1. The Noughties, for most of us, has been the decade which has shaped our lives the most. For many it
will be the decade of disappointment, of anger, and of disaster. There have been wars, recession and
reality TV. We have seen the rise and fall of Bush and Blair, lost a planet, found Myface, searched for
Google, hunted Osama, and believed in Obama. It's been a long, tough and costly decade. So let’s
look at what defined it:
1. 9/11
The worst domestic terrorist attack in American history, over 3000 lives lost. The outpouring
of emotion and solidarity with America was global. Few could have seen the events it
preceded and the paradigm shift in the security agenda of the world it caused. 9/11, from
every perspective is arguably the most significant world event since the fall of Communism.
Through striking conspiracy theories to the deck of cards, 9/11 has been the most significant
event of this decade, and likely the coming century.
2. Bush and Blair
Two men are responsible for the decade being one of the most violent, intolerant and angry in
recent history. The transatlantic Alliance hasn’t been stronger since WWII but this allegiance
produced such hate, war, and death, that many of us will remember as defining our
generation. This deceptive duo were architects of the War on Terror, Guantanamo bay, Iraq &
Afghanistan. For 8 years this decade was cursed by Bush and Blair’s “special relationship”;
and the end result is a decade and generation united in mutual hate for them both.
3. Rise of the EU, India and China
While the decade has been dominated by North Atlantic foreign policy, this economic decade
has been far more hopeful outside the states. The past ten years have seen the fall of the
American dream and the rise of an Euro-Asiatic future. The EU is now the world’s largest
economic actor with China and India booming even in the midst of recession. These powers
will continue to grow in prominence as the Lisbon treaty reshapes Europe and the Asian
markets continue to boom. The arrival of 3 major players in the world defined the last decade
and will shape the next.
4. War, Terror, Lies and Death
The 60’s had Vietnam and in the Noughties we have the War on Terror. The wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan have generated controversy for so many reasons that it has politicised our
generation. These wars built on lies and deception from those already mentioned created the
pain, anger and hatred from which the deaths of the hundreds of soldiers fighting in the
Middle Eastern crusade of the war on terror were caused. Death and deception are all that
surrounds the illegal wars of this decade, wars which are still killing our soldiers with no end
in sight, wars our leaders still support against our will.
5. Boom and Bust – from the Richest the world has ever been to the Credit crunch
This decade has seen the world rise to the richest it has ever been, with boom in the west,
rapid development in the east, property bubbles and consumerism gone mad. But sandwiched
between the .com, Boom/bust and the Credit Crunch those golden years seem so far away.

2. The collapse of the US Subprime mortgage market, bad bankers, and the property bubble
popping has left the world in a depression so deep that it may take to the middle of the next
decade before the golden years return. Three words sum up this economic decade: Boom,
Bust and Bankers.
6. GoogleWik / TweeBoMyFace
In the Noughties we discovered Google, and through Google we discovered everything else.
Everything else includes Wikipedia, a site that has transformed our discovery of knowledge
and has become a bible for the digital age. It's one part of an even larger and more important
development. Web 2.0, which is the social networking and user generated online spaces
joined by millions this decade, has been a revolution of all fronts, and a threat to everything
that preceded it.
Social networking has been an interesting journey, from bebo and MySpace in the early years
of this decade to the hyper-site that is Facebook. At some point we have all been hooked and
most of us still are. Our entire decade is online, personal but not private, we have signed up
our lives to web and the fine print was only 140 characters long.
The Internet has in this decade been more influential than all other mediums combined, it has
elected presidents, toppled the charts, organised massive protests and undermined the
monopolies of retail, print, music and film. EBay, blogs and Torrents; the memoirs for our
decade can be found in only one place, cyberspace.
7. Fantasy and Reality
One of the most positive aspects of this decade is in the entertainment field, the triumph of
Sci-fi and Fantasy. From Dr Who’s return, to Lost and Lord of the Rings, not forgetting
Heroes, Halo, and Harry Potter. Every major book, TV series, video game and nearly all of
the biggest blockbusters of the decade have been of these two genres. As a fan we have had
the richest and most successful decade possible. It's simply been fantastic.
....and on the other hand, we have X factor, Big brother and I'm a Celeb. Reality TV has been
a buzzword for the Noughties and when the papers are looked at 50 years from now they will
detail every moment of our obsession with it. X factor has topped the charts, Big Brother held
hostage a generation, created (and killed?) Jade Goody, and heralded the rise and fall of
Jordan.
8. Global Warming, Global failure, Tsunamis and Katrina
The Naughties has seen the environmental consciousness rise to the top of the political and
social agenda. From the millions who felt the Heat in 2003, to those who suffered at the hands
of Katrina. This decade has seen many attempts to save and warn the world against its greed,
the inconvenient truth being that all attempts have failed to incur action from those
responsible. The Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004 caused such catastrophic damage that for the
first time it showed we’re not asking our children to inherit the Earth. We’re also asking them
to save it because we are unable to do so.

3. 9. Civil partnerships gained, Civil Liberties Lost
Anti discrimination laws, age of consent, section 28 gone, civil partnerships legal, it's been an
important decade in the progress of some civil rights. But for many this decade will be seen as
the most intrusive and intolerant in recent memory. Our civil liberties in the wake of the war
on terror, here and around the world have diminished. In Britain we are in a big brother
society, with cameras and systems of surveillance, detention without charge, stop and search,
ASBO’s and the nanny state eroding our civil liberties throughout this decade. To hope this
can be reversed or halted in our future is worth imagining.
10. Obama & Jackson
In the last two years two events seem to define and capture the end of this decade and provide
hope for the future. While sad, the death of Michael Jackson caused an outpouring of emotion
and respectful remembering of a star who in death defied the convention and controversies
that surrounded him in life; his death was a moment to capture from this decade.
“Yes we can”, a sentiment of hope and the chorus for a new generation. For many the election
of Barack Obama and the incredible campaign which encompassed so much that has defined
this decade, was a journey of hope that could heal much of what had divided us in the past
and make the next decade a better place to live in. Obama and Jackson were important not
just because of colour or achievement but of their capacity to transcend, to unite and inspire
the world in grief, hardship and in triumph. These are qualities we should look to emulate and
remember in the coming decade.
Robert Richardson