Apocalypse (revelation) Now ! Richard III, and the Future of Britain and Europe.
2012 turned out to be an “apocalyptic” (i.e. revealing) year after all – though not in the ways expected ! Digging for Richard III’s bones in Leicester began during the jamboree of London’s Olympic summer and was almost immediately followed by the revelations of the Hillsborough Report and then those about Jimmy Saville – the man who fooled so many people in all sections of British society for over 40 years. And then up popped the bones of THAT particular King – Richard III! A deeply symbolic event. His death occurred at a critical turning point in British history, which brought in the Tudors and laid the basis for world empire. 500 years on, we are now facing another such turning point. Do we reject the emerging European superstate only to merge with the existing American superstate? And what about the even larger Transatlantic superstate (USA + EU), the first stage of which was ‘quietly’ announced just days after the sudden news of Pope Benedict’s resignation? Is it our role simply to be a bridge between these two behemoths? Many aspects of British institutional life, including the Union itself, are tottering. How to make sense of all this? Terry’s talk will seek to throw a keen light on what’s going on and suggest ways forward that are absent from the media.
