24-27 August 2015: Mediating Conversations about Conflict at the Festival Fringe: The Church, the Constitution and the Climate
An evening of dialogue about conflict, hosted by leading mediator John Sturrock. Featuring music with a house band, food and, more importantly, conversations with distinguished guest speakers about important contemporary issues where conflict abounds.
Monday 24th August: ‘Theology Today: Can we take the Bible both literally and seriously?’ Thoughts about today’s theology, with Very Rev John Chalmers, formerly Moderator of the Church of Scotland, Rev Scott McKenna, Mayfield Salisbury Church, Edinburgh, Rev Canon Dave Richards, Rector, St Pauls and St Georges Church, Edinburgh
Wednesday 26th August: ‘England and Scotland: can we live interdependently, whatever happens?’ Reflections on the constitutional situation with John Swinney MSP, First Deputy Minister, and Bernard Jenkin MP, Chair of Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, House of Commons
Thursday 27th August: Carbon Dependence: can we wean ourselves off fossil fuels quickly enough to survive? Conversations about climate change, with John Ashton, commentator and former UK envoy on climate change, Tessa Tennant from Our Voices, George Marshall, author of Don’t Even Think About It: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Ignore Climate Change and Alastair McIntosh, author of Hell and High Water.
The purpose of these events is to explore how to deal with disagreements and to talk about some of the effective ways which good negotiators and mediators adopt to help bring about real progress in disputes – and to change lives.
We want the audience to be engaged too, and to bring issues which they are finding difficult. There is no pressure to participate!
