ESU Churchill Lecture

Background

The English-Speaking Union has in its gift the right to celebrate the anniversary of Sir Winston Churchill’s birth with a suitable event. He played an active part in the ESU and for a time was its Chairman. After his death, Lady Spencer Churchill gave her warm approval to the holding of such an event in his memory. Since 1974 the event has taken the form of an annual lecture.

The Churchill Lecture 10 December 2009

Madam Fu Ying at the Guildhall

The ESU was incredibly fortunate to have our alumna, HE Madam Fu Ying, Chinese Ambassador to the Court of St James’s, deliver the Churchill Lecture at the Guildhall on 10 December. Her lecture was entitled ‘Understanding China’. Madam Fu Ying provided a fascinating internal examination of a country increasingly perceived as a superpower.

In one of her final speeches of the year, Madam Fu Ying told the audience that 2009 would be remembered as the year China embraced its new role in the world. China’s development was recently highlighted by the announcement of new carbon emissions curbs ahead of the Copenhagen Conference.

Read more about the 2009 Churchill Lecture.

Past lecturers

1974 The Hon George Ball
1975 The Hon Kingman Brewster
1976 General Alexander Haig
1977 The Rt Hon The Lord Goodman
1978 The Hon Averell Harriman
1979 Dr Conor Cruise O'Brien
1980 The Rt Hon The Lord Soames
1981 Prof Eugene Rostow
1982 The Rt Hon Lord Lever PC
1983 The Hon Gerald Ford
1984 Prof Sir Michael Howard
1985 Mrs Katherine Graham
1986 Sir Oliver Wright
1987 The Hon Warren Burger
1988 The Rt Hon Sir Zelman Cowen
1989 The Hon Ronald Reagan
1990 The Rt Hon The Lord Kingsdown PC
1991 HRH The Princess Royal
1992 HRH Crown Prince Hassan
1993 The Rt Hon The Lord Owen PC
1994 His Excellency Admiral William Crowe Jr
1995 The Lord Dahrendorf KBE FBA
1996 President Mary Robinson
1997 The Hon Dr Henry Kissinger
1998 The Rt Hon The Lord Hurd of Westwell PC
1999 The Honorable Raymond G H Seitz
2000 Sir Trevor McDonald OBE
2002 The Rt Hon Christopher Patten CH
2003 The Rt Hon Lord Robertson of Port Ellen
2004 Senator George J Mitchell GBE
2006 The Rt Hon The Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon KBE
2008 The Hon Robert H Tuttle
2009 HE Madam Fu Ying

The Lady Soames and Ambassador Tuttle with the ESU Churchill Medal of Honour

Theme

The theme for each lecture has always been based on an extract from the preface to Volume 1 of Churchill’s A History of the English-Speaking Peoples, a preface he wrote at Chartwell on 15 January 1956:
“The problems, perils, challenges and opportunities confronting the English-speaking peoples of today."
In practice the speaker treats those words as something of a formality and takes as the main theme whatever subject he or she wishes.

Audience

The lecture is given before an invited audience drawn from business, politics, diplomacy, law, the arts, academia, education and the media. The audience can number up to approximately 600 people.

The Churchill Lecture 17 March 2008

Ambassador Tuttle delivering the 2008 Churchill Lecture

The ESU was honoured and delighted when The Hon Robert H Tuttle, the Ambassador of the United States of America, agreed to give the 32nd Churchill Lecture, held on 17 March 2008 at Guildhall. This year's glittering event coincided with the ESU's 90th anniversary year and was one of our best attended Churchill Lectures ever.

The Lord Mayor of London Locum Tenens, Alderman Sir Robert Finch, welcomed 500 guests on behalf of the City of London Corporation. Representatives from embassies, high commissions and governments, as well as ESU members and their guests filled the venue to capacity to hear Ambassador Tuttle.

Drawing on the quote from the preface to Churchill's A History of the English-Speaking Peoples, a preface he wrote at Chartwell on 15 January 1956: "The problems, perils, challenges and opportunities confronting the English-speaking peoples of today", Ambassador Tuttle spoke on "Freedom's Fate - The Destiny of Democracy?"