School_Matters_Issue_34

11

Sarah Olney, MP

Sarah Olney, MP for Richmond Park, joining us via Zoom, outlined how she became an MP, a “typical week”, and some of the local and national issues she campaigns on, such as the fight against inequality and climate change. She also explained how Covid-19 has changed her role and regretted that it was the opportunity to meet her constituents that she missed the most. Impressive questioning from her politically engaged VI audience concluded the session, focusing on topics of local interest such as vehicular access to Richmond Park, as well as matters of national concern such as the Government’s pandemic response, and ‘cancel culture’.

Mr Matthew Lesh

Matthew Lesh is Head of Research at the Adam Smith Institute and author of Democracy in a Divided Australia (2018). A regular contributor to TV and radio, he has also written for The Times, Daily Telegraph, The Spectator and the Huffington Post. His lecture explored the many ways in which life has improved over the past 50 years: poverty rates have fallen; life expectancy has increased; the number of deaths from conflict and

homicide have fallen; the proliferation of nuclear weapons has declined; literacy rates have improved; progress in gender equality has been made; and vaccinations, clearly most recently, have proved of incalculable benefit. Examining why we tend to have a negative view of the world, Mr Lesh accentuated the positives. Even though COVID-19 may have paused this, he argued there is still much to look forward to.

© Public Domain

© Creative Commons

Geoff Lerner , a Geologist from the Earth Observatory of Singapore, joined us via Zoom from the island city- state, to give fascinating insights into his work as a volcanologist. He explained the key stages involved in studying a volcano, gripping pupils with anecdotes of visits to active volcanoes to gather data. Topics featuring in the lively Q&A which followed ranged from the ethics of attracting visitors to active volcanoes to an unmissable discussion of the physics involved in the hypothetical death of a cow “sucked into” lava. Geoff responded with detailed and insightful responses and a good dose of humour!

Professor John Charmley , historian, serves as Provost of St Mary’s University in Twickenham and is author of the best-selling and controversial Churchill: The End of Glory (1992). As well as outlining why he thinks Churchill does not deserve all the admiration he receives, Professor Charmley’s lecture compared current incumbent Boris Johnson to both Churchill and Benjamin Disraeli in considering the role of the Prime Minister. Many probing questions followed from the floor and elicited the speaker’s views on topics such as the future of the NHS and the current state of Britain’s democracy.

© Public Domain

Roz Savage was the first woman to row solo across the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Roz gave a fascinating insight into the lessons she had learned during her adventures and delivered some fantastic advice to pupils on how to cope with adversity. She explained that it is our actions that give us courage and that we cannot sit back and wait for courage; we have to go out and find it! She also delivered sage advice on how to cope in lockdown, following the recent publication of her book The Gift of Solitude . It was a most inspiring talk.