Highlights
Lent Term 2008:
Iain Duncan Smith MP
‘Social Justice and the Future of the Conservative Party’
Iain Duncan Smith is Member of Parliament for the constituency of Chingford and Woodford Green and was leader of the Conservative Party in the turbulent period from September 2001 to October 2003.
After losing the Conservative leadership he established The Centre for Social Justice, a policy group that finds and supports innovative grass-roots approaches to fighting poverty, to continue his commitment to compassionate conservatism. It is his influence that has ensured that Social Justice has moved high up on David Cameron’s policy agenda.
Video & Discussion
[Thursday 6th March]
Prof. Peter Hennessy
‘The Brown Style of Government’
Peter Hennessy is Attlee Professor of Contemporary British History at Queen Mary, University of London and Fellow of British Academy. Starting his career as a journalist he covered British politics for The Times, the FT and the Economist before re-entering academia.
Since then he has continued to publish with great acclaim, his study of Britain in the 1950s and the rise of Harold Macmillan, Having It So Good: Britain in the 1950s, winning the 2007 Orwell Prize for political writing. His work on British civil service The Secret State: Whitehall and The Cold War lead Andrew Marr to describe him as ‘the irreplaceable analyst of the inner core of the British system of government’.
[Monday 18th February]
Sir Philip Mawer
‘Can politicians ever be trusted?’
Sir Philip Mawer is currently the Prime Minister’s Independent Adviser on Minister’s Interests and was from 2002 - 2007 the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. Dubbed by the press the ‘Commons sleaze buster’ Sir Philip was entrusted with arguably one of the toughest jobs in public life: rooting out corruption and misconduct within Westminster.
Sir Philip oversaw investigations into the ill-fated ‘Oil for Food Programme’ that involved Respect MP George Galloway allegedly receiving funds from the pre-war Iraqi government. Within the last month Sir Philip has been called in to investigate senior figures within the Conservative Party, including party leader David Cameron, regarding the so-called ‘dinners for cash’ scandal.
Sir Philip has a long and distinguish record of arbitrating on controversial matters of moral integrity, having previously served as Secretary General of the General Synod of the Church of England. During which time he was involved in the handling of delicate issues such as the ordination of women and what he described as the ‘unthinking racial discrimination’ within the church. It was for these services to the Church of England that he was knighted in 2002.
[Thursday 14th February]
Dr. Rosemary Hollis
‘After the Neo-Cons: Realpolitik in the Middle East’
Dr. Rosemary Hollis is Director of Research at Chatham House (the Royal Institute of International Affairs) in London. She is a leading expert on foreign policy and security issues in the Middle East, particularly in the Gulf and Arab-Israeli sectors and relations between the Western powers and the region.
From 1990-95 she headed the Middle East Programme at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies, before which she was a lecturer in Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University in Washington, DC.
She has contributed numerous chapters to books on Middle Eastern security, the role of the West in Iraq, and on the balance of power throughout the region, and is about to publish her book, Britain and the Middle East: The Blair Legacy. Her opinion is often sought by the leading news organizations in relation to current events.
[Monday 28th January]
David Loyn
‘Afghanistan: How we got there and where we’re going’
David Loyn is the BBC’s Developing World Correspondent and has reported extensively from Afghanistan in the wake of 9/11 and from Iraq after the outbreak of war. David spoke at length about the many challenges facing coalition forces in Afghanistan. Starting with a sharp run down of the history of the region, he detailed the way in which the force of historical precedent directly informs factional behavior as well as Western policy towards the region. Drawing on the experience of his lengthy spells in Afghanistan David presented with great insight both the economic and the human dimensions of this conflict.
Discussion
[Monday 21st January]
Michaelmas Term 2007:
David Howarth
David Howarth, Liberal Democrat MP for Cambridge, spoke at length of the principles of liberal politics and the and the conflicting demands of ideological principle and the kind of political manoeuvring that electioneering necessitates. Also laid out were the reasons why he supports Chris Huhne’s campaign for leadership of the Lib Dems and the ideas behind the manifesto that the two have co-authored.
Discussion & Video
[Thursday 15th November]
Doug Wilder
Doug Wilder, former governor of Virginia and the first African-American governor of US State, gave a most enjoyable address to the Clare Politics audience at this event co-hosted by the Cambridge Faculty of History. The governor discussed with sincerity and frankness his time inside American politics and his life before.
Video
Discussion
[Monday 12th November]
Wilf Stevenson
Wilf Stevenson addressed Clare Politics in a personal capacity, speaking from a position of unparrallelled expertise about Gordon Brown. Issues covered included the man behind the public personna, the likely future strategy of his administration and the ways in which defensible distinctions can be drawn between Blairism and Brownism. The occasion drew a wide range of undergraduates, graduates, fellows and others from Cambridge and featured a particularly excellent question and answer session.
Discussion
[Monday 5th November]
Douglas Murray
Douglas Murray spoke to an absolutely packed Bennett Room about what it was to be a neoconservative in his sense. His talk was brief but wide-ranging including consideration of issues of practical foreign and domestic policy as well as a defence of the ideological root of neoconservatism. This fantastically successful talk in association with CUCA was followed by a vigorous and extensive question and answer session.
Discussion
[Tuesday 16th October]
Lent Term 2007:
Martin Bell gave an authoritative talk focussing on warfare and foreign policy. He drew on his vast experience as a foreign correspondent for the basis of his talk, relating anecdotes and opinions received from generals, Afghan peasants, and all points in between. An enjoyable talk from an entertaining speaker.
[Tuesday 13 March]
James Bartholomew spoke to a crowded room on the topic, ‘The Welfare State was a Tragic Mistake’ and argued that it is the poorest people in society who have suffered most since its introduction. His controversial thesis prompted a huge number of (generally sceptical) questions and ensured that discussion continued for many hours afterwards.
[Tuesday 6 March]
Matthew D’Ancona gave a very entertaining and perceptive talk on the current state of politics and particularly the Blair-Brown-Cameron ‘triangle’ that will dominate British political life in 2007. He also discussed the power and role of the media in Britain and answered an enormously wide range of question on topics from Scottish independence to environmentalism to globalisation.
[Monday 26 February]
Andrew Turnbull’s talk explained the traditions and history of the civil service as an institution and then considered how well equipped the service is to deal with the challenges it faces today and in the future. In response to questions from the audience, Lord Turnbull discussed the Home Office, and whether it is “fit for purpose”, whether targets work and the politicisation of the service.
[Thursday 22 February]
Steve Gillon gave a talk that provided a unique and fascinating insight into the relationship between Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich, suggesting that the two men were both closer and more dependent upon each other than is generally believed. Dr Gillon then fielded questions on a wide range of topics, from Monica Lewinsky to the 2008 presidential election.
[Wednesday 21 February]
Fiona Millar gave a very warmly received talk on comprehensive education and why it should be defended. A long and interesting discussion followed, with questions about the morality of independent schools, faith schools and streaming among many others.
[Monday 5 February]
Andrew Adonis gave a frank, witty and wide-ranging talk on where British politics is now and where it is going. Covering ideology, education and constitutional reform, Lord Adonis both defended the Government’s record and added thoughtful insights of his own.
[Thursday 1 Febuary]
Margaret Prosser stimulated much debate with a fascinating talk on feminism and politics and why it still matters in modern Britain. A very lively debate followed with both sides of the argument well represented.
[Tuesday 23 January]
Michaelmas term 2006:
Shami Chakrabarti spoke passionately about the danger posed to our way of life by calls to restrict liberty in favour of security in a talk that attracted a large audience and provoked a wide range of questions, from the sympathetic to the controversial.
[Tuesday 28th November]
Anthony Seldon painted a fascinating and unusually human picture of Tony Blair in his talk to Clare Politics, which provoked many searching and thoughtful questions.
[Sunday 19th November]
Peter Lilley drew a large and very engaged crowd for his talk on ‘Why poverty isn’t history’. Describing some of the dangers and pitfalls that face policy-makers in the field of international development, Peter Lilley suggested ways that aid could be made to work better and looked ahead to the futute with considerable optimism.
[Thursday 16th November]
Trevor Phillips gave a very well attended talk entitled Politics: Any Colour, So Long As It’s White?. A deeply thoughtful examination of the nature of politics, national identity and the role played by race and ethnicity, the talk provoked a wide range of questions and much discussion.
[Monday 13th November]
Douglas Hurd attracted a huge audience for his talk on the future of the Conservative Party. Challenging the assumption that Cameron’s approach to the leadership is the triumph of spin over substance, Lord Hurd provoked a wide range of questions from the audience, from the issue of racism to the fascinating counterfactual of what a Hurd government would have looked like.
[Tuesday 7th November]
Bob Marshall-Andrews addressed the society on the subject of political dissidence, drawing on his own experiences and reflections to produce a talk witty and insightful in equal measure. An excellent complement to Philip Cowley’s talk, the meeting was again extremely well attended and provoked much discussion.
[Thursday 26th October]
Philip Cowley, political scientist and blogger, gave a fascinating talk challenging the commonplace notion that today’s MPs are the most supine in history. Dr Cowley explained why our parliamentarians have never been so rebellious and what it means for the future of British democracy.
[Monday 16th October]
Matthew Parris, honorary patron of the society, was our inaugural speaker. Speaking to a packed room of more than ninety guests, Parris gave a warm and witty overview of the current state of British politics and answered many questions from the audience on topics that ranged from the forthcoming Labour leadership to the relationship between politicians and the press.
[Wednesday 11 October]
