new world. After 80 years of growing, has it merely become a bloated and inefficient gargantuan producer of dependency and government overreach? As the country sinks ever deeper into debt and the NHS and welfare budget grows ever impossibly bigger, is it time to be honest and say that the welfare state was a both a financial and moral mistake? 

Expect great arguments on either side and plenty of room for YOU to put your opinion across as we ask: should we regret the creation of the welfare state?

We invite you to test the motion, challenge assumptions, and share your views during the Q&A.

The Debaters:

Proposition: 

Dominic Frisby

Dominic Frisby is a libertarian author and comedian, perhaps best known by many for his many satirical songs (check them out on YouTube), but he has also written several books, most recently The Secret History of Gold. 

He hosted Money Pit with Jason Manford on Dave and appeared on BBC Radio 4's Moral Maze to discuss the morality of comedy and has been a prolific voiceover artist since 1993. In 2025 he appeared in Grooming Gangs Cover Up, a 100% verbatim drama based on the judge's sentencing remarks, telling the true story of one of the UK's most infamous Pakistani rape gangs. His satire is strongly influenced by his libertarian philosophy.

He will be proposing the motion.

Razi Ginzberg

Razi Ginzberg is the founder and director of the Ayn Rand Centre, an organisation dedicated to promoting Rand’s philosophy, Objectivism, in the United Kingdom. He runs a weekly discussion group on the philosophy of Ayn Rand in Central London, and similar groups in towns and cities across the country. 

Mr Ginzberg has chaired panels on the topic of free speech in the UK and the US, and regularly organises talks, panels and debates featuring intellectuals from the UK and abroad.

He will be proposing the motion.

Opposition:

Rachel Bentley

Rachel Bentley was first elected as a councillor for North Bermondsey in 2022 and then again in 2026. She serves as the Executive Member for Inclusive Economy, Equalities and Democracy on Southwark Council, as well as the Deputy Leader of the Southwark Liberal Democrat Council Group. She stood for Parliament in the 2024 General Election. She is committed to restoring trust and integrity in public life.

Ms Bentley has spent 16 years living and working overseas, advising governments, families, businesses and charities on many matters, including job creation and land use.

She is an experienced campaigner on issues such as safe, affordable and secure housing for all, support for small businesses, period poverty and electoral reform, as well as championing the environment by planting trees, campaigning against pollution in the Thames and tackling the blight of litter and fly-tipping.

She will be opposing the motion.

Dr David Sexton

David Sexton is an experienced debater, a former President of 104 London Debaters and a member of the Agora. He currently works as a management consultant for Biotechnology companies (principally therapy developers) and holds a PhD in Biomedical science from the University of Edinburgh. 

Besides his interest in science, Dr Sexton is also active in Amnesty International and is a passionate advocate for the post-war Welfare State, in particular the NHS.

He will be opposing the motion.