#currentaffairsmeeting — Public Fediverse posts

Current Affairs discussion group: Open Forum

🗓️ Start: Thu 21 May 2026 10:30 am
⏳ End: Thu 21 May 2026 11:30 am

With so much going on at the moment, both domestically and around the world, it’s time once again to open the floor to all of you – our members – to share your thoughts on any topic you wish. Whether it’s making the headlines right now, or it’s been squeezed out by everything else, why not come along and give it an airing!

If you haven’t yet done so, there’s still time to join our mailing list, which will ensure that you receive those all-important Zoom log-in details… just click here: Subscribe to the Current Affairs group

https://u3acommunities.org/event/current-affairs-discussion-group-open-forum-2/

Current Affairs discussion group: Open Forum

🗓️ Start: Thu 21 May 2026 10:30 am
⏳ End: Thu 21 May 2026 11:30 am

With so much going on at the moment, both domestically and around the world, it’s time once again to open the floor to all of you – our members – to share your thoughts on any topic you wish. Whether it’s making the headlines right now, or it’s been squeezed out by everything else, why not come along and give it an airing!

If you haven’t yet done so, there’s still time to join our mailing list, which will ensure that you receive those all-important Zoom log-in details… just click here: Subscribe to the Current Affairs group

https://u3acommunities.org/event/current-affairs-discussion-group-open-forum-2/

Finding the Truth in the Fog of War

🗓️ Start: Thu 16 Apr 2026 10:30 am
⏳ End: Thu 16 Apr 2026 11:30 am

For more than a month now, the world has held its breath ever since the Middle East was plunged into another deadly conflict between its most hard-line of sworn enemies. And as the cost in lives continues to mount, so has the fiery rhetoric, proving the old adage that the first casualty of war is Truth. But when none of the key players – Trump, Netanyahu, nor the Iranians – can be trusted to give it to us straight, how can we, as mere onlookers, navigate today’s multi-media minefield to get to the true facts behind the barrage of spin, disinformation, and bare-faced lies that make up the so-called ‘Fog of War’. And that’s our topic this month.

If you haven’t yet done so, there’s still time to join our mailing list, which will ensure that you receive those all-important Zoom log-in details… just click here: Subscribe to the Current Affairs group

https://u3acommunities.org/event/who-can-we-believe-in-the-fog-of-war/

Finding the Truth in the Fog of War

🗓️ Start: Thu 16 Apr 2026 10:30 am
⏳ End: Thu 16 Apr 2026 11:30 am

For more than a month now, the world has held its breath ever since the Middle East was plunged into another deadly conflict between its most hard-line of sworn enemies. And as the cost in lives continues to mount, so has the fiery rhetoric, proving the old adage that the first casualty of war is Truth. But when none of the key players – Trump, Netanyahu, nor the Iranians – can be trusted to give it to us straight, how can we, as mere onlookers, navigate today’s multi-media minefield to get to the true facts behind the barrage of spin, disinformation, and bare-faced lies that make up the so-called ‘Fog of War’. And that’s our topic this month.

If you haven’t yet done so, there’s still time to join our mailing list, which will ensure that you receive those all-important Zoom log-in details… just click here: Subscribe to the Current Affairs group

https://u3acommunities.org/event/who-can-we-believe-in-the-fog-of-war/

Electoral Reform

🗓️ Start: Thu 19 Mar 2026 10:30 am
⏳ End: Thu 19 Mar 2026 11:30 am

With the Middle East in flames and oil prices soaring, a significant piece of legislation – the ‘Representation of the People’ Bill – attracted little attention when it was debated in parliament earlier this month. Among several proposed reforms, the most far-reaching would be the extension of voting rights to 16/17-year-olds. You may agree or disagree with that, but much of the commentary afterwards focussed on what wasn’t in the Bill – our electoral system itself. As Britain’s political landscape continues to fragment, our long-standing ‘first-past-the-post’ system is increasingly delivering outcomes that are ever-further removed from the true balance of public opinion in the country today. So, at this month’s meeting, we’ll be discussing the pros and cons of replacing FPTP with a more proportional voting system. For more information, take a look at these recent articles: ‘After Gorton & Denton: The case for PR’ and ‘Restoring democracy: Labour’s challenge’

If you haven’t yet done so, there’s still time to join our mailing list, which will ensure that you receive those all-important Zoom log-in details… just click here: Subscribe to the Current Affairs group

https://u3acommunities.org/event/electoral-reform/

The Future of the BBC

🗓️ Start: Thu 19 Feb 2026 10:30 am
⏳ End: Thu 19 Feb 2026 11:30 am

In 2027, the BBC will reach a historic milestone, having been established by Royal Charter exactly a hundred years ago. Under the terms of that Charter, its remit must be formally renewed by the Government every ten years, including a statutory period of public consultation. That process began in November, and will continue throughout 2026, but the consultation period ends next month, hence the timing of this meeting. Among the issues up for discussion are the BBC’s mission in a broadcasting environment which is constantly evolving, the services it provides, its integration of new and emerging technologies, its governance and accountability, its workplace culture, and last – but by no means least – how the BBC should be funded, going forward. Surveys repeatedly show that our demographic (the over-65’s) are the most loyal consumers of the BBC’s output, so we should take the opportunity to have our say. For more information, take a look at this helpful article from the BBC website: BBC Charter review (Katie Razzall, 16/12/25)

If you haven’t yet done so, there’s still time to join our mailing list, which will ensure that you receive those all-important Zoom log-in details… just click here: Subscribe to the Current Affairs group

https://u3acommunities.org/event/the-future-of-the-bbc/

Good News Stories from 2024

🗓️ Start: Thu 19 Dec 2024 10:30 am
⏳ End: Thu 19 Dec 2024 11:30 am

As another year draws to a close, and the nights draw in, it can sometimes feel like the most significant events of the last twelve months were all doom and gloom. So instead, as the festive season beckons, let’s raise our spirits by taking a look back at some of the good news stories of 2024. Whether they’re of global, national, or even just local interest where you live, this is your opportunity to share them with the rest of us, so why not join us for an hour of uplifting conversation!

If you haven’t yet done so, there’s still time to join our mailing list, which will ensure that you receive those all-important Zoom log-in details… just click here: Subscribe to the Current Affairs group

https://u3acommunities.org/event/good-news-stories-from-2024/

The Middle East Crisis: Stepping Back from the Brink

🗓️ Start: Thu 21 Nov 2024 10:30 am
⏳ End: Thu 21 Nov 2024 11:30 am

A year on from the brutal Hamas incursion into southern Israel, the bloody chain of events it triggered has left tens of thousands dead across the region, and has brought Israel and its arch-enemy Iran to the brink of war. Diplomacy has failed, peace talks have stalled, and now the impending return of Donald Trump to the White House has added even more uncertainty to this seemingly intractable crisis. So is there any hope of avoiding what some are already calling a new Armageddon. What do you think? Why not join us for an hour of lively discussion about this most divisive of issues.

If you haven’t yet done so, there’s still time to join our mailing list, which will ensure that you receive those all-important Zoom log-in details… just click here: Subscribe to the Current Affairs group

https://u3acommunities.org/event/next-current-affairs-group-meeting-thursday-21st-november/

Assisted Dying: The End of Unnecessary Suffering, or a Slippery Slope Towards Execution of the Unwanted?

🗓️ Start: Thu 17 Oct 2024 10:30 am
⏳ End: Thu 17 Oct 2024 11:30 am

Our subject for this month’s meeting could hardly be more topical, coinciding as it does with the introduction, in the House of Commons, of Labour MP Kim Leadbeater’s Private Member’s Bill to legalise assisted dying for the terminally-ill in England & Wales. While all previous attempts, most recently in 2015, have always been decisively voted down, public opinion in favour of a change in the law has only hardened, and especially so since Esther Rantzen joined the campaign. So the outcome this time is expected to be much closer. But what do you think? Why not join us for an hour of lively debate on this most contentious of issues!

If you haven’t yet done so, there’s still time to join our mailing list, which will ensure that you receive those all-important Zoom log-in details… just click here: Subscribe to the Current Affairs group

https://u3acommunities.org/event/next-current-affairs-group-meeting-thursday-17th-october/

America at the Crossroads: The Battle for the White House, and Why it Matters so Much More This Time Around

🗓️ Start: Thu 19 Sep 2024 10:30 am
⏳ End: Thu 19 Sep 2024 11:30 am

By popular demand, the Current Affairs Discussion Group is up and running again, so we’re looking forward to welcoming back some of our old friends, and hopefully many new ones as well. And for this, our first meeting, the topic could hardly be more momentous. In barely two months time, Americans will cast their votes for one of two candidates whose sharply divergent opinions on how the country should be run, and its role in the wider world, are dividing the electorate perhaps more than at any other time in modern US history. Who will win is anybody’s guess, but of one thing we can be certain – whichever way it goes, the consequences for America, and the rest us, will be far-reaching. So why not join us as we look ahead – nervously! – to the outcome.

If you haven’t yet done so, there’s still time to join our mailing list, which will ensure that you receive those all-important Zoom log-in details… just click here: “Subscribe to the Current Affairs group”

https://u3acommunities.org/event/current-affairs-discussion-group-grand-re-launch-meeting/