探花直播 of Cambridge - Europe

Electricity prices across Europe to stabilise if 2030 targets for renewable energy are met

fpjl2 — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 10:24:42 +0000

Hitting the current national 2030 quotas for solar and wind energy could reduce the volatility of electricity markets by an average of 20% across 29 European countries, according to a new study from the 探花直播 of Cambridge.聽聽

探花直播intensity of spikes in power prices are predicted to fall in every country by the end of the decade if commitments to green energy are met, as natural gas dependency is cut.聽聽

探花直播UK and Ireland would be the biggest beneficiaries, with 44% and 43% reductions in the severity of electricity price spikes by 2030, compared with last year.

Germany could experience a 31% decline in electricity price volatility, with the Netherlands and Belgium seeing price spikes ease by 38% and 33% respectively.

探花直播simulations conducted for the new study show that scaling up renewable energy minimises the market impact of fluctuations in natural gas price 鈥� increasing stability even when considering the reliance of renewable technologies on weather.

Some EU leaders and energy ministers have called for renewables targets on grounds of energy security as well as decarbonisation, particularly since Putin鈥檚 war on Ukraine stemmed the flow of Russian gas.

探花直播study, published in the journal Nature Energy, calculates in detail how such aims would affect the volatility of wholesale electricity prices in energy markets across Europe.

鈥� 探花直播volatility of energy prices is a major cause of damage to national economies,鈥� said Laura Diaz Anadon, the 探花直播 of Cambridge鈥檚 Professor of Climate Change Policy.

鈥淐onsumers are still reeling from sharp increases in electricity prices brought about by natural gas shortages following Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine,鈥� said Anadon. 鈥淲e show that hitting renewables targets reduce the likelihood of such price spikes in the future.鈥�

Daniel Navia, a researcher with the 探花直播鈥檚 Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance (CEENRG), said: 鈥淢eeting renewable energy targets is not only good for carbon neutrality, but we can see it is a boost to economic resilience鈥�

鈥淲e had probably underestimated how costly energy price shocks are to our societies, and the last crisis has been a stark reminder.鈥�

探花直播Cambridge researchers used the 探花直播鈥檚 high performance computing facilities to model a wide range of factors 鈥� from fluctuations in weather patterns and energy demands to fuel capacity 鈥� to map the current and future grids of all 27 EU nations plus the UK and Switzerland.

They assessed electricity markets in 2030 based on the commitments to renewables as stated in each nation鈥檚 national energy and climate plan.

鈥� 探花直播UK in particular is projected to see major benefits to its energy market stability from renewables,鈥� said Anadon.

鈥� 探花直播UK has struggled with its exposure to gas prices due to a lack of energy storage and limited connections to the European grid. This has led to more hours where electricity prices are set by natural gas.鈥�

探花直播research also suggests that wholesale prices of electricity could fall by over a quarter on average across all countries in the study by decade鈥檚 end if they stick to current national renewables targets.

Again, populations in the UK and Ireland stand to gain significantly, with electricity prices predicted to fall by around 45% by 2030, compared with the current situation.

Several of the Nordic nations could see over 60% reductions in electricity costs by 2030, while in Germany the price is predicted to fall by 34%, with Belgium seeing a similar drop of 31%. 探花直播study suggests the Netherlands could see the price of electricity fall by 41%.

While the study鈥檚 authors caution that trends in electricity prices depend on factors that are 鈥渋mpossible to predict鈥�, they say their results are in line with recent outputs by institutions such as the International Energy Agency.

In fact, Navia and Anadon say their modelling may even underestimate the potential for electricity price stability across Europe, as the projections were calculated using data from 1990-2021 鈥� before the energy crisis created by Russia鈥檚 attack on Ukraine.

鈥淚t makes sense to think about renewables as a security investment, and if we lose the momentum towards green energy, we are clearly harming the climate, but we also exposing ourselves to unknowable risks down the line,鈥� said Anadon. 聽

探花直播new study also charts the effects on electricity prices if countries overshoot on renewables. If Europe exceeds its renewable energy goals by 30%, electricity prices could become 50% less sensitive to natural gas, compared to just meeting renewables targets.

However, the study suggests there are tipping points where renewables cause the price of power to fall so far that it stops providing sufficient return on investment, and the green energy industries may stall.聽

Added Navia: 鈥淚f we are to fully utilise solar and wind as a security tool, Europe might have to rethink how its energy markets are designed, and what incentives it can offer the private sector to maintain the societal insurance value it gets from renewable energy.鈥�

National targets for solar and wind power will see reliance on natural gas plummet, reducing electricity price volatility across Europe, with major beneficiaries including the UK and Ireland, the Nordics, and the Netherlands.

探花直播UK in particular is projected to see major benefits to its energy market stability from renewables

Laura Diaz Anadon

Anton Petrus via Getty images

High voltage electricity towers combined with economic charts

探花直播text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright 漏探花直播 of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways 鈥� on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

Yes

It鈥檚 high time for alliances to ensure supply chain security, researchers urge

sc604 — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 18:00:00 +0000

An international team of researchers, including from the 探花直播 of Cambridge, are calling on government agencies and national banks to support an effort to map the billions of connections in the global supply network which, among other impacts, could reduce tax evasion by as much as 鈧�130 billion (about 拢113 billion) annually in the European Union.

探花直播researchers say that understanding supply networks could also improve supply security, promote objective monitoring of the green transition, and strengthen human rights compliance. Writing in the journal Science, they emphasise that international alliances, backed by government organisations and the research community, are needed for such an understanding.

Even though most companies know their immediate trading partners, they depend on countless other relationships up and down the supply chain. A shortage anywhere in the supply network may a铿€ect suppliers, suppliers of suppliers, and so on, as well as customers and their customers鈥� customers.

鈥淪upply disruptions caused an estimated loss of 2% of global GDP in 2021 鈥� approximately $1.9 trillion (拢1.6 trillion) 鈥� and signi铿乧antly contributed to the current high in铿俛tion,鈥� said lead author Anton Pichler from the Complexity Science Hub (CSH) in Vienna. 鈥淔or a long time, it was unthinkable to analyse the global economy at the company level, let alone its complex network of supply interconnections. That is changing now.鈥�

鈥淯nderstanding supply chain interdependencies between companies, sectors, and countries is vital for many challenges, from identifying how disruptions may emerge and cascade across economies, through to monitoring carbon emissions and ensuring ethical and sustainable practice,鈥� said co-author Professor Alexandra Brintrup from Cambridge鈥檚 Institute for Manufacturing.

For almost a century, only aggregated data 鈥� such as the average values of entire sectors 鈥� could be analysed. Predicting how individual company failures would a铿€ect the system was simply not possible. What happens to the economy when a speci铿乧 company stops its production? What if an earthquake paralyses an entire region?

鈥淣ow, a combination of new micro-datasets, methods based in machine learning, and multiple government initiatives are creating the ability to map entire economies, which can give us the tools to answer some fundamental questions with real and timely impact,鈥� said Brintrup.

Although the volume of data is vast 鈥� there are approximately 300 million companies worldwide, each with an average of 40 domestic suppliers, resulting in up to 13 billion supply connections 鈥� researchers can map the connections between individual companies.

Currently, value-added tax (VAT) data is the most promising option for reconstructing reliable large-scale supply networks. Countries including Spain, Hungary and Belgium use a standardised VAT collection that practically records all domestic business-to-business (b2b) transactions. With these, it鈥檚 possible to map the entire national trade of a country.

In most countries like Germany, Austria, or France, where VAT is not collected for individual b2b transactions but only accumulated over a speci铿乧 period, such mapping is not possible.

鈥� 探花直播standardised b2b collection could reduce administrative overheads for companies and would contribute substantially to tax compliance,鈥� said co-author Christian Diem, also from CSH. Estimates suggest that VAT-related fraudulent activities in the European Union (EU) amount to 鈧�130 billion annually.

Beyond tax evasion, other global challenges also depend on the detailed knowledge of supply networks. 鈥淔or individual companies, it鈥檚 nearly impossible to ensure that all trading partners, their suppliers, and their suppliers鈥� suppliers operate in an environmentally friendly way and in compliance with human rights,鈥� said Pichler. 鈥淚f this were centrally documented in a gigantic network, it could be more easily ensured.鈥�

探花直播next step is to link trade data from di铿€erent countries. Currently, the EU records trade in goods between its member states at the company level. If it also included services and linked them with VAT data, this could lead to a comprehensive cross-border company-level network. According to the authors, this would represent almost 20% of the global GDP.

探花直播European Commission laid the legal foundation by proposing 鈥榁AT in the Digital Age.鈥� 鈥淯nfortunately, this is far from being realised,鈥� said co-author Stefan Thurner, of the Complexity Science Hub. 鈥淪o far, we do not have a single situation where the supply chain networks of any two countries have been joined and merged. This would be an essential next step.鈥�

To create a truly international picture of supply interconnections, hundreds of datasets must be joined, analytical tools developed, and an institutional framework must be created, together with secure infrastructure for storing and processing enormous amounts of sensitive data.

鈥淭o advance this endeavour, a strong international alliance of various interest groups is required, including national governments, statistical o铿僣es, international organisations, central banks, the private sector, and academia,鈥� said Thurner. 探花直播铿乺st collaboration in science, involving authors in macroeconomics, supply chain research, and statistics, now aims to establish a foundation. 探花直播researchers hope to inspire others to join their e铿€orts.

探花直播researchers hosted representatives of European ministries, national banks, statistical o铿僣es, and researchers at a workshop in Vienna on 5鈥�6 June 2023.

Reference:
Anton Pichler et al. 鈥�Building an alliance to map global supply networks.鈥� Science (2023). DOI: 10.1126/science.adi7521

Adapted from a CSH press release.

探花直播COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the interconnected nature of global supply chains, and showed how a disruption in one part of the world can have global effects. In 2021, supply disruptions were cost the global economy an estimated $1.9 trillion.

Understanding supply chain interdependencies between companies, sectors, and countries is vital for many challenges

Alexandra Brintrup

Abstract Aerial Art via Getty Images

Aerial shot of parked trucks, Scunthorpe, United Kingdom

探花直播text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright 漏探花直播 of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified.聽 All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways 鈥� as here, on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

Yes

Cambridge researchers awarded ERC funding to support commercial potential of their work

sc604 — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 16:05:46 +0000

Professor Cecilia Mascolo from the Department of Computer Science and Technology will use the funding to further her work on developing mobile devices 鈥� like commercially-available earbuds 鈥� that can accurately pick up wearers鈥� body sounds and monitor them for health purposes.

探花直播ERC Proof of Concept grants 鈥� worth 鈧�150,000 鈥� help researchers bridge the gap between the discoveries stemming from their frontier research and the practical application of the findings, including the early phases of their commercialisation.

Researchers use this type of funding to verify the practical viability of scientific concepts, explore business opportunities or prepare patent applications.

Mascolo鈥檚 existing ERC-funded Project EAR was the first to demonstrate that the existing microphones in earbuds can be used to pick up wearers鈥� levels of activity and heart rate and to trace it accurately even when the wearer is exercising vigorously.

She now wants to build on this work by enhancing the robustness of these in-ear microphones and further improve their performance in monitoring human activity and physiology in 'real life' conditions, including by developing new algorithms to help the devices analyse the data they are collecting.

鈥淭here are currently no solutions on the market that use audio devices to detect body function signals like this and they could play an extremely valuable role in health monitoring,鈥� said Mascolo. 鈥淏ecause the devices鈥� hardware, computing needs and energy consumption are inexpensive, they could put body function monitoring into the hands of the world's population accurately and affordably.鈥�

Professor Manish Chhowalla from the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy was awarded a Proof of Concept Grant to demonstrate large-scale and high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries.

鈥淥ur breakthrough in lithium-sulphur batteries demonstrates a future beyond lithium-ion batteries; moving away from the reliance on critical raw materials and enabling the electrification of fundamentally new applications such as aviation,鈥� said Dr Ismail Sami, Research Fellow in Chhowalla鈥檚 group. 鈥淭his Proof of Concept will help us take the essential commercial and technical steps in bringing our innovation to market.鈥�

探花直播 of Cambridge researchers have been awarded Proof of Concept grants from the European Research Council (ERC), to help them explore the commercial or societal potential of their research. 探花直播funding is part of the EU's research and innovation programme, Horizon Europe.

探花直播 of Cambridge

Left: Cecilia Mascolo, Right: Ismail Sami

探花直播text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright 漏探花直播 of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified.聽 All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways 鈥� as here, on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

Yes

Europe-wide political divide emerging between cities and countryside 鈥� study

fpjl2 — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 10:14:39 +0000

A new study reveals the extent of the political divide opening up between city and countryside right across Europe, with research suggesting that political polarisation in the 21st century may have a lot to do with place and location.

探花直播 of Cambridge researchers analysed survey data collected between 2002 and 2018 to gauge the social and civic attitudes of people across the cities, towns and rural areas of 30 European countries.

探花直播findings show that political division throughout the continent runs on a 'gradient' of disenchantment and distrust in democracy that increases as it moves from urban centres through suburbs, towns, villages and out into open country.

People in the more rural parts of Europe have the lowest levels of trust in their nation鈥檚 current political system 鈥� and yet are significantly more likely than their urban counterparts to actually vote in elections.

Those in suburbs, followed by towns and then the countryside, are increasingly more likely to see themselves as politically conservative, and hold anti-immigration and anti-EU views, while city dwellers lean towards the left.

However, it鈥檚 not the poorest rural areas where disillusion is strongest, and small town and countryside dwellers report much higher levels of life satisfaction聽while voicing dissatisfaction with democratic institutions.

Researchers from Cambridge鈥檚 Bennett Institute for Public Policy and Department of Land Economy say the study suggests a 'deepening geographical fracture' in European societies that could see a return to the stark urban-rural political divides of the early 20th century.

鈥淭hose living outside of Europe鈥檚 major urban centres have much less faith in politics,鈥� said study co-author Professor Michael Kenny from the Bennett Institute.

鈥� 探花直播growth of disenchantment in more rural areas has provided fertile soil for nationalist and populist parties and causes 鈥� a trend that looks set to continue.鈥�

鈥淢ainstream politicians seeking to re-engage residents of small towns and villages must provide economic opportunities, but they also need to address feelings of disconnection from mainstream politics and the changes associated with a more globalised economy,鈥� he said.

Across Western Europe, residents of rural areas are on average 33.5% more likely to vote than those in inner cities, but 16% less likely to report a one-unit increase in their trust of political parties on a scale of 0-10. They are also far less likely to engage in political actions such as protests and boycotts.

Conservatism incrementally increases as locations shift from suburb to town to the countryside. Europeans in rural places are an average of 57% more likely to feel one point closer to the right on the political spectrum (on a ten-point scale where five is the centre ground) than a city dweller.

When asked if migration and the EU 'enrich the national culture', rural Europeans are 55% more likely than those in cities to disagree by one unit on a ten-unit scale.

However, on issues of the welfare state and trust in police 鈥� both iconic in post-war rhetorical battles between left and right 鈥� no urban-rural divisions were detected. 鈥淲orries about law and welfare may no longer be key to Europe鈥檚 political geography in our new populist age,鈥� said Kenny.

Last year, research from the Bennett Institute revealed a global decline in satisfaction with democracy, and the latest study suggests that 鈥� in Europe, at least 鈥� this is most acute in rural locations.

After discounting characteristics typically thought to influence political attitudes, from education to age, the researchers still found that people in rural housing were 10% more likely than urbanites to report a one unit drop in democratic satisfaction (on a scale of 0-10).

鈥淲e find that there is a geography to current patterns of political disillusion,鈥� said Dr Davide Luca of the Land Economy Department, co-author of the study now published in the Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society.

鈥淎s disenchantment rises in European hinterlands, democratic politics risks being eroded from within by people who engage with elections yet distrust the system and are drawn to populist, anti-system parties.鈥�

Of the 30 nations they looked at 鈥� the EU27 plus Norway, Switzerland and the UK 鈥� France had the sharpest urban-rural divide in political attitudes. 鈥淟arge cities such as Paris and Lyon are seen to be highly globalised and full of bohemians nicknamed the 鈥榖obos鈥�, while small towns and rural areas are primarily inhabited by long-term immigrants and the indigenous working classes,鈥� Luca said.

While less pronounced across the Channel, the trend is still very much in evidence in the UK. 鈥淐ambridge is a prime example,鈥� explains Luca. 鈥� 探花直播centre hosts the world鈥檚 leading labs and companies, yet greater Cambridge is one of the UK鈥檚 least equal cities 鈥� and the fenland market towns are even more disconnected from the city鈥檚 hyper-globalised core.鈥�

Added Luca: 鈥淎geing populations in small towns and villages combined with years of austerity have put pressure on public services in rural areas 鈥� services that are often central to the social connections needed for a community to thrive.

鈥淩eviving these services may be key to reducing the political divides emerging between urban and rural populations across Europe.鈥�

鈥淕eography of disillusion鈥� poses a major challenge for democratic countries across the continent, according to researchers.

As disenchantment rises in European hinterlands, democratic politics risks being eroded from within

Davide Luca

Miguel Alc芒ntara

探花直播back streets of Montpellier, France

探花直播text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright 漏探花直播 of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified.聽 All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways 鈥� as here, on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

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We are all 'others': teaching children to celebrate differences

Anonymous — Fri, 23 Nov 2018 11:00:00 +0000

At times of dramatic change and conflict, words can become weapons. Europe is transforming: migration, economic crises and Brexit are shaking the continent鈥檚 sense of identity, and debate has turned quickly to division and misunderstanding, to angry Twitter exchanges and pumped-up political stand-offs.

Now, a new Europe-wide project led by Cambridge鈥檚 Faculty of Education and closely linked to the 探花直播 of Cambridge Primary School (UCPS) is encouraging better dialogue 鈥� by initially removing language altogether.

探花直播three-year DIALLS project (Dialogue and Argumentation for Cultural Literacy Learning in Schools) will use wordless picturebooks and short films as a stimulus for discussion by children in primary and secondary schools. Exploring their individual and collective responses to the texts within school 鈥� and with peers in partner countries from Portugal and Cyprus to Israel and Lithuania 鈥� will, researchers believe, help children understand their own cultural identities, while also recognising and respecting those of others in a fast-changing and diverse Europe.

鈥淥ur approach is to use the skills of dialogue to promote understanding,鈥� says Dr Fiona Maine, a visual literacy specialist and principal investigator for the 鈧�4.4 million project, funded by the European Union Horizon 2020 programme and involving nine universities. 鈥淭o have an effective dialogue, you need to understand other people鈥檚 perspectives and where they are coming from, and perhaps critique your own views.鈥�

Texts without words, needing no translation across borders, are an ideal stimulant for cross-cultural debate, Maine says. 鈥淭hese texts are ambiguous, and so give rich opportunities for discussion.鈥�

A preliminary collection of dozens of materials gathered from across Europe since the project鈥檚 launch in May 2018 reflects the fact that many picturebooks have resonance for readers of all ages. 探花直播Mediterranean, by the Swiss illustrator Armin Greder, is for older readers and tackles themes of displacement and violence, its beautiful charcoal images confronting the tragic reality of refugees lost at sea. Baboon on the Moon, directed by Christopher Duriez, is a quirky animated film in which a baboon is taken from the jungle to top up the moon鈥檚 light each day. At first glance, it鈥檚 more playful, yet it addresses similarly powerful notions of home and belonging that could be discussed by all ages.

探花直播next task is to whittle the initial selection down to a core set of 45 texts, likely to include some 30 books, with films and potentially artworks making up the total. It is here that children will themselves get involved in the research, with pupils at UCPS 鈥� the UK hub for the project 鈥� reviewing and choosing alongside their teachers.

鈥淪tudent voice is important in the selection,鈥� says Maine. 鈥淲e鈥檒l ask children which they like, but also which they feel give them real opportunities for discussion.鈥�

探花直播chosen texts, divided for different age groups where appropriate, will then be used by partner schools in each of the nine participant countries to stimulate discussion over 15 lesson sequences. 探花直播aim is twofold: children in 300 classes across Europe will explore their responses to the ideas prompted by the books and films, but in doing so will also develop their skills in dialogue and argumentation (the structuring of discussion by hearing and building on others鈥� points of view). These, in turn, underpin the fundamental goal of the project: to develop children鈥檚鈥渃ultural literacy鈥� 鈥� not in the sense of knowledge of a defined European culture of art and literature, but in an openness to engage with many different interpretations of it.

鈥淔or effective dialogue, in essence, you have to be tolerant, empathetic and inclusive of other positions,鈥� says Maine. 鈥淐ultural literacy is not about accessing culture, but about a disposition to engage. Through understanding your own heritage, cultural identity and values and how they are positioned, you are better able to see that actually everybody has a slightly different experience. So it is not about saying 鈥榰s and others鈥�: we are all 鈥榦thers鈥�.鈥�

Children鈥檚 exploration of this 鈥榦therness鈥� will begin in the classroom as they discuss texts with fellow pupils, moving on as the project develops to discussions with children elsewhere in their own country (in England, 30 schools will be involved at first, with more in the third year once resources on using the texts are online).

Children across Europe will be able to share their ideas using a specially created digital platform. One landmark will be a semi-virtual conference in May 2020 bringing together school students to share ideas on the themes explored in the wordless texts, leading to the creation of a 鈥渕anifesto for cultural literacy for young people in Europe鈥� to sit alongside a set of freely available resources for teachers.

Along the way, children will also develop their own 鈥榗ultural artefacts鈥� 鈥� artwork, stories or short films to be made publicly available in a virtual gallery. In the UK, participating teachers will have access to the Faculty of Education for professional development.

For UCPS, with its close ties to the Faculty and strong research mission, the DIALLS project sits perfectly with its own curriculum priorities. 鈥� 探花直播real key perhaps to the project is to connect teachers and academics and children, and doing that through different texts,鈥� says UCPS Headteacher Dr James Biddulph. 鈥淚t fits in with our school鈥檚 focus on developing compassionate citizens who are actively involved in their world.鈥�

But with its pan-European scope and ambition to promote understanding, is there a risk the DIALLS initiative could seem unduly idealistic in an era of transition, enormous complexity and debates that can seem so intractable that many in the adult world are tempted to turn away and tune out? How can we expect children to make sense of Europe and its different 鈥� and changing 鈥� cultures, when even we adults frequently seem unable to do so?

For Maine, the goal is not to find cosy solutions to the world鈥檚 problems, but to give children more tools to manage difference positively. 鈥淭his isn鈥檛 about finding answers 鈥� we aren鈥檛 trying to get people to agree, nor even to seek to agree. This is about listening and understanding. It鈥檚 about a way of being.鈥�

Read more about our research on the topic of children in the 探花直播's research magazine; download a pdf;聽view聽on聽Issuu.

As the world around us increasingly divides into 鈥榰s and others鈥�, the 探花直播 of Cambridge Primary School is taking part in a new research project to help children discover for themselves that far more unites us than divides us.

This isn鈥檛 about finding answers 鈥� we aren鈥檛 trying to get people to agree, nor even to seek to agree. This is about listening and understanding. It鈥檚 about a way of being

Fiona Maine

Linda Culverwell (ARTBASH)

Details from artwork commissioned by the 探花直播 of Cambridge Primary School featuring paintings by the pupils

Yes

Thatcher papers for 1988 reveal her 'deep enthusiasm' for the single market

sjr81 — Sat, 21 Jul 2018 07:00:58 +0000

Her speechwriting files for Bruges, including drafts and contributions from outsiders, are among more than 40,000 pages of Lady Thatcher鈥檚 papers for the year 1988 being opened to the public at Churchill College from Monday.

They show that rather than acting as a call-to-arms for Eurosceptics and attacking the principles behind the single market 鈥� of which Thatcher was something of a devotee 鈥� her speech was more concerned with the perceived power grab by European Commission chief Jacques Delors, and a possible move to a more 鈥榝ederal鈥� European 鈥榮uper-state鈥�.

Historian Chris Collins of the Margaret Thatcher Foundation, the only person to date to have read all 40,000 pages of material being released, said: 鈥淪he wanted her speech to be about direction, rather than point scoring 鈥� and she edges back from attacking the Commission, approaching it in a more intellectual style.

鈥淚 know she was uncomfortable about the venue, but we are very lucky in that few of her speeches remain in such a complete form as this.

鈥淲hen you read her papers for 1988, you see her sheer level of enthusiasm for the single market. She goes up hill and down dale with deep enthusiasm because this is practical Europe, this is how it works together. 探花直播role of speechwriter Hugh Thomas 鈥� a committed Europhile 鈥� is also crucial to consider when looking at this speech from a historical perspective.鈥�

探花直播1988 papers are the latest of Margaret Thatcher鈥檚 reign as Prime Minister from 1979-90 to be made available to scholars, researchers and the general public 鈥� alongside the papers of Sir Winston Churchill and hundreds of other leading figures at the Churchill Archives Centre.

As well as Lady Thatcher鈥檚 papers surrounding the Bruges speech in September 1988, her personal papers also reveal the emergence of plans for a possible fourth term in office, with no obvious end to Thatcherism聽in sight at that point.

However, 1988 was not without its problems聽as the government experienced a large number of backbench rebellions on controversial measures, including many with manifesto authority. When Thatcher met with the Executive of the 1922 Committee in January, she was warned that one of the things they wanted to raise with her was the 鈥榩roblem of a large majority in the House of Commons and an inadequate Opposition, leading the government being perceived as dictatorial and insensitive to criticism鈥�.

鈥淯nsurprisingly, when this point was indeed made to her face, Thatcher made an indignant response,鈥� said Collins. 鈥淭here followed a series of rebellions over benefits and the poll tax which she took very personally as relationships with the Conservative parliamentary party frayed.鈥�

Away from frontline politics, the archives for 1988 also reveal that her husband Denis went through a showbiz reception guest list with a fine tooth-comb, querying whether certain celebrities such as Paul McCartney and David Attenborough should be invited to Number 10 for a gathering of those who would be easily recognised by the public and do Mrs Thatcher much good on TV.

探花直播original list of 45 personalities was too low on numbers thought Lady Thatcher and a much longer list of more than 200 names was drawn up by former culture secretary, John Whittingdale 鈥� then political secretary to the Prime Minister.

鈥淗e (Whittingdale) was not the grizzled elder statesman of the present day,鈥� said Collins. 鈥淭his was the young man whose evening was spent watching Meatloaf at the Hammersmith Odeon and whose idea of a good party was to invite Paul McCartney, Freddie Mercury and the Jaggers.

Whittingdale, perhaps, did not聽count on the scrutinous eye of Denis Thatcher 鈥� who attacked the proposed guest list with no small amount of red ink, marking ticks against those he 鈥榳ould personally like to see included鈥� and question marks beside 鈥榯hose who, I believe, do not help'.

He went on to say: 鈥淲hilst I accept of course that not everyone who comes to our receptions are necessarily on 鈥榦ur鈥� side I find it both unpleasant and embarrassing to entertain those who publicly insult the PM. This list needs some careful checking in this regard.鈥�

His favourite name of those listed was comedian Eric Sykes who gained an expansive four ticks. Others to receive enthusiastic backing from Denis included Andrew Lloyd-Webber, Dame Judi Dench, Nick Faldo and Rolf Harris.

McCartney and Attenborough were not alone in having question marks placed next to their name. Sebastian Coe, Shirley Bassey and magician Paul Daniels all fell foul of Denis鈥� red pen.

In the end, the longer guest list was dropped in favour of the original 45 and聽the British Winter Olympic Squad 鈥� minus Eddie 鈥� 探花直播Eagle鈥� Edwards, who was double booked and unable to attend.

Margaret Thatcher鈥檚 infamous Bruges speech 鈥� which helped to coin the phrase 鈥楨uroscepticism鈥� 鈥� was never intended to be an anti-European diatribe, according to newly-released archive material by the Churchill Archives Centre and the Margaret Thatcher Foundation.

When you read her papers for 1988, you see her sheer level of enthusiasm for the single market.

Chris Collins

Margaret Thatcher Foundation

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Cambridge and LMU announce plans for strategic partnership

sjr81 — Tue, 29 May 2018 12:21:47 +0000

探花直播探花直播 of Cambridge and the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universit盲t M眉nchen (LMU) put pen to paper on a memorandum of understanding that will see the two institutions forge ever-closer links in education and research across a broad range of disciplines in the Sciences, Humanities and Medicine.

Senior leaders from Cambridge and LMU 鈥� which boast nearly 150 Nobel Laureates between them 鈥� came together over two days in Cambridge for meetings led by both the President of LMU, Professor Bernd Huber, and Cambridge Vice-Chancellor Professor Stephen Toope.

At the conclusion of the visit, officials from Cambridge and LMU signed the memorandum of understanding, which indicates the desire to develop a joint programme of strategic importance to both institutions. A full programme will be formulated by the end of the year, with a formal launch expected to take place in early 2019.

It is intended that the partnership will include joint research activities, the exchange of academic staff, postdoctoral and PhD candidates, as well as masters and undergraduate students, joint teaching initiatives, and training for the next generation of scholars. 探花直播partnership will be cross-disciplinary, covering broad areas in the Humanities and Cultural Studies, Law, Economics and Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, as well as Medicine, and will develop over the course of an initial five-year funding period.聽

Professor Chris Young, Head Elect of the School of Arts and Humanities, and Cambridge鈥檚 academic lead for the strategic partnership, said: 鈥� 探花直播LMU is Germany's leading university in Germany's leading city.

鈥淚ts outstanding scholarship and rich network of associated institutes and industrial partnerships make it the perfect bridge to Bavaria, Germany and Europe. There are already myriad collaborations between colleagues at both universities, and this exciting new partnership will intensify and augment these for years to come.鈥�

Professor Thomas Ackermann, Dean of the Faculty of Law and LMU鈥檚 Director for the strategic partnership, said: 鈥� 探花直播探花直播 of Cambridge is one of the world鈥檚 leading institutions in education, learning, and research. 探花直播strategic partnership between our universities will pave the way towards a new level of cooperation. Together with my colleague, Chris Young, we will explore an interesting array of activities to ensure the program will be a great success for both universities.鈥�

Cambridge Vice-Chancellor, Professor Stephen Toope, said: 鈥淣o single institution can provide, on its own, the answers to the great challenges of these turbulent times. Collaboration and openness to the world are essential to achieving our academic and civic missions. Our partnership with LMU, one of Europe鈥檚 finest universities, creates exciting opportunities to work together to address tough issues and provide our students with a richer education.鈥�

鈥� 探花直播strategic partnership with the 探花直播 of Cambridge, one of the leading universities in Europe and the world, will bring an exciting stimulus to research and learning at LMU,鈥� said LMU President Professor Bernd Huber. 鈥淥ur new partnership ensures that collaboration and exchange which are vital for academic innovation can continue to be pursued regardless of Brexit.鈥澛�

Two of Europe鈥檚 leading research universities have announced the first step towards plans for a unique 鈥榮trategic partnership鈥� 鈥� underlining the vital and ongoing relationship between British universities and their peer institutions across the EU in a post-Brexit landscape.

Collaboration and openness to the world are essential to achieving our academic and civic missions.

Stephen Toope

Nick Saffell/ 探花直播 of Cambridge

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探花直播last Muslim King in Spain

sjr81 — Thu, 18 May 2017 08:21:48 +0000

Based on original research, and drawing attention to the connections between the medieval Moorish king Boabdil, and current social and political concerns in Europe today, Drayson presents the first full account in any language of the Moorish sultan of Granada, and head of the Nasrid dynasty.

探花直播academic鈥檚 research has also uncovered a potential mystery regarding the final resting place of the last Muslim king in Spain. Long thought to have died in Algeria in 1494, experts are now hoping to exhume and DNA test what they believe to be the remains of the sultan beneath a derelict mausoleum in Fez, Morocco.

In the ten years before Boabdil鈥檚 fall in 1492, his kingdom of Granada was the theatre of one of the most significant wars in European history. 探花直播sultan鈥檚 territory was the last Spanish stronghold of a Muslim empire that had once stretched to the Pyrenees and beyond 鈥� including the cities of Barcelona, Pamplona and Cordoba, which had been home to paved roads, street lighting and more than 70 libraries at a time when London and other European cities were backwaters of disease, violence and illiteracy.

鈥淗ow did Boabdil change the course of Spanish history? Does he now represent what he stood for in the past? And how significant is he as a figure of resistance to the forces of western Christendom?鈥� asked Drayson, who spent three years working on her new book 鈥� 探花直播Moor鈥檚 Last Stand: 探花直播life of Boabdil, Muslim King of Granada.

鈥淭hat Boabdil was a key figure at a crucial moment in world history cannot be doubted: the current tensions between Islam and the West have their roots in his reign and in the kingdom he lost. Christian posterity has treated him with scorn and pity 鈥� viewed from the perspective of the victors. But my account presents the other side of the coin, revealing that issues of violence, tension and compromise between Muslims and Christians were as pressing then as they are now.鈥�

Betrayed by his family and undermined by faction and internal conflict, Boabdil鈥檚 defeat at the hands of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella (the parents of Catherine of Aragon) symbolised the epoch-changing transition of Granada from Islamic state to Christian territory 鈥� a moment which set Spain on course to becoming the greatest power in early modern Europe.

探花直播Christian victory marked the completion of the long Christian reconquest of Spain and ended seven centuries in which Christians, Jews and Muslims had for the most part lived peacefully and profitably together.

鈥淔ive centuries after his death, it鈥檚 timely to consider the impact of his defeat then and now,鈥� added Drayson. 鈥淏oabdil was a man of culture and war: a schemer, rebel, father, husband and brother. He was a king, yet also the pawn of the Catholic monarchs. I wanted to show why his life matters 鈥� and the meanings it now has at this time of extreme tension between the west and the Islamic states.鈥�

探花直播end of Muslim rule at the heart of Spain came to an end on January 2, 1492 when Boabdil relinquished the keys to the Moorish capital to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. 鈥淭hese are the keys to paradise,鈥� he said before leaving the city with his mother Aixa.

Legend has it that as Boabdil retreated into exile, he turned around for one final, distant look at Granada 鈥� sighed, and burst into tears. His mother, betraying little sympathy for her vanquished son, is said to have told him: 鈥淵ou do well, my son, to cry like a woman for what you couldn鈥檛 defend like a man.鈥�

探花直播鈥榣ast sigh鈥� has long been used by historians to belittle and diminish Boabdil鈥檚 legacy, ignoring 鈥� according to Drayson 鈥� the immense sacrifice he demonstrated in saving his people from certain slaughter at the hands of Ferdinand and Isabella鈥檚 irrepressible armies which encircled Granada.

鈥� 探花直播fall of Granada was of such magnitude that a mythical story was needed to explain, accept or legitimise the immense upheavals the conquest brought about,鈥� said Drayson.

According to her, Boabdil鈥檚 heroism, long repudiated by most historical commentators, is evident in his ability to recognise the futility of further resistance, and the choice he made in rejecting the further suffering, starvation and slaughter of his people. Instead, he bargained for the best terms of surrender possible, rejecting martyrdom and willingly sacrificing his reputation for the greater good.

鈥� 探花直播loss of Granada is viewed by modern writers as a prelude to the repression of the Muslim world,鈥� added Drayson. 鈥淎t a time when Europe is seeking a way of addressing issues of racial and religious intolerance, equality and freedom, we might look closely at the Spanish Muslim society of which Boabdil was the final heir, which successfully tackled some of these problems.

鈥淭oday, Boabdil represents a last stand against religious intolerance, fanatical power, and cultural ignorance; his surrender of the city and kingdom of Granada symbolised the loss of the fertile cross-cultural creativity, renewal and coexistence born out of the Muslim conquest of Spain.鈥�

Elizabeth Drayson appears at the Hay Festival as part of the Cambridge Series on Sunday, May 28 at 2.30pm on the Good Energy Stage.

探花直播history, myths and legends surrounding the last Muslim ruler in Spain 鈥� whose surrender ended seven centuries of Islam at the heart of Western Europe 鈥� is the subject of a new book and Hay Festival appearance by Cambridge academic Elizabeth Drayson.

I wanted to show why his life matters 鈥� and the meanings it now has at this time of extreme tension between the west and the Islamic states.

Elizabeth Drayson

探花直播Capitulation of Granada by Francisco Pradilla y Ortiz 1882: Boabdil surrenders to Ferdinand and Isabella

探花直播text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. For image use please see separate credits above.

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