Wednesday 19th February 2025 -How to Survive a Diplomatic Crisis, and other Lessons

About the talk:
Is a diplomat’s life really as glamorous as a royal visit, or as dramatic as a coup
d’état in Turkey? Leigh Turner is a former British ambassador who led posts in
Ukraine, Turkey and Austria. In a witty globe-trotting adventure through one of the
most intriguing careers a person can have, Leigh will talk about his interactions with
royalty of both the aristocratic and celebrity kinds, and with brilliant and extraordinary
people, and the lessons we all can draw from this – whether aspiring diplomats or
non-diplomats. Based on his new book “Lessons in Diplomacy: Politics, Power and
Parties” (Bristol University Press, September 2024) Leigh will do a deep dive into key
lessons such as “How to survive a crisis”, “How to handle politicians”, “How to know
people”, and “How to grapple with a legacy of colonialism”. Have you ever wondered
what diplomats and ambassadors really do, or how to become one? Leigh Turner will
be happy to explain.


About Leigh Turner:
Leigh Turner is a writer based in London. He was UK Ambassador to Austria and UK
Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Vienna from September 2016 to
September 2021. Leigh’s previous roles were as HM Consul General Istanbul and
Director General for Trade and Investment Turkey, Central Asia and South
Caucasus; HM Ambassador in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Director of Overseas Territories in
London, responsible for territories including St Helena, the Falklands and Bermuda. 
Leigh grew up in Nigeria, Exeter and Lesotho, before education in Swaziland,
Manchester and Cambridge. After hitch-hiking around 27 of the United States in
1979, Leigh had a 42-year diplomatic career, lessons from which he draws in his
September 2024 book “Lessons in Diplomacy”. He is the author of three thrillers,
including “Blood Summit”, set in Berlin, and a collection of feminist black comedies,
”Seven Hotel Stories”. He is also a former writer for the Financial Times. Leigh has
lectured at the Oxford University Diplomatic Studies Programme, King’s College,
Cambridge, the LSE, UCL, Universities of York, Loughborough, St Andrews and
Edinburgh, Strathclyde University, Vienna University, the Free University (VU)
Amsterdam and the Danube University Krems, and is a Visiting Professor at Graz
University.
Leigh will also be prepared to sign copies of “Lessons in Diplomacy” after his talk.

The venue:
The Elephant And Castle
White Hill
Lewes
BN7 2DJ

Tickets:
They are £5 and you can purchase them on the door or about a week before at the venue. Please note that the capacity of the venue is limited, we recommend buying the ticket in advance to avoid disappointment.

Times:

Starting at 7:30pm till 9:30pm

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