Leigh Turner
Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna
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UK in Austria
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10th December 2010
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The walls of the castle rise sheer from the base of a deep, dry moat. Three different batteries of cannon face the west. To the east rise the Carpathians, dusted with snow. Welcome to Mukachevo, scenic setting of the world’s largest ski factory and as dense a melting pot of European cultures as one could […]
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10th December 2010
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
When I first arrived in Kyiv, a local journalist asked if I liked playing golf. When I said that, wonderful (and British) a game as golf was, I preferred table-tennis, she noted it down. “Very democratic,” she said. A couple of weeks later, I flew back from a visit to the UK using a budget […]
Read more on Can we make convoys more democratic? | Reply
9th December 2010
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
In the mid 1970s I flew from London to Johannesburg via Madrid in order to get the cheapest fare. During the stopover at Madrid airport I was waiting to buy a newspaper at a shop when I was elbowed out of the way by an immensely solid Guardia Civil officer in a shiny black hat […]
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8th December 2010
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
A man and a woman, each bedecked with medals, stand at a window framed by blossoms. The title reads “My Parents, 1988”. Beneath is a another photo entitled “The Same Window”. It shows the woman, now elderly, with a young man, perhaps her son or grandson. The father is no longer there. I’m a big […]
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6th December 2010
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
This year, the UK is between Turkey (fabulous balloons) and Egypt (delicious traditional snacks). Yes, it’s the International Women’s Club of Kyiv (IWCK) annual seasonal charity bazaar. A brave band of embassy volunteers inspired by Olga, Caroline and Pippa has slaved to set up a spectacular-looking flag-draped stall with home-made jams, chutneys and Christmas puddings […]
Read more on Where everywhere is home | Reply
2nd December 2010
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The walls of the castle rise sheer from the base of a deep, dry moat. Three different batteries of cannon face the west. To the east rise the Carpathians, dusted with snow. Welcome to Mukachevo, scenic setting of the world’s largest ski factory and as dense a melting pot of European cultures as one could […]
Read more on Transcarpathia: castles, skis and the mayor’s car | Reply
29th November 2010
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
It’s 9.30 p.m. and the Sancho Panza Restaurant is packed with Scots and Ukrainians in kilts and traditional embroidered linen shirts (actually most of the men in kilts are wearing Ukrainian shirts). A Scottish/Ukrainian band equipped with bagpipes, a harmonica, fiddles and a tsymbaly play Ukrainian and Scottish dance tunes accompanied by roars of enthusiasm […]
Read more on St Andrew’s Night in Kyiv: a Ukrainian-Scottish ceilidh | Reply
26th November 2010
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Science fiction has a fine record of guessing the future; but no-one saw the Internet coming. Honourable mention should be made of the excellent works of William Gibson, credited with inventing the term cyberspace. Gibson’s 1984 novel Neuromancer, which includes references to something called the Matrix, made a big impression on me. So did the […]
Read more on Cyberpunks and the matrix: Online Kyiv offline | Reply
25th November 2010
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Sports of all kinds are popular in Ukraine. I’ve blogged before about that fact that at my 1:1 lunches, some of Ukraine’s top decision-makers are ready to have a quick game of table-tennis (a trend which continues – Ed) and about Kyiv’s fishing frenzy. So it’s an honour to have to lunch at the residence […]
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23rd November 2010
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
There’s nothing like meeting lively young people to fuel your optimism about a country. So I’m delighted to accept an invitation from Kyiv School No.92 to meet English language students of the 9th and 10th forms. I come away full of confidence in the intellectual capacity, dynamism and enthusiasm of young people in Ukraine. What […]
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