The People's Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast
Rebuilding Bridges With The Russian People
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Episode notes
It’s a very powerful statement, blocking out the name of a Russian city because of the invasion of Ukraine, but 'is it really a wise, balanced and measured move? Wouldn’t it be better to just freeze the link? Twinning connects two towns, to share resources, culture etc., cutting ties is perhaps very final and overly excessive.
Is the suspension of the twinning a PR stunt, shouldn’t we instead recognise that there is still a link? It’s very likely that the connections are still there personally on a human level, so what is this really about?
Listener Tony, from New Hinksey, Oxford, England, really gets things going with this question he’s sent in:
“You may have covered this but I see on the signs when entering Oxford, that the city is twinned with a large number of cities and towns across the world. The twinning with Perm in Russia has been blacked out, possibly because of the Ukrainian invasion? Is it right to walk away from this connection?”
Your co-hosts Stuart and William believe this is a bigger issue than it may appear at first glance. This podcast is about broadening out narratives and the narrative certainly needs exploring with this. So though the connection with Perm has been suspended and not cancelled permanently, these established and valuable connections are going to help rebuild bridges in the future.
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This podcast's overall themes are nature, philosophy, climate, the human condition, sustainability, and social justice.
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