Deutsch-Britische Gesellschaft Ruhr e.V.

Winston Churchill is arguably the most renowned British Prime Minister of all time. The man is anything but uncontroversial, however: An unmatched, inspiring leader during the hardship of the Second World War, Churchill infamously also was in favour of eugenics as well as the use of chemical and biological weapons against German cities during the war. Our very own treasurer Volker Köster is giving us a lively talk on this difficult giant of British history.

Summer is in recess yet again - so perhaps you might be looking for something to do tonight?

Come along and discuss with us the controversial figure of Winston Churchill, a man almost too complex to fit into a single life.

The talk takes place as usual, i.e. at the VHS Essen, 6.30pm.

Picture by Yousuf Karsh, colorisation : Madelgarius - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

Tonight's session has modern in its focus - and the violent past it shared with the United Kingdom in much of the 20th century. Prof Fearghal McGarry's lecture, though, is just as much about reconciliation between the two states ever since the groundbreaking Good Friday Agreement of 1998.

Any plans for this Wednesday night? If not, look no further!

BBC-Producer Julian Mark Dismore will talk to us about his exciting TV career filming undercover documentaries, death defying stunts and dangerous animals all over the world.

He has directed numerous TV and Hollywood stars in his primetime series for broadcasters including BBC1, Discovery, Animal Planet, National Geographic and Netflix. He’s travelled the world making wildlife, police and undercover documentaries and experienced many incredible adventures on the way. In this talk he shows clips from his programmes and photographs from his career. He’s had numerous life endangering incidents and reveals the challenges making TV in the toughest environments.

In showbusiness they say never work with children and animals – Julian has done both at the same time and has the emotional scars to prove it!

This Wednesday, 6.30 pm, at the VHS Essen as usual.

Our lecturer tonight is the historian Adrian Tinniswood.

Adrian tells us the story of the golden age of the country house, the first decade of the 20th century. It was a time of very privileged living for a privileged few, of course, yet one that has made its indelible imprint on the kingdom's collective memory.

A truly glorious shot of one of Lincoln's landmarks 🤩

A brilliant blue sky over Exchequergate Arch 💙

Fingers crossed for some more sunshine this weekend!

Any plans for this Wednesday? If not, we got something for you:

Aaron Eames is going to give a lecture about Oscar Wilde, the prototype of dandyism and witty sarcasm at once. Aaron is a member of the Oscar Wilde Society and editor of its newsletter, so he's without doubt the perfect one to discuss all things with us.

Despite Oscar Wilde’s prediction before his death in 1900 that the British could not stand it if he outlasted the nineteenth century, he has lived on triumphantly well into the twenty-first. His works are continually re-issued and adapted, his story is endlessly examined in biography, film and scholarship, and he is routinely memorialised and celebrated in the public sphere. Through his works, which are full of sparkling witty remarks, his dramatic rise and fall from
the pinnacle of success to the depths of prison, and his concern with style and the art of living, this talk considers why a aesthete continues to possess such international appeal.

Belfast is quite a sight, isn't it? 😮🤩

What a beautiful sunset over Samson & Goliath 😍💛

📸 instagram/aaronz0drone

It's a year full of elections around the globe - and in the autumn, the will see its own general election, too.

Our guest tonight is just the right one to discuss all things with us: Edward Goodger is a lecturer in comparative politics at the University of Manchester and a keen observer of political trends across Europe.

Christmas party season is upon us - and yesterday, we celebrated ours 🥂
From all of us at the Deutsch-Britische Gesellschaft Ruhr, a merry Christmas and a happy New Year to you! 🎄🎇

Have you been to Norwich's historical streets and Elm Hill in particular yet?

Norfolk's capital is too often overlooked when it comes to tourist destinations in the UK, but it certainly deserves to be ranked among the top spots 🤩

Now in November nearer comes the sun
down the abandoned heaven.
~ D. H. Lawrence

Low late Autumn sun and long shadows on Elm Hill in Norwich.

Our lecture tonight is all about the current situation of the as a devolved state, particularly 's position in it.

Our speaker Brian Taylor is the former BBC Scotland Political Editor and current columnist of the Glasgow daily The Herald.

His main point: Devolution has worked better than mostly noticed and ought to be held in higher regard compared with outright independence.

Morgen Abend in/nahe bei und noch nichts vor? Dann hätten wir da was:

Der ehemalige Politik-Chefredakteur der BBC in , Brian Taylor wird bei uns zu Gast sein und uns über die aktuelle Position des Landes innerhalb des Vereinigten Königreiches informieren - das gibt sicherlich eine mitreißende Diskussionsrunde!

18.30 Uhr im Kleinen Vortragssaal der VHS Essen

The Herald | Award-winning columnists and opinion writers List of our columnists

Belfast ist bekannt für seine vielfältigen, aufwändigen Wandmalereien - schon gesehen? 🙂

Belfast community secures funding for murals and area improvements The newly established Cavehill Business Association is planning to create three more positive murals

Tonight, Prof Prathivadi gives us a talk on the intricate interdependencies between the protection of the environment and the preservation of peace. He is a specialist in environmental and and currently serves as Head of Department of Studies and International Development at the University of Bradford.

We're back from the summer recess!

Next Wednesday, 16 August, we'll be happy to welcome Professor Prathivadi Anand for his talk about "The dream of peace and sustainability: Unpacking some of the complexities".

In his work, Prof. Prathivadi focusses on the complex interdependencies of the urban economy, the environment and sustainability and their relevance for peace.

The lecture will take place as always at the VHS Essen at 6.30pm.

Professor Prathivadi Anand Professor-Public Policy & Sustainability

Unser nächster Vortragsabend steht an:

Am kommenden Mittwochabend, 19. April, 18.30 Uhr berichtet unser Mitglied Frank Müller MdL (übrigens frisch in unseren Vorstand kooptiert), der zugleich auch Mitglied in der deutsch-britischen Parlamentariergruppe des nordrhein-westfälischen Landtages ist, von den aktuellen Aktivitäten in NRW "beyond Brexit".

Wie immer in der VHS Essen 🙂

Auch hat bei den Kandidierenden nachgefragt. Das Ergebnis findet ihr hier https://bit.ly/3jOoEmD (Link auch in Bio).

Heute haben wir Mark Wilkins zu Gast.

Der gebürtige Engländer stammt aus der Grafschaft East Sussex und ist vor mittlerweile 15 Jahren aus sprachlicher Begeisterung nach Deutschland gekommen. Wiewohl seinem Ziel, die kniffelige deutsche Grammatik zu durchdringen schon sehr nahe gekommen, hält er uns heute Abend einen englischsprachigen Vortrag über das Leben von Prince Philip.

Diese schöne Kampagne der britischen Vertretungen in Deutschland spricht uns ganz aus der Seele😊

All you need is... ! 💕🎼

Unser Herz 💗 gehört heute am unseren deutschen Partnern und Freunden. ❤️🥰🇩🇪

Uns verbinden Geschichte, Wirtschaft, Wissenschaft, Kultur und vieles mehr. 🏛🏙🎨

Wir hoffen, dass die Deutsch-Britische Freundschaft 🇩🇪❤️🇬🇧 in Zukunft noch weiter wachsen und gedeihen kann. 🌱

🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

Wir haben heute Abend den scheidenden britischen Generalkonsul in Düsseldorf, Rafe Courage zu Gast.

Rafe schildert seine Erfahrungen aus einigen Jahrzehnten Tätigkeit für den diplomatischen Dienst des Vereinigten Königreichs und diskutiert mit uns seinen persönlichen Ausblick auf die deutsch-britischen Beziehungen.

Kommenden Montagabend schon was vor?

Prima! Dann haben wir etwas anzubieten: Rafe Courage war fünf Jahre lang britischer Generalkonsul in Düsseldorf - und damit auch während der besonders turbulenten 'Initial Years of Brexit'.

Zum Ende seiner Amtszeit werfen wir gemeinsam mit Rafe einen Blick auf die Ereignisse in den deutsch-britischen Beziehungen zurück, die die letzten Jahre geprägt haben, aber natürlich auch einen Blick voraus. Der Eintritt ist selbstverständlich kostenlos.

Wann: Montag, 13. Februar, 18.30 Uhr
Wo: VHS Essen, kleiner Saal (Raum E 11)

Unser neues Jahresprogramm ist online!

Das Programm zum Download sowie alle weiteren Informationen zu uns finden sich stets aktuell unter www.deg-ruhr.org 🇬🇧🇩🇪

The day after the night before.

Heute Abend begehen wir unsere Weihnachtsfeier und zugleich mit zweijähriger Verspätung unser 70. Jubiläum im Parkhaus Hügel. Bei uns - wenn auch coronabedingt leider nur digital - ist der vormalige deutsche Botschafter in London und ständige Vertreter Deutschlands bei den Vereinten Nationen, Thomas Matussek.

Ein in jeder Hinsicht umstürzendes Jahr liegt hinter uns allen - und wir verspüren gerade jetzt in diesen unruhigen Zeiten unser Anliegen, zur deutsch-britischen Freundschaft beizutragen. Großbritannien ist und bleibt einer unser wichtigsten Partner gerade im Angesicht sicherheitspolitischer Bedrohungen, und es kann überhaupt kein Zweifel an der Verlässlichkeit unserer britischen Freunde geben.

Doch beide Seiten, das Vereinigte Königreich ebenso wie Deutschland, können gerade nach der Kalamität des Brexits gar nicht genug dafür tun, einander besser zu verstehen, und dazu wollen wir unseren Beitrag leisten; so, wie in den zurückliegenden 72 Jahren auch.

Wir hoffen, viele von Ihnen und Euch bei unseren Veranstaltungen im kommenden Jahr zu sehen; unser Programm ist schon jetzt hier verfügbar: https://www.debrige.de/netzwerk/essen/

We wish a happy season and a very merry Christmas to you all 🎅🤶

A bit of history, perhaps?

The People's History Museum in Manchester, anyway, is definitely a must when you're visiting Cottonopolis.

The 1922 general election result was significant for the Labour Party. Though the Conservatives won, Labour succeeded in winning 142 seats, and for the first time in their history became the largest opposition party, surpassing the Liberals.

In this election, Shapurji Saklatvala became the first Labour MP of colour. He was hated by the press not only because he was a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain, but because he dared to speak out against the British Empire in Parliament as someone who had migrated from India. The Daily Mail even referred to Saklatvala as ‘a determined and implacable enemy of the Union Jack and British Imperialism.’

Read more about Saklatvala’s life and work in our latest blog by PHM Researcher Dr Shirin Hirsch: https://bit.ly/3SU6QW8

Dr Shirin Hirsch will also be appearing on BBC Radio 4 on Friday 18 November at 11.00am as part of new series ‘Britain’s Communist Thread’. The first part, ‘Little Moscow’, will discuss the relationship of internationalism and anti-imperialism to communism in the inter-war years and will include conversation on Saklatvala. Mark the date on your calendars!

Image: Saklatvala speaking to a crowd in Trafalgar Square, Communist Party photo collection, Labour History Archive & Study Centre.

Heute Abend bei uns zu Gast: Donna Carroll von der Universität zu Maastricht. Donna zählt sehr zu unserer Freude zu unseren regelmäßigen Redner*innen; denn sie ist eine von jenen seltenen Naturwissenschaftler*innen, die nicht nur fachlich versiert sind, sondern die Inhalte ihres Fachs auch laienverständlich vermitteln können.

Heute erzählt sie uns von der Suche nach universellen Maßen, und welchen Einfluss das auf die Globalisierung gehabt hat.

Um 18.30 Uhr in der VHS am Burgplatz, kommt vorbei!

All the best to 'Auntie' from us, too 🎊😀

🎈 Happy 100th to the BBC! All the best from British Pathé 🎈
Here's a special collection to mark the milestone: http://ow.ly/hzgX50L3nvH

With Liz Truss's resignation, she becomes the shortest-serving PM in British history. We look back at some other contenders: http://ow.ly/Nuzj50LgwzC