What is the Trust about – what is our core
business? We are inheritors of a tradition that goes back to the 1950’s with
the formation of the Wyndham Place Trust and of the work from the early 1970’s
of the Charlemagne Institute, as it subsequently became known. It is a tradition
which is deeply interested in what makes for a healthy society and which wishes
to contribute to that healthiness. We do so by raising questions, by offering
contexts within which questions can be creatively addressed and debated, and by
seeking to bring together a wide range of different perspectives to bear on the
issues and challenges of our time. The issues and challenges which primarily
engage us are, in the words of our Trust Deed, driven by “a concern for peace,
world order and the rule of law and for the challenges facing
Without wishing to add unduly to the plethora
of comment on the past year, it has not been without its share of developments
relevant to our interests. The financial crash raised questions about the
economic and value foundations of western society with major implications for
the rest of the world; the election of Barack Obama was a sign of hope, though
not uncontested, for many across the world; the final resolution of the
protracted Lisbon Treaty process and the appointment of a new President of the
Council and ‘High Representative for foreign and security policy’ marked a
new stage in the long journey towards an ‘ever closer union of the peoples of
Europe’; and the Copenhagen Summit was the focus of many hopes for real change
in the environmental prospects for the planet. We became increasingly anxious
about those whom many perceive to be the ‘non European other’ and about
rights and responsibilities and saw this reflected in the European elections and
in
Behind each of these lie deep anxieties and
uncertainties about who we are and what we are becoming as a society and these
lead us to overinvest in either apocalyptic visions or in exaggerated and
misplaced signs of salvation. Not all was ever going to be resolved by
2009 Programme
Our programme in 2009 touched on some aspects
of these and other issues and we shall turn to others of them in the year ahead.
We do look to members and supporters to make suggestions for subjects to be
included in our programmes.
There were eight events in our 2009 programme
– nine if one includes the 32nd Corbishley Lecture which will
actually take place early in 2010.
We tried – successfully – a new format
with a series of three seminars under the general title of ‘Responsibility to
Protect’, addressing the legal, military and religious aspects of the
circumstances in which it may be right to intervene. The series began with
General Sir Mike Jackson and Lord Hurd of Westwell in a joint seminar with the
International Institute for Strategic Studies; this was followed by Lord Archer
of Sandwell on the legal aspects and by Professor Nigel Biggar, Regius Professor
of Moral and Pastoral Theology at
In a further development, we joined with the Institute for Public Policy Research to offer a lunchtime seminar on their publication: Faith in the Nation. This proved a great success with four speakers offering their contributions to the wide ranging discussion that followed: Francis Davis, (Fellow of Blackfriars Hall, Oxford University and now Adviser to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government), Dilwar Hussain (Islamic Foundation), George Pitcher (religious affairs editor of the Daily Telegraph and curate of St Brides) and Dr Indarjit Singh CBE (Network of Sikh Organisations).
Looking
ahead to 2010 we have a further full programme which will begin with the 32nd
Corbishley Lecture by Francis Campbell addressing EU and US foreign policies
in the light of two new Presidencies. It will continue with an EU theme by a
joint event with the Church of England to consider a document marking the 60th
Anniversary of the Schuman Declaration. That declaration took coal and
steel, the basic war making materials, out of the jurisdiction of the French and
German Governments and placed them under an independent High Authority in a move
which led to the creation of what is now the European Union. The
declaration was prefaced by these words: “World peace cannot be safeguarded
without the making of creative efforts proportionate to the dangers which
threaten it”, words that are still resonant in our own times.
We hope through the
year to offer a series of three seminars built around the ways in which Human
Rights and Equalities policies interact with Faith based perspectives and
practice. These are issues at the heart of WPCT’s core business: ‘the principles, values and beliefs which make up the European heritage’.
The Charlemagne Lecturer
in 2010 will be Mr Philip Lowe,
Director General for Energy in the European Commission who will speak on “Future
Energy Policy in a Changing Climate”, a subject of the first order of
importance in the light of the less than complete success of
We are planning a full day seminar for later in the year with the
Polish Embassy –
Full
details of each event will be circulated to members and supporters in good time
to register – and details can also be found on the website www.wpct.org –
along with reports of previous meetings.
Patrons and Council members
2009 has seen a number of changes in the membership of the WPCT Council and in our patrons.
Amongst our new senior patrons we are very glad to welcome the Rt Revd William Kenney, Auxiliary Bishop of Birmingham and European Affairs spokesman for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, who joins the Rt Revd Christopher Hill, Bishop of Guildford and Chair of the Europe Panel of the House of Bishops and Lord Sacks of Aldgate. We warmly congratulate Lord Sacks on his peerage. I am very glad to say that Lord Hannay of Chiswick CH GCMG has accepted to become a patron, bringing with him a distinguished record in the Diplomatic Service. Professor George Wedell, the first Chair of WPCT and previously Chair of the Wyndham Place Trust transferred from the Council to bring his long experience to the body of patrons
There have been changes also in the Council, with a number of very welcome new members: Mr Zaki Cooper, Dr John Pugh MP, Dr Charles Reed and Dame Rosemary Spencer DCMG, to add further layers of experience and wisdom. The Council has also said au revoir to Danny Alexander MP to Evan Harris MP and to Sir Stephen Wall, with real thanks for their many years of service to the Trust.
Partnerships
In the past year we have taken steps toward a
more collaborative relationship with a number of civil society organisations
whose interests and values overlap with our own. This is not a step towards
amalgamation, but a recognition that we can be more effective in our own aims by
working co-operatively for example in joint events, mutual sharing of mailing
lists, cross linking our websites and collaboration on dates of events. Our
experience in 2009 of partnership with the Institute for Public Policy Research
and the International Institute for Strategic Studies has been very positive and
we are looking to extend this in 2010 to other organisations including Faith
in
Our
needs in 2010
All of this represents a remarkable level of
activity from a small organisation consisting of people with many other
responsibilities and commitments. I will be happy to defend our programme in
2009 and prospectively in the year ahead as a real contribution to the healthy
society that I mentioned earlier. A healthy society is one in which there is a
high level of discussion and debate – an ‘argumentative democracy’ in a
phrase by Dr Rowan Williams in which many voices and perspectives are
represented. The recently amended legislation which governs charities requires
that there be demonstrable public benefit. In my view the Wyndham Place
Charlemagne Trust amply provides this.
There is, however, more that is necessary to
the continuing health of Trusts such as ours, especially in a financial climate
of the kind that we are currently experiencing. I am constantly struck by the
stupendous sums of money that are mentioned as the small change of the business
and public sector activities, comparing these with the miniscule sums that are
available to the multitude of Third Sector organisations which contribute so
much to the health of our society.
WPCT has only two sources of the finances that
are essential to our continuing existence: membership subscriptions and
donations; and small grants and sponsorship from Trusts and organisations. We
are very grateful indeed to those of our members whose regular subscription by
bankers order already provides us with ongoing support from year to year.
Our main costs are administrative – we are substantially dependent on
the extensive work of our Executive Secretary – and those associated with the
hire of venues and associated costs for our events.
You will see from our
accounts that we currently do not have any significant reserves and
although we are looking for grants for our 2010 programme, I appeal to all
members to contribute financially and in other ways:
·
Contribute your £30.00
annual subscription as early in the year as possible – if you have not already
arranged for this to be paid by bankers order, a form is attached to enable you
to do this
·
If you wish to make an
additional donation, that would be gratefully received
·
Where appropriate use the
Gift Aid processes to add to the value of your donation
·
Consider making a legacy
in your will to WPCT
·
Let the Treasurer know of
any Trusts or charities that might make grants for WPCT purposes.
·
Suggest to friends and
colleagues that they consider becoming subscribing members of WPCT. We are very
keen to interest younger people in our activities and gain from their insights
in broadening and rejuvenating both form and content of our events – so please
consider offering gift membership to younger family members and asking them to
publicise the Trust among their student friends
·
Attend as many WPCT
events as possible
Those who become members will not only receive
priority invitations to events but also be included on our electronic mailing
list which regularly circulates information on events and publications in