Clare Politics: What's on?
We are delighted to announce our programme of events for Lent term 2007. We have eight excellent speakers lined up and anticipate another very successful term. Unless otherwise stated, events are held in the Latimer Room, Clare College at 8.30pm.
Meetings are open to all members of Cambridge University and their guests. If you are a former student of Clare or you are coming from outside Cambridge and you wish to attend one of our meetings, please do get in touch so that we can make arrangements to greet you and reserve you a seat. All meetings are free of charge and wine will be served.
James Naughtie is a journalist and broadcaster, best known as the presenter of Radio 4's Today, arguably Britain's most important current affairs programme. Naughtie has interviewed all the biggest names in British politics and has written books on Tony Blair's relationships with both Gordon Brown and with Presidents Clinton and Bush.
[Thursday 15 February]
Steve Gillon is a leading historian of modern America and anchor of the History Channel in the USA . Dr Gillon’s book Unlikely Allies, a study of the relationship between Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich, will be published later this year. As the American presidential race for 2008 begins to heat up, Dr Gillon’s talk offers a fantastic insight into the politics of two men who – one way or another – are hoping to be in the White House after the next election.
[Wednesday 21 February - 5pm, Master's Lodge, Clare College]
Andrew Turnbull was Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service from 2002 to 2005, a role that placed him at the very heart of government for most of Tony Blair's second term and during the lead-up to and aftermath of the Iraq war. Made a life peer on his retirement, Lord Turnbull will be talking to the society about how Britain is governed today.
[Thursday 22 February]
Matthew D'Ancona succeeded Boris Johnson as Editor of the Spectator last year and is widely regarded as one of the country's most intelligent and insightful political commentators. A hugely prolific journalist, D'Ancona became Assistant Editor of The Times at the age of 26 and writes a weekly column for the Sunday Telegraph.
[Monday 26 February]
Martin Bell is one of Britain's most distinguished Foreign Correspondents and a former independent MP. Having covered eleven conflicts and reported from over eighty countries in a thirty-year career, he ran successfully against Neil Hamilton as an independent, anti-sleaze candidate in Tatton in 1997, overturning a 20,000 Conservative majority.
[Monday 12 March]
James Bartholomew is a freelance journalist and author of The Welfare State We're In, the controversial best-seller that advocates the abolition of the welfare state. Commended by Milton Friedman, the Nobel prize winning libertarian, as a “devastating critique” of the status quo, Bartholomew's work challenges the assumptions behind the last half century of domestic policy. His talk to the society is entitled “The Welfare State: a tragic mistake”
[POSTPONED - DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED]