Public Lectures at Canterbury Christ Church University

General election hustings – meet the candidates 2019

Hosted by the University’s Politics and International Relations programme and in partnership with the Canterbury and District Inter-Faith Action (CANDIFA) and The Canterbury Society, the prospective parliamentary candidates from the Conservative Party, the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats and an independent candidate attended Meet the Candidates for the 2019 General Election and made their case to the audience as to why they should be elected as Canterbury’s Member of Parliament.

Delighted, Divided or Despairing? - Professor Sir John Curtice

Polling expert Sir John Curtice, Professor of Politics at Strathclyde University in Scotland and Senior Research Fellow at NatCen Social Research will discuss the public’s reaction to the Brexit process in this thought-provoking lecture. 

The Most Revd and Rt Hon Justin Welby – Reimagining Britain: Foundations for Hope

At this pivotal time in our nation’s history, Archbishop Justin Welby sets out to identify the values that can help us to reimagine, and to enact, a more hopeful future for our country. Drawing on the Bible, Britain’s history and its Christian tradition, Archbishop Justin explores how we can build on our past to offer hope for the future, suggesting practical ways to help achieve a cohesive, courageous and resilient society. Archbishop Justin was installed as the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury in March 2013. Prior to this, he was Bishop of Durham from 2011 to 2012 and Dean of Liverpool Cathedral from 2007 to 2011. He was ordained in 1992 following an 11-year career in the oil industry.

Brexit and Climate Change - Julia King, Baroness Brown of Cambridge

The Climate Change Act (2008) enshrines our emissions reduction targets in UK legislation; however, the majority of our environmental regulation – critical to our progress in addressing risks such as flooding, drought, heatwaves – is from the EU, which also provides the critical enforcement function. 

The making of a modern Parliament

The Rt Hon John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons, discusses the Speakership, the modernisation of Parliament and the importance of opening up our democratic processes.

Professor Dame Sally Davies: Antimicrobial resistance – the global problem

As Chief Medical Officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies acts as the UK Government’s medical adviser and is the professional head of all directors of public health. She has been widely commended for her leadership of worldwide efforts to address the ‘ticking time bomb’ of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – also known as drug-resistant infections. In this fascinating lecture, Dame Sally discusses the rise of AMR, its implications and the global response to resolve the problem.

Lord Peter Hennessy: Writing the history of one’s own times

Lord Peter Hennessy is a journalist, professor and researcher. He is widely recognised as one of the country’s leading historians of British politics and an acclaimed expert on the inner workings of government machinery, from the complexities of constitutional arrangements to the role of the secret state. In this thought-provoking lecture, he draws on his vast experience, and his book Distilling the Frenzy: Writing the History of One’s Own Times, to offer an insight into the challenges of researching and writing about contemporary political history.

No more champagne: British prime ministers and their money, from Walpole to Churchill

David Lough reveals how prime ministers from Robert Walpole to Tony Blair have built fortunes from their post. He discusses how they dealt with the ethical issues of their day, with particular reference to the usually chaotic finances of Winston Churchill.

Racism, fundamentalism and a democratic education: the challenge for us all

The lecture draws on research in a post-industrial city where racism has found purchase. Archbishop Justin Welby challenges the neglect of post-industrial cities like this: locations of economic decline, the collapse of self-help institutions and hollowed out democracy. Yet if there are examples of Islamism and racist gangs there are resources of hope too.

The Best of All Possible Worlds

In his lecture, The Best of All Possible Worlds, Michael will explore the subject of writing about the environment for children. It is a subject that he has continued to return to through his books and believes that connecting children with the environment is of critical importance if we are to turn the tide of environmental literacy.