Diplomat
30th June 2011
At the end of the Hungarian EU Presidency, and since I started this blog specifically to cover this period, I should say something about Hungary’s performance in this role. When I focus in on the business agenda, and ignore some of the media coverage that has happened, the Hungarian Presidency has gone well. It hasn’t […]
22nd June 2011
The “Bards of Wales” project came to fruition last night with a performance of the world premier of Karl Jenkins’ cantata at the Palace of Arts. Almost all 1800 seats were full and the audience (including President Schmitt) gave the work a rapturous reception. British Minister David Jones of the Welsh Office visited Hungary for […]
20th June 2011
Some weeks ago I blogged about the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. This week (11-19 June) the Budapest Pride Festival is taking place, with the annual March due tomorrow. The police have pledged that the March will be secure and safe (though there has been an announcement about a possible far right counter-demonstration in […]
9th June 2011
…is the slogan of the Asia-Europe meeting (ASEM) now taking place in Godolo Royal Palace. Minister of State Jeremy Browne is representing the UK and has spoken about live foreign policy issues (the Arab Spring, Iran, Afghanistan, Burma and North Korea) and global economic developments (the rising significance of Asian economies to global prosperity, reform […]
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8th June 2011
Yesterday Ferenc Madl was buried in a moving ceremony with military honours in the Fiume Street Public Cemetery and a mass was held in the Basilica in his honour. President of Hungary between 2000 and 2005, he was respected for his propriety, knowledge and personal humility. As a judicial and non-partisan expert, he sent legislation […]
6th June 2011
I spent early Friday at the Hungarian-Chinese bilingual School of Budapest. They, together with 9 other schools, were participating in a “Connecting Classrooms” Festival event at the end of this academic year. Connecting Classrooms is a British Council global project which aims to build lasting partnerships between schools in the UK and others around the […]
4th June 2011
On 31 May the British Embassy’s conference hall was (not for the first time) turned into a cinema. I co-hosted the evening screening of the film “Call of Life: Facing Mass Extinction” with the Hungarian State Secretary for the Environment, Zoltan Illes. This was far from the first time we worked together. The history of […]
3rd June 2011
Earlier this week we held a very well-attended, high profile press conference at the Embassy at which the Médiaszolgáltatás-támogató és Vagyonkezelő Alap (MTVA) – the official Hungarian media sports TV/radio organisation spoke about the London 2012 Olympics and all the international sporting events leading up to the Games in which Hungary is involved. Agnes Cserhati […]
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