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Review of the year - Events

Roy Jenkins looks back on some of the events of 2015.

30 minutes

Last on

Sun 27 Dec 2015 09:03

More about the programme:

At the end of 2015 Roy Jenkins looks back on some of the events of the year as we’ve reflected them in our programme week by week. 

Just a few of course.  This year the Queen became the longest reigning monarch in the country’s history; to general astonishment the Conservative party won an outright parliamentary majority; and Labour more than doubled its membership and chose a serial dissident as its leader.

Wales made a gallant exit from the Rugby World Cup, and the nation’s soccer team reached the finals of a major competition for the first time in more than half a century.

All of little significance when set against an anguished international scene, with continuing turmoil in the Middle East, the terror attacks all too familiar to its people now also targeted on British tourists in Tunisia, Russians heading home from Egypt, and Parisians enjoying a night out.

And nothing seemed capable of slowing the migration crisis, as families fled war and poverty, and many lost their lives in the Mediterranean.Β 

We hear again from Noemi Favita who manages a reception centre in Vittoria in Sicily for migrants as young as 13. Much of the migration is fed by fed by conflict and terror, and we explored some of the religious elements in contemporary terrorism.Β  Among our guests were the journalist and documentary film maker Angela Graham, and Dr. Usama Hasan, of The Quilliam Foundation, a London counter-terrorism think tank.

With 2015 set to be the warmest year on record, world leaders gathered in Paris to consider what might be done about climate change.Β Β  We discussed ways in which attitudes in this area may be shaped by religious beliefs with environmental campaigner Mark Dowd and Dr John Weaver, chair of the John Ray Initiative, which connects environment, science and Christianity.Β 

As politicians agonized over the replacement of Trident, Veteran peace activist and CND vice president Bruce Kent joined us to discuss the morality of such weapons on the 70th anniversary of the bombing of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  With us also was Elizabeth Chappell, who’s been visiting Hiroshima for a number of years, interviewing survivors for an oral history project.

Just ahead of the Rugby World Cup we looked at relationship between Rugby and Religion in Wales with veteran Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ commentator Huw Llewellyn Davies

and Emeritus Professor Gareth Williams of the University of South Wales, joint author of Fields of Praise, the official history of the Welsh Rugby Union.

We looked back at our features which marked anniversaries - The Gate Arts Centre which marked its ten year milestone and also the centenary of the Elim Pentecostal Church, founded by George Jeffreys, a revivalist preacher from Maesteg.

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  • Sun 27 Dec 2015 09:03

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