Trinity Hall Spotlights: Politics
2024 looks set to be an extraordinary political year, with a general election in the UK and a presidential election in the US.
Trinity Hall Spotlights: Politics will endeavour to throw some light on what’s ahead.
Sometimes it feels as if we’re drowning in politics, exhausted by polarised debate, trying to navigate the deeper political ideas and policy debates beneath personality-driven party politics and short-term fights for votes. Trinity Hall will endeavour to keep you informed and engaged, to cut through the noise of news headlines and – as an academic institution – shed light not further heat on the state of democracy.
How can we do politics better? What are the UK parties offering in policy terms? Is democracy really under threat in the US? How dangerous is social media for political polarisation? What lessons can history teach us about our political life today? We’re lucky to have academics in our Fellowship grappling with some of these questions and alumni directly involved in parliament and political life in many ways. We’ll be bringing them together, alongside other invited guests, for a number of debates, talks and dinners, and we very much hope you’ll join us through the year.
“ As a former journalist I know both how frustrating politics can be but also how important - in the end it’s the way we govern ourselves in a democracy. The past few years have felt particularly tumultuous in the UK and the US so I feel it’s a good time to reflect and explore how we could shape a better politics for the future. ”
— Mary Hockaday, Master
Previous Event
How to Make Politics Better
How can we engage constructively with politics, while simultaneously holding our leaders to account? How do we respond to populism and distrust in elites as an academic institution, and as politically engaged individuals? How do we approach social media and disinformation, in the context of impartiality and free speech?
Previous Event
Hustings 2024
A good-natured and good-humoured debate about the forthcoming UK general election, chaired by the Master of Trinity Hall, promised to be an enlightening exploration of the current political climate and the choice on offer. We consider what the main parties are offering voters and also hear what being a politician is really like; the joys and challenges of campaigning and what motivated our panellists to follow a path of public and political service.
Previous Event
Understanding Putin's Russia
This event was organised following the arrest of the prominent Russian opposition figure and Trinity Hall alumnus Vladimir Kara-Murza, which has reminded us once again of the nature of the Putin regime. Kara-Murza is merely the latest example of an escalating pattern of repression in Russia as the war in Ukraine continues, and the government seeks to ensure total conformity at home. In this context, Trinity Hall and the Centre for Geopolitics convened this panel discussion with experts and policy-makers to explain how this situation has come about and explore what might lie ahead for Russia and beyond.
