Way back at the start of my secondary school career, I decided to put my tendency to talk too much to good use by joining the debating society. Newly formed, the group would meet once a week to thrash out a big topic - ‘is red better than blue?’ is the one that sticks in my mind - then we would name the most convincing case the winner. As someone who liked to win, I took no prisoners in my efforts to claim the top spot.
As I’ve grown older, I’ve made a bit of a name for myself as someone who enjoys a squabble. I’ve been booked for TV shows because I’m happy to take on the most belligerent of talk-show hosts, and consultancy clients tell me they want to work with me because I’ll challenge them. But in the past few years, I’ve become tired of arguing and I’ve realised it’s because we’ve all stopped debating and started fighting.