The new millennium began with fireworks, and in the same month reached the very peak of the dot.com bubble.  The prolonged economic malaise resulting from the market crash was to influence many of our economy-based conferences.  The attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York on 11 September 2001, and the subsequent invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, opened up security, terrorism, and relations with and within the Middle East for discussion, and the effects of these actions continue to colour our programme. 

 

With regard to the United Kingdom, domestic security and terrorism are also recurring themes, as well as the issues of national identity, immigration, and the examination of the social and constitutional reform programme of the Labour government.