The winners of the Morgan Stanley Great Britons Awards were announced last night at a ceremony at London's Guildhall. The entrants were nominated by the British public. There were 11 judges.
Category winners were:
THE ARTS - Dame Helen Mirren, DBE
BUSINESS - Stuart Rose
CAMPAIGNING - Laurie Pycroft
CREATIVE INDUSTRIES - Sir David Attenborough, KBE
PUBLIC LIFE - David Robinson, OBE
SCIENCE & INNOVATION - Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys, KBE
SPORTS - Zara Phillips, MBE
SPECIAL ENVIRONMENT AWARD - Sir Nicholas Stern, KBE
Overall Great Briton 2006:
Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys, KBE
The 57 year old professor pioneered a DNA based method of biological identification, an invaluable means of identifying criminals, errant fathers and victims of crimes and disasters. It is also crucial in the development of cloning. The techniques form the basis of the National DNA Database. A single hair is enough to provide a DNA profile.
The judges felt it would be hard to find a British scientist who has had so much impact on human life.
All the winners make one proud to be British. Information about category winners can be found in the pages of today's Telegraph.
In a week when we are commemorating the 300th anniversary of the Act of Union, without diminishing one's sense of being a Yorkshireman and an Englishman, one hopes to be able to identify oneself as British - and,without being in favour of European Union, in being European.
Without insincerity also a world citizen, a unique human being part of the family of man.
Showing posts with label british. Show all posts
Showing posts with label british. Show all posts
Friday, January 19, 2007
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Act of Union 1707
The Acts of Union were a pair of Acts of Parliament passed in 1706 and 1707 (taking effect on 1 May 1707) by, respectively, the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland. The acts were the implementation of the Treaty of Union negotiated between the two kingdoms. The Acts created a new state, the Kingdom of Great Britain, by merging the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland together. The two countries had shared a monarch since 1603, but had retained sovereign parliaments. The Acts of Union dissolved both Parliaments and replaced them with a new Parliament of Great Britain, based at Westminster, the former home of the English Parliament.
In 1999, after almost three centuries, a Scottish Parliament was opened after a referendum in Scotland. The new parliament does not have the same powers as the old parliament, as Scotland remains a constituent member country of the United Kingdom.
A commemorative two-pound coin will be issued to mark the 300th anniversary of the Union, which occurs 2 days before the Scottish Parliament's election.
Today, the anniversary of Scotland agreeing to the Union, David Cameron mounts a staunch defense of the union. This follows a similar appeal from Gordon Brown at the weekend. The union has been endangered by the devolution of power back to Scottish and Welsh parliaments in recent years creating demands for an English parliament too. If the Scottish Nationalists take overall control in Scotland in May they are proposing a referendum in Scotland on the issue of Scottish independence. Writing in the Telegraph today Bill Cash MP argues for a nationwide referendum on the issue, plus a similar referendum in Wales and one on the United Kingdom's membership of the European Union saying "These are all interconnected". "The 300th anniversary of the Act of Union and the 50th anniversary of the European Union provide an appropriate constitutional opportunity to reaffirm by democratic consent in a UK referendum the underlying principle of the constitution of the United Kingdom".
As we approach another Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity perhaps we could coin the slogan "A United Church for a United Kingdom".
In 1999, after almost three centuries, a Scottish Parliament was opened after a referendum in Scotland. The new parliament does not have the same powers as the old parliament, as Scotland remains a constituent member country of the United Kingdom.
A commemorative two-pound coin will be issued to mark the 300th anniversary of the Union, which occurs 2 days before the Scottish Parliament's election.
Today, the anniversary of Scotland agreeing to the Union, David Cameron mounts a staunch defense of the union. This follows a similar appeal from Gordon Brown at the weekend. The union has been endangered by the devolution of power back to Scottish and Welsh parliaments in recent years creating demands for an English parliament too. If the Scottish Nationalists take overall control in Scotland in May they are proposing a referendum in Scotland on the issue of Scottish independence. Writing in the Telegraph today Bill Cash MP argues for a nationwide referendum on the issue, plus a similar referendum in Wales and one on the United Kingdom's membership of the European Union saying "These are all interconnected". "The 300th anniversary of the Act of Union and the 50th anniversary of the European Union provide an appropriate constitutional opportunity to reaffirm by democratic consent in a UK referendum the underlying principle of the constitution of the United Kingdom".
As we approach another Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity perhaps we could coin the slogan "A United Church for a United Kingdom".
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Believing Britain
On the Radio 4 "Sunday" programme this morning there was an interview with Ian Bradley about his latest book which caught my attention. Ian is usually used by the BBC for his knowledge of hymns. He is on the staff of St Andrews University where we visited in the summer. There he is assistant minister at the Church of Scotland church.
Ian Bradley Reader in Practical Theology
Ian Bradley teaches and publishes in the areas of contemporary British Christianity, Celtic Christianity, worship, hymnody, religion and popular culture and pastoral care.
Career:
B.A., M.A., D.Phil., University of Oxford
B.D., University of St Andrews.
Staff journalist on The Times.
Head of Religious Broadcasting, BBC Scotland
Author of over 30 books, regular broadcaster and journalist
Teaching Areas :
Christianity in contemporary Britain; hymnody, liturgy and worship; pastoral care; spirituality; the theology of musical theatre; monarchy, church and state.
Research fields:
Hymnody; Britishness – spiritual identities; the theology of the musical.
Recent publications:
You’ve Got to Have a Dream – the message of the musical (USA & UK, 2005)
Oh Joy! Oh Rapture! The Enduring Phenomenon of Gilbert and Sullivan (USA & UK, 2005)
God Save the Queen: The Spiritual Dimension of Monarchy (UK, 2002 & 2003)
Colonies of Heaven: Celtic Models for Today’s Church (UK, 2000, published in USA under the title Celtic Christian Communities – Living the Tradition)
Believing in Britain: The Spiritual Identity of 'Britishness' by Ian Bradley (Author)
Synopsis:Why is there such intense interest today in the idea of 'Britishness'? Does it really matter, and what is 'Britishness' anyway? Why does the notion of 'being British' seem to have most resonance amongst recent immigrant - especially Asian and Afro-Caribbean - communities? And why is that 'traditional' British values now seem to be most widely practised and cherished by newcomers, not by the dominant majority? This book answers these vital questions by making a unique contribution to the current debate about British identity. It investigates why Liverpool is the most British of UK cities, with a regional accent representing a medley of Welsh, Scots, Irish and English; how a small village off the M6 motorway is arguably Britain's spiritual heart; and what theme parks, airport shops and eating habits have to tell us about the contemporary national character. It is often claimed that Great Britain is one of the most secular nations on earth. But - controversially - Ian Bradley argues that Britishness is best envisaged as a series of overlapping identities which are at root religious. He views the 400 year-old Union Jack, with its overlaid crosses of three of the nation's four patron saints, as symbolising the United Kingdom's unparalleled combination of unity in diversity, the diversity of a society which now embodies Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist and many other - including secular - traditions. He goes on to argue that 'Britishness' has special value as a broad church measure of spiritual and cultural inclusiveness - and as a positive alternative to fundamentalism, narrow nationalism and jingoism. The author explores in separate chapters the distinctive contributions to Britishness made over the centuries by the Celtic traditions of the Welsh and Irish, the Anglo-Saxon strain of tolerance and freedom associated with the English, the moral seriousness of the Scots, and the characteristics of exuberance, modesty and privacy introduced by new black and Asian Britons. Published to coincide with the three hundredth anniversary of the 1707 Act of Union, his book offers a number of radical proposals. These include re-designing the Union flag to incorporate a black cross on a gold background, to better reflect the hybridity of contemporary Britain, and replacing George, Andrew and Patrick with a new trinity of patron saints - Columba, Bridget and Edward the Confessor. Ian Bradley contends that a rejuvenated BBC, monarchy and Commonwealth all have a part to play in forging a new sense of British identity which combines myth, imagination and tradition with a broad, open-minded inclusivity and respect for difference. Believing in Britain makes a consistently thoughtful and challenging contribution to one of the most important discussions of our time.
Good stuff!
Ian Bradley Reader in Practical Theology
Ian Bradley teaches and publishes in the areas of contemporary British Christianity, Celtic Christianity, worship, hymnody, religion and popular culture and pastoral care.
Career:
B.A., M.A., D.Phil., University of Oxford
B.D., University of St Andrews.
Staff journalist on The Times.
Head of Religious Broadcasting, BBC Scotland
Author of over 30 books, regular broadcaster and journalist
Teaching Areas :
Christianity in contemporary Britain; hymnody, liturgy and worship; pastoral care; spirituality; the theology of musical theatre; monarchy, church and state.
Research fields:
Hymnody; Britishness – spiritual identities; the theology of the musical.
Recent publications:
You’ve Got to Have a Dream – the message of the musical (USA & UK, 2005)
Oh Joy! Oh Rapture! The Enduring Phenomenon of Gilbert and Sullivan (USA & UK, 2005)
God Save the Queen: The Spiritual Dimension of Monarchy (UK, 2002 & 2003)
Colonies of Heaven: Celtic Models for Today’s Church (UK, 2000, published in USA under the title Celtic Christian Communities – Living the Tradition)
Believing in Britain: The Spiritual Identity of 'Britishness' by Ian Bradley (Author)
Synopsis:Why is there such intense interest today in the idea of 'Britishness'? Does it really matter, and what is 'Britishness' anyway? Why does the notion of 'being British' seem to have most resonance amongst recent immigrant - especially Asian and Afro-Caribbean - communities? And why is that 'traditional' British values now seem to be most widely practised and cherished by newcomers, not by the dominant majority? This book answers these vital questions by making a unique contribution to the current debate about British identity. It investigates why Liverpool is the most British of UK cities, with a regional accent representing a medley of Welsh, Scots, Irish and English; how a small village off the M6 motorway is arguably Britain's spiritual heart; and what theme parks, airport shops and eating habits have to tell us about the contemporary national character. It is often claimed that Great Britain is one of the most secular nations on earth. But - controversially - Ian Bradley argues that Britishness is best envisaged as a series of overlapping identities which are at root religious. He views the 400 year-old Union Jack, with its overlaid crosses of three of the nation's four patron saints, as symbolising the United Kingdom's unparalleled combination of unity in diversity, the diversity of a society which now embodies Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist and many other - including secular - traditions. He goes on to argue that 'Britishness' has special value as a broad church measure of spiritual and cultural inclusiveness - and as a positive alternative to fundamentalism, narrow nationalism and jingoism. The author explores in separate chapters the distinctive contributions to Britishness made over the centuries by the Celtic traditions of the Welsh and Irish, the Anglo-Saxon strain of tolerance and freedom associated with the English, the moral seriousness of the Scots, and the characteristics of exuberance, modesty and privacy introduced by new black and Asian Britons. Published to coincide with the three hundredth anniversary of the 1707 Act of Union, his book offers a number of radical proposals. These include re-designing the Union flag to incorporate a black cross on a gold background, to better reflect the hybridity of contemporary Britain, and replacing George, Andrew and Patrick with a new trinity of patron saints - Columba, Bridget and Edward the Confessor. Ian Bradley contends that a rejuvenated BBC, monarchy and Commonwealth all have a part to play in forging a new sense of British identity which combines myth, imagination and tradition with a broad, open-minded inclusivity and respect for difference. Believing in Britain makes a consistently thoughtful and challenging contribution to one of the most important discussions of our time.
Good stuff!
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