Diplomat
23rd December 2011
I arrived in Addis Ababa just a week ago, as British Ambassador to Ethiopia. And one of the first things I wanted to do was to see how British development assistance is working in this very poor country – but one that is making impressive progress towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals. So on Wednesday […]
4th December 2011
I leave Budapest today at the end of a 4 year tour as Ambassador. I have been proud to lead and work with a great British Embassy team during an active period which has witnessed the Hungarian EU Presidency and a very full and varied visit by High Royal Highness the Prince of Wales and […]
3rd December 2011
3 December 2011 is the UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities. This year’s theme is “Together for a better world for all: Including persons with disabilities in development”. In recent years the British Embassy in Budapest has engaged in a variety of projects relevant to this theme: In 2009 our Away Day was at […]
25th November 2011
25 November is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. It was 1973 when the expression “domestic violence” in a modern context was first used formally. This happened in the United Kingdom Parliament, where the world’s first domestic violence services federation, Women’s Aid, was established some months later. Almost 40 years have […]
17th November 2011
Some of the things I get involved in doing seem particularly worthwhile. So it was great to be able to host and open a workshop on Theatre Sign-Language Interpreting today at the Embassy. The British Council first introduced this concept, to help deaf and hard of hearing Hungarians to enjoy the theatre more fully, a […]
14th November 2011
Yesterday I attended the Remembrance Sunday annual service at Solymar’s Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery. The weather was beautiful: mild and sunny. The dark-red poppies, for many decades the symbol of this occasion, stood out boldly against a clear, blue sky. This year’s ceremony was special for many reasons. Most importantly – besides the diplomatic […]
27th October 2011
The last decade has seen cyberspace explode from 16 million internet users in 1995 to nearly 2 billion today, more than half in developing countries. This has revolutionised how we live and work. The Internet, with its incredible connective power, is creating vast economic and social opportunities that would have been unimaginable 20 years ago. […]
17th October 2011
Welsh supporters all round the world, and many other sympathisers, are in sorrow today following the defeat of Wales 9-10 by France in the Rugby World Cup. But no one can deny the gallantry and professionalism of a superb team, which did well to reach the semi-finals and kept us on the edge of our […]
16th October 2011
Today is Blog Action Day 2011 and the subject is food. Food has a huge impact on our very existence, from the state of our countryside to the length of our lives. And in recent years food security has become a major security risk for everyone, alongside terrorism and arms proliferation – a problem we […]
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13th October 2011
There was encouraging news yesterday, with 200 political prisoners released in Burma. British Foreign Secretary William Hague said: “I welcome the news that a number of political prisoners have been released. … We look forward to the hopes for genuine change coming to fruition, and to seeing news of further releases and progress on other […]