The first meeting of the term was a very successful one, addressed by the former Bishop of Rochester and Durham, the Rt Rev Michael Turnbull.

Bishop Michael Turnbull served as Bishop of Rochester from 1988 to 1994 and Bishop of Durham from 1994 to 2003. The latter is the fourth most senior appointment in the Church of England, with a seat in the House of Lords. In office he made a notable contribution to the administrative reorganisation of the Church of England.

The last meeting of the Spring Term was a lively gathering attended by at least 200 people, both from within and from outside the College. Ann Widdecombe proved a most thought-provoking speaker on the subject of ‘Faith in Politics’ and then took questions on a wide range of issues.

The Society held its second meeting of the term this week, when the speaker was Professor Gary Sheffield of the University of Birmingham.

On Friday 3 February one of the most recently created Liberal Democrat life peers, Baron Stoneham of Droxford, addressed members of the St John’s College Politics Society on the subject of ‘Politics, Journalism and the Coalition’.

On Friday 3 February one of the most recently created Liberal Democrat life peers, Baron Stoneham of Droxford, will be addressing the St John’s College Politics Society on the subject of ‘Politics, Journalism and the Coalition’.

This is the first Society meeting of the Spring Term, and follows the address of Lord Fowler in November. Lord Stoneham is well qualified to speak on both politics and the press, having been a Labour, Social Democrat Party and Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate and, from 2003-10, serving as the Liberal Democrats’ Operations Director under the leadership of Charles Kennedy and Nick Clegg.

On Thursday 3 November Government and Politics students received a visit from Keith Taylor, one of two Green Party representatives from the UK to be elected to the European Parliament. Elections to the Parliament are organised on a regional basis and Keith represents the South-East, a large and diverse area.

Our Politics Society welcomed Sir Bernard Ingham as guest speaker on Thursday 6 October.

Sir Bernard Ingham became Margaret Thatcher's Chief Press Secretary in 1979 and remained in post until 1990. Known for his directness of manner as well as his well-honed presentational skills, the man who handled the press for the Iron Lady did not disappoint. The audience enjoyed a number of anecdotes which illustrated the character and achievements of Mrs Thatcher. Afterwards a number of our students had the opportunity over lunch to quiz Sir Bernard further about his time at the centre of great national events.