ESU NewsTHE ENGLISH-SPEAKING UNION Creating global understanding through English

ISSUE No. 130 MARCH 2007

Telephone : 020 7529 1550 Fax : 020 7495 6108 Email : esu@esu.org Web : www.esu.org

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Lord Ashdown's distinguished career includedthe Royal Marines where he saw active serviceas a Commando Officer in Borneo and thePersian Gulf with command of a Special BoatSection in the Far East, followed by a spell in theForeign Office. He was an active member of theLiberal Party, serving as Leader of the LiberalDemocrats for 10 years, after which he becameinvolved with the conflict in Bosnia andHerzegovina, culminating in his appointment asHigh Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovinaand the European Union Special Representativefrom May 2002 until January 2006.

This year's Churchill Lecture took place in themagnificent surroundings of the Livery Hall ofthe Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths in the

City of London, with its richly decorated mouldedceiling and a backdrop of spectacular ceremonialgold plate. Representatives from Embassies,High Commissions and Government, as well as ESU members and their guests, filled the hall to capacity to hear Lord Ashdown's speech entitled: The problems, perils, challenges andopportunities of Globalisation. Since Churchill'sday, English has become not just the languageof the English speaking peoples but the language of the globe. This was the first step in the process of increasing globalisation.What are the opportunities and challenges thisprocess brings to individuals, to states and tothe structures of governance today?

Continued on page 2.

Lord Ashdown Delivers Churchill Lecture The ESU was delighted and honoured when Lord Ashdown agreed to be Speaker at the 31st Churchill Lecture held on 30 November 2006, the very birthday of Sir Winston Churchill.

Contents

Churchill Lecture .Page 1

Churchill Lecture

cont'd . . . . . . . . . .Page 2

Lindemann

Fellowships . . . . . .Page 3

John Smith

Memorial Mace . .Page 3

Schools Debate . .Page 3

Christmas

Concert . . . . . . . .Page 4

Mongolian

Evening . . . . . . . .Page 4

English in Action .Page 5

Alumni Debate . . .Page 5

Calling Alumni! . . .Page 5

Bulgarian Visit . . .Page 6

St Petersburg

Conference . . . . .Page 6

Capitol Hill

Briefing . . . . . . . .Page 7

New Faces . . . . . .Page 7

From the Archive .Page 7

Diary Dates . . . . .Page 8

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Lord Ashdown Delivers Churchill Lecture continued

Drawing on Sir Winston Churchill's book, River War, which givesan account of the desert conflict of that time, Lord Ashdown setout to “contemplate the gap between conquest and dominion” setagainst the background of the present-day conflict in Iraq.

He said: “The Iraq experience - and to an extent that ofAfghanistan too - represents the triumph of hubris, nemesis andabove all an amnesia over common sense and past experience. In both of them we have, to a greater or lesser extent, abandonedpast lessons in favour of what Churchill would have recognised as a 'gun boat' diplomacy approach to peace making. And it isn'tworking.”

Lord Ashdown stated: “There are no good routes - only painful ones- out of the disaster which the Coalition has brought upon itself inthat country.” Despite this, he did not believe that nothing positivecan now emerge.

Lord Ashdown's closing remarks best describe his thought-provokinginsight into his view for the future: “The good news is that, despitethe excesses of Churchill's desert war and the pain of our morerecent ones, if we can learn to do it better, we will get our fingersburnt less - and in the process may make the world a much saferand less painful place than it is at present.”

The Rt Hon The Lord Hunt of Wirral, ESU Chairman, introducedLord Ashdown and Lord Watson of Richmond, Chairman EmeritusESU International Council, gave the Vote of Thanks.

Mr Winston S. Churchill, grandson of Sir Winston, presented LordAshdown with the ESU Churchill Medal of Honour. Mr Churchillsaid: “It is a very great privilege to present this distinguished medalas a token of our great respect and deep gratitude for LordAshdown's continued support of the English-Speaking Union.”

A full copy of Lord Ashdown's speech, The problems, perils, challenges and opportunities of Globalisation, can be found on the ESU web page, www.esu.org under 'News and Events' or fromanne-hodgson@esu.org

L-R: Lord Hunt, Mr Winston S. Churchill, Lord Ashdown and Lord Watson

Lord Ashdown receives the Churchill Medal of Honour from Mr Winston S.Churchill

Lord Hunt presents Lord Ashdown with 'A History of the English-SpeakingPeoples' by Sir Winston Churchill

L-R Roger Cornwell, Vice Chairman, East Region, Mrs Ann Carley,Chairman ESU Cambridge Welland Valley, Mr Robert Carley, Andrew andJanet Percival, Cambridge Welland Valley and Valerie Mitchell

David Thomas, ESU Governor and Honorary Treasurer (left) with WilliamMarsden, former British Ambassador to Argentina and member ESULondon Branch

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Teams Compete to Represent EnglandTeams from 24 institutions battled it out to represent their countryin the 2006 ESU John Smith Memorial Mace for England, theNational Universities Debating Competition.

The contest, which took place over two days in November atDartmouth House, saw teams from Cambridge, Durham and Oxfordreach the Final to debate the motion This House believes thatEngland needs a Parliament.

Congratulations to Sam Block and Adam Bott from the University ofCambridge who, as the winning team, will represent England in theInternational Final between Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales.Like the national championships in England and Scotland, thisyear's international event, to be held in Dublin, is generously sponsored by Baillie Gifford, a leading Scottish independent investment firm.

Well done also to Richard Goodman of the University of Oxford whowas the highest ranking individual speaker. Special thanks go tothis year's Mace convenor, Sarah Monroe, for her hard work andsupport.

Lindemann Trust FellowshipsIn January, the Lindemann Committee metat Dartmouth House to interview this year'sshortlisted candidates for the LindemannTrust Fellowships. They were joined by ESUDirector-General, Valerie Mitchell, Directorof Education, Elizabeth Stokes, andFinancial Controller, Ronald Dellal.

Fellowships are offered to graduates ofexceptional promise in both the pure andapplied physical sciences and are amongthis country's foremost science prizes.

The interview panel comprises some of themost prestigious science academicians inBritain including representatives of theRoyal Society. They are: The Rt Hon TheEarl of Stockton (Chairman), ProfessorRoger Cowley, Professor David Edwards, Sir John Enderby, Professor Sir FrancisGraham-Smith, Dr Martin Grossel,

Professor Sir Roger Penrose and ProfessorRobert Williams.

Three scholarships were awarded. The successful candidates were Juliet Biggsfrom Oxford University, Dr Wasim Malikalso from Oxford and Dr William Irvine from the University of California at SantaBarbara.

Each Fellow will receive a grant ofUS$30,000 to enable them to undertake scientific research in the United States for a year. Juliet Biggs will be researchingVolcanic Deformation at the University ofMiami, Dr Malik will be conductingresearch in Electrical Engineering at MIT. Dr Irvine's research topic is The Physics of Colloids and Emulsions in ComplexSolvents; he will be working at New YorkUniversity. We wish the Fellows well andlook forward to their reports.

Final reports from the 2005-06 Fellows, Dr Gareth Funning, Dr Jonathan Keelingand Dr Bridget Wade were submitted to theCommittee. Dr Wade expressed gratitudefor the Fellowship and concluded that shehad a very productive year at RutgersUniversity. Dr Funning spent his Fellowshipyear at the Berkeley SeismologicalLaboratory in California studying earth-quakes. His report concludes: “I am verygrateful for the opportunity to broaden my academic horizons that a LindemannFellowship has given me. I believe that the relationships I have forged and theexperience that I have gained will stand me in good stead for a successful career in science.”

2006 John Smith Memorial Mace for England winners Sam Block (left)and Adam Bott

Schools DebateThe Dartmouth House Debating Society's first meeting of 2007took place on 10 January, when some of the best school leveldebaters in England tackled the motion This House would join the1000 people who emigrate every day from the UK.

The six speakers, Ben Woolgar, Claire Moulange and ConanMcKenzie in proposition, and Ben Lewy, Thomas O'Reilly and EmilyPearce in opposition, debated using a special version of WorldSchools format, which included six minute speeches and a floordebate.

The motion was eventually defeated by a narrow margin. Manythanks to all of the speakers who took part.

For more information on the Dartmouth House Debating Society,please contact: vivienne_thomson@esu.org Clockwise: Conan McKenzie, Claire Moulange, Ben Woolgar, Ben Lewy,

Thomas O'Reilly, Emily Pearce

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Christmas Concert The ESU's annual Christmas Concert took place on 12 December2006 at Dartmouth House, in aid of the Music Scholarship Fund.Singers from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, under the direction of Sarah Hodkinson, provided seasonal music, andreadings were given by Mr Don Miller, ESU London Branch as well as ESU Debating, SSE and Music alumni. The concert was followed by a reception with mince pies and mulled wine and enthusiastic singing around the piano, led by the choir.

Left: Singing around the piano at the Christmas Carol Concert

Mongolian Cultural Evening

A magnificent Mongolian evening, hosted by the ESU, was attended by HE Mr Dalrain Davaasambuu, the MongolianAmbassador, on 24 January. Providing a head-turning, eclectic mix of performances, artwork and cuisine, it offered guests theopportunity to sample the unique Mongolian culture.

Colourful artwork by artists included the esteemed TsedendashiinDavaakhuu who is renowned in Mongolia for his artistry. His son, the well respected calligrapher, presented his work anddemonstrated the art of Mongolian script on the night.

Valerie Mitchell welcomed guests, emphasising the important roleMongolia played in creating global understanding through English.The Mongolian Ambassador also addressed a few words.

Dr David Sneath, director of Studies in Archaeology andAnthropology for Corpus Christi College, then delivered an enlightening lecture on the history and culture of Mongolia offering a valuable insight into the country's civilisation.

Introduced by Mrs Orkhon Gantogtokh, Director-General, ESUMongolia, guests were treated to delightful performances of horsehead fiddle and traditional dance which was followed by a spectacular contortionist routine.

Mr. Simon Moyle, founder member of ESU Mongolia, gave the Voteof Thanks and auctioned a painting raising a worthy amount ofmoney for the debating activities of ESU Mongolia.

The evening was rounded offwith traditionalMongoliandumplings complemented by authenticMongolian vodka.

Proceeds from the evening will go towards ESUMongolia's programmes.

Renowned Mongolian calligrapher, Sukhbaatar Davaakhuu, at work

A Mongolian contortionist holds the assembled company spellbound

Simon Moyle, ESU London Branch, David Watson, ESU Colchester, HE MrDalrain Davaasambuu, Geraldine Watson, Valerie Mitchell, DirectorGeneral and Mrs Orkhon Gantogtokh, Director-General ESU Mongolia

A concert given by horse head fiddlers

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Champions Turn Out for Alumni Debate A number of top debaters turned out to speak at the ESU's annualAlumni Debate on 4 December, as part of the Dartmouth HouseDebating Society's series of events. They included former champions and finalists of the ESU's John Smith Memorial Maceand Schools Mace, and several former members of the BritishDebate Squad, who tackled the motion This House would becomeself-sufficient.

Members of the 40-strong assembled audience were given theopportunity to participate in a number of floor speeches.

Second proposition Richard Osborne and Nick Pacheco were eventuallydeclared champions and duly presented with champagne and booktokens. Afterwards the assembled crowd enjoyed complimentarymulled wine and mince pies in the Dartmouth House Bar.

The Dartmouth House Debating Society Alumni Debate

English in Action Coffee Morning

Tutors and students from the English in Action programme met at Dartmouth House in early January for coffee and cake. This

programme provides one-on-one conversational English classes forstudents new to the language. Volunteers from English in Action inSchools also attended. These volunteers work with small groups ofprimary school children to improve their fluency in spoken English.

The coffee morning was an opportunity for volunteers and studentsto meet and share their thoughts and experiences with staff fromthe Education Department. It also allowed staff to say thank you toour valued volunteers.

James Probert, Deputy Director of Education and Head of theCentre for Speech and Debate, gave a welcome speech and introduced Alison Wheatcroft, volunteer founder of the English in Action in Schools programme. Alison stressed how beneficialboth initiatives were to those new to the UK and thanked the volunteers for all their hard work.

The event was attended by several students new to English inAction, who then paired up with tutors. All are looking forward to the Spring term of English in Action, which promises to be asuccess.

For more information no the above-mentioned programmes, pleasecontact Katherine Plummer on katherine_plummer@esu.org

English in Action tutor, David Lennon, with students Fenty Saraswaty andDara Arief

Calling ESU Alumni ! We are always interested to hear stories of your experiences.

Don't forget the Alumni Reunion on 26 March, 6 - 8 pm!

In addition, should you feel able to support us with a donationtowards the Alumni Association, it will be much appreciated. We look forward to hearing from you.

Contact: Alison Wardrop Email: alison_wardrop@esu.org Tel: 020 7529 1550

Left: Two of our alumni, (left) Anthony Conway (SSE 1959) and Richard Logan (SSE 1963) were invited to

the annual Buckingham Palace Award Ceremony to thank them for their generous support for the ESU Alumni Association

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Support the ESUIf you would like to strengthen the ESU’s ever increasing educational programme by a donation or a legacy in your Will,

please contact Jo Wedderspoon at Dartmouth House, 37 Charles Street, London, W1J 5ED, telephone 020 7529 1550, email jo_wedderspoon@esu.org.

Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Lord Watson, in his capacity as Chairman Emeritus of theInternational Council of the English-Speaking Union, made his firstofficial visit to Bulgaria in November. He was received by HE MrGeorgi Pirinsky, Speaker of the Bulgarian Parliament. He alsoattended the annual Bulgarian Business Leaders' Forum (BBLF)where he met and talked to the Bulgarian Minister of ForeignAffairs, Mr Ivaylo Kalfin.

Lord Watson gave a presentation on The Rise and Rise of Englishto students and teachers of the British and American StudiesDepartment of St Kliment Ohrdiski University of Sofia. This formed

part of the annual academic St Kliment Readings 2006. He alsogave a lecture, From the English-speaking People to an English-speaking World - marking the 400th anniversary of Jamestown, the first English settlement on the American continent, to a wideraudience of diplomats and civil servants at the Diplomatic Instituteof the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Members of ESUBulgaria were present on both occasions.

Dr. Mihail Tachev, Executive Director of SS Cyril and MethodiusInternational Foundation and Patron of ESU Bulgaria, presentedLord Watson with an Honorary Diploma.

Other highlights of the trip included a concert of the NewSymphony Orchestra, at which he was a guest of the BritishAmbassador, a dinner in his honour given by Mr Mihail Tachev andvisits to Rila Monastery and the Archeological Museum in Sofia.

Special thanks go to the British Ambassador to Bulgaria, Mr Jeremy Hill, and Mrs Hill who hosted Lord Watson's stay.Thanks also go to Dr Mihail Tachev for his help in structuring LordWatson's stay, to Mr Ian Stewart, Director of the British Council inSofia, Dr Maxim Behar, Chairman of the Bulgarian BusinessLeaders’ Forum, Mr Boyko Vassilev of the Bulgarian National TVand Mrs Veronika Antova, Head of Protocol of the BulgarianParliament, for their welcome support.

We are grateful to Professor Milan Milanov, Director of theDiplomatic Institute of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mrs TanyaMihailova, Head of Public Activities and Cooperation at theInstitute, and Dr Tatyana Stoicheva, Head of British and AmericanStudies Department of St Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia, all of whom were instrumental in organising Lord Watson's lectures.

Lord Watson with Bulgarian Education Minister Daniel Vulchev

Lord Watson Visits Bulgaria

St Petersburg ConferenceIn September, The Rt Hon Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, formerSecretary General of NATO, invited Margarita Mudrak, formerPresident of the ESU International Council and Chairman of ESURussia-St Petesburg along with ESU Director-General ValerieMitchell to a breakfast meeting in the City.

The purpose was to discuss an agenda for a conference entitledAspects of Globalisation.

The conference will be held in St Petersburg on Tuesday 20 May2008.

Further information will be available in due course.

Lord Robertson with Valerie Mitchell and Margarita Mudrak

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Two new recruits have recently joined the ESU team at DartmouthHouse.

Alison Wardrop has been appointed Alumni Officer. She has previous ESU experience having worked in New York City for ESU-US in Development and International Programmes. Alison has a Masters in Art History and in Classical Studies from St Andrews University in Fife, which is very near her family homein Perthshire, Scotland. She has made the move from over theBorder to London and is very excited to be working for ESULondon. She looks forward to meeting the Alumni. Her interestsinclude Art (painting and drawing), galleries, and Classics. Shelives in Wimbledon, which could prove very convenient as she alsohas a strong love of tennis - and running.

Jo Wedderspoon, formerly Alumni Officer, will now be concentratingsolely on Corporate Members and Sponsors.

Gillian Parker has joined the organisation as Cultural Affairs Officer.Originally from County Down in Northern Ireland, she moved toLondon to study three years ago and has recently completed herdegree in English Literature and Drama at Royal Holloway,University of London. Having a strong interest in all the arts, Gillianwas delighted to undertake the role of Cultural Affairs Officer and isvery much looking forward to working on the programme ahead.

Gillian Parker (left), Cultural Affairs Officer and Alison Wardrop, Alumni Officer

New Faces

Eleven UK university students spent a day at Dartmouth House in January to be briefed on their involvement in the Capitol HillProgramme. This offers internships in the office of a congresspersonor senator, giving participants the opportunity to gain first-handexperience of the American political system.

This year's interns heard talks from ESU staff including ElizabethStokes, Director of Education, and Alison Wardrop, Alumni Officer.Chris Dunnett, Assistant Cultural Attaché at the US Embassy, delivered an interesting lecture on the workings of Congress. Thestudents then heard from programme Alumni including MehreenMalik (2005), Jonathan Bailey (2006) and Jatin Sharma (2006),who took part in a discussion about their experiences on the Hill. The Washington DC placements will run from June-August and willinclude the chance to attend Speakers' Series lectures and a rangeof briefings, hearings and receptions.

For more information about the ESU Parliamentary ExchangeProgramme, please contact vivienne_thomson@esu.org.

Alumni and interns at the Capitol Hill Briefing Day

Capitol Hill Briefing

From the Archive …80 years agoTransport is never far from the news and aLandmark article in 1927 suggests justhow difficult it was to see anything much ofBritain except from a train. The automobilerevolution, the term 'car' does not feature,saw the ESU creating its own automobileservice. American visitors were able to stepstraight into an 11h.p. Morris-Cowley onarrival at Southampton, Liverpool orPlymouth, with all the paperwork arrangedfor 30s per day or £9 per week. If this carwas too conservative, an Austin 12 or anArmstrong-Siddeley 14 could be had, oreven a Buick for 9d per mile.

The ESU Travel Bureau also drew up itineraries and made hotel reservations forthe less adventurous free spirits - and itwas easy, they suggested, to keep expensesunder £1 per day. Membership of the AA orRAC was an optional, though recommendedextra, “No sane person motoring in Englandthinks of dispensing with either”.

If this warning seemed ominous, a chauffercould be provided, although with theDaimler, he came at a price - £7 per day.

American visitors appeared, on average, to“give no more than three days to England”,so it was important to pack in as much aspossible. Itineraries were planned toCornwall and North Wales and through theCotswolds, all hotels tried and tested byESU members to avoid those which “keepon in a very old style”. And if your innertube blew out along the way your “accountwas credited with the cost of the newtube”. What service.

Telephone : 020 7529 1550 Fax : 020 7495 6108 Email : esu@esu.org Web : www.esu.org

Unless otherwise stated we regret that no refunds can be made for cancellations within seven working days of an event.

For members: We accept payment for Dartmouth House events andmembership subscriptions by credit/debit cards. Cards bearing Visa,

Master-Card, Maestro, Switch, Solo or Delta symbols can now be used to make bookings by post, telephone or email.

DARTMOUTH HOUSE Telephone : 020 7529 1550

Diary Dates

ADVANCE NOTICE

MARCH

Wednesday 7 March at 7.00 pmEconomics Debate at Dartmouth House To be added to the guest list please contact vivienne_thomson@esu.org

Monday 12 March at 3.15 pmCommonwealth Day Observance 2007, at Westminster Abbey.This event is now fully booked Please contact Jacqueline Abbott to go on the waiting list

Tuesday 13 March at 7.00 pmLiterary Lecture with Sir Donald Hawley at Dartmouth HouseSir Donald Hawley, a distinguished Arabist and former ESUGovernor, takes a revealing look at the here and now of theUnited Arab Emirates in his new book The Emirates: Witness to a Metamorphosis.Contact: Gillian Parker

Wednesday 14 March 10.30 - 11.30 amCoffee Morning at Dartmouth House for members and theirfriends Contact: Jacqueline Abbott

Thursday 22 March 12.15 for 12.30 pmLiterary Luncheon with Hugo Vickers Hugo Vickers will talk on his acclaimed book Elizabeth: The Queen Mother.Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing.Tickets: £32 to include a 2-course lunch, wine and coffeeContact: Gillian Parker

Monday 26 March 6.00 - 8.00 pmAll Alumni Reunion at Dartmouth House. 80th Anniversary SSE(BASS) and 20th Anniversary US Parliamentary Exchange(Capitol Hill).All Alumni are invited and guests are welcome. Guest tickets £15Contact: Alison Wardrop

APRIL

Wednesday 4 April at 7.00 pmMPs' Debate at Dartmouth House To be added to the guest list please contact vivienne_thomson@esu.org

Wednesday 11 April 10.30 - 11.30 amCoffee Morning at Dartmouth House for members and theirfriends Contact: Jacqueline Abbott

Wednesday 18 April at 7.00 pmLiterary Lecture with H C von Sponeck who will be presentinghis book A Different Kind of War. Once one of the UN's mostsenior and respected officials, Sponeck offers a well-informedsurvey of the political developments in Iraq. Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing. Tickets: £8 to include a glass of wine. Contact: Gillian Parker

MAY

Wednesday 9 May 10.30 - 11.30 amCoffee Morning at Dartmouth House for members and their friends Contact: Jacqueline Abbott

Wednesday 9 May at 6.30 pmLecture at Dartmouth House by Ann Nevill on The Vision ofStanley Spencer in aid of the ESU Chilton Art HistoryScholarship. Tickets £17.50, to include a glass of wine.Reception 6.30 pm, lecture 7.00 pm Contact: Jacqueline Abbott.

Thursday 17 May International Public Speaking Competition Final. With over 60 participants from more than 30 countries this promises to be another exciting competition. Members are welcome toDartmouth House to see the heats from 9 am. Contact: Katie Brock

Thursday 24 May at 7.00 pmLecture at Dartmouth House in aid of the ESU American ArtsScholarship to Attingham. Judith Barter, Field-McCormickCurator of American Arts at the Art Institute of Chicago, willspeak on The Art Institute of Chicago: One of the World'sGreatest Art Museums. This museum presents a collection spanning 5000 years of artistic expression. Tickets: £7.50 to include a glass of wineContact: Gillian Parker

Thursday 31 May - Monday 4 JuneThe Launch of ESU Moldova will take place from 31 May - 4June inclusive, in Chisinau. A cultural programme will precedethe formal Launch, which is on 4 June Contact: Katie Brock

Tuesday 3 JulyHouse of Lords Tea Party 3.30-5.00 pmThe Rt Hon The Lord Hunt of Wirral MBE will receive guests on the Terrace of the House of Lords. This is a popular event and early booking is essential. Guests' names will need to be submitted in advance. Tickets: £25 Contact: Gillian Parker