Tag Archives: shirley williams lectures

Democracy – now on the Risk Register

By David Brunnen | Fri 22nd October 2021 - 3:06 pm

An appreciation of Lord Puttnam’s recent address – The Shirley William’s Memorial Lecture: POWER AND FEAR – THE TWO TYRANNIES.

Was anybody listening?

If so, what did they hear?

If they heard, then what, exactly, did they understand?

Timing is everything.

In the heat of intense political clamour, unleashed as one of their own was murdered, the calm authoritative voice may have been lost in that moment.

Sir Nick Clegg lecture: “The end of global internet”

By Paul Walter | Fri 28th May 2021 - 10:40 am

The Shirley Williams Lectures are now getting well into their stride. On Wednesday evening we had the honour of welcoming Nick Clegg direct from Atherton, California USA.

It was the day of Facebook’s AGM, so a busy one for Nick.

I was very impressed by Nick’s lecture, which was delivered flawlessly from notes.

After paying a very warm and heartfelt tribute to Baroness Williams, Nick outlined how he regards 1989 as the key year in his life. The Berlin Wall fell and Tim Berners-Lee invented the Worldwide Web.

Posted in Events | Also tagged featured, internet, nick clegg and tim berners lee | 22 Comments

The Shirley Williams Lectures

By Shaun Ennis | Mon 17th May 2021 - 4:20 pm

It is such an exciting time for the new Cheadle-based fundraising project, The Shirley Williams Lectures. In the absence of in-person conferences and party events, the SWL club has offered party members and other liberal-minded people across the country a way to connect – with the speakers, with other progressive campaigners and with the ideas.

Next up on the programme of speakers is former Leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir Nick Clegg. As Vice-President of Facebook since 2018, Nick is well placed to tackle this month’s lecture entitled ‘The End of Global Internet’. Social media and the internet have played an …

Posted in Events and News | 5 Comments

Help grow the debate and beat the Conservatives at the same time!

By Mark Hunter | Thu 14th January 2021 - 5:48 pm

If the last week has shown us anything, it’s that 2021 could be stranger and potentially more worrying than 2020.

The anti-democratic attack on the US Capitol Building was an awful thing to witness. Four deaths, countless injuries and more news coming out that suggest things could have been a lot worse.

In the UK, the mishandling of the pandemic has cost lives and livelihoods. Depending on which figures you read, nearly 100,000 people have died from COVID-19 or because of it. Economists point to an impending double-dip recession, and across the country trust in the Government and its institutions is quickly eroding.

A strong, liberal voice has never been more needed.

It is vital that the Liberal Democrats keep growing both as a campaigning force and as a home for progressive ideas and policies.

Which is why I am delighted to have joined The Shirley Williams Lectures this week.

This is an exciting membership and fundraising organisation that will champion new ideas for how we meet the challenges being faced by the UK and the planet.

What’s even better is that all money raised in subscriptions goes towards winning the North West’s top target seat – Cheadle!

Posted in Op-eds | Leave a comment

Shirley Williams Lectures launched to promote ideas exchange

By Tom Morrison | Fri 18th December 2020 - 10:02 am

Liberal Democrat members and other progressives can now join an exclusive lecture club to challenge and engage with some of the most original and innovative thinkers of our time.

Launched today, The Shirley Williams Lectures will offer a platform to specialists from a range of fields to share their ideas and vision for the future. Club members will be given the opportunity to consider and discuss how we can tackle some of the biggest questions facing the world.

Whether it is concepts for a new style of politics, views on the UK’s business outlook, the future of international sport or matters of global ethics, the lecture themes will offer fresh, thought-provoking and contemporary insight.

The lecture series will be delivered online and comprise one event per month during 2021. Party leader Sir Ed Davey will be kick-starting the programme by outlining his thoughts on the post-COVID economy at the inaugural lecture on 28 January.

Other confirmed speakers include Juergen Maier CBE, who, on 26 February will be taking a deep dive into post-Brexit trade, Baroness Benjamin DBE DL, Olympic medallist and track cyclist Callum Skinner, and Sir Nick Clegg.