3rd December 2024
RENEWING OLD TIES: THE NEW BISHOP OF LONDON
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
25th November 2024
The climate crisis and gender-based violence
8th November 2024
Ecolabels: A Catalyst for Sustainable Food Choices?
10th November 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The continuing legacy of the Magna Carta
The Magna Carta was a document designed to establish peace between the rather unpopular King John of England and a group of rebel barons. Yet this piece of thirteenth-century English domestic politics still resonates around the world eight hundred years on from the events which forged it. For in establishing that no one, even the […]
Read more on The continuing legacy of the Magna Carta | Reply (1)
10th November 2015 London, UK
Legalisation: a tale of unexpected paperwork
Congratulations, you finally got that dream business job overseas! Your bags are almost packed, your cat is in storage and your vinyl collection is at your parents (wait a sec, did you get that the wrong way round?). It’s never simple, it’s always a rush, and here’s another fly in the ointment: you’ve just found […]
Read more on Legalisation: a tale of unexpected paperwork | Reply (30)
10th November 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Parliament at the Holy See
One important element in the bilateral relationship between Britain and the Holy See is Parliament. Since 2004, an All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on the Holy See has existed, in its words, “to monitor the relationship between the UK and the Holy See and call representatives of faith communities and the foreign/diplomatic service to brief […]
10th November 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Bond is GREAT – why we care
A great-looking man steps out of a hotel window in Mexico City. A couple of hours later, he drives a classic Aston Martin DB5 away through the centre of London. In between come spectacular fight-scenes, exotic locations, explosions and chases, including one where the hero drives an Aston Martin DB10 through Rome. Sounds like a […]
10th November 2015 Colombo, Sri Lanka
Bond comes to Colombo 007
James Bond’s latest adventure, SPECTRE, launched in Sri Lanka last week. To celebrate, we held a glittering party at the High Commissioner’s residence, in Colombo 007. Guests came from Sri Lanka’s creative arts scene, business and Government to admire the best of British talent. Beautiful cars driven at high speed around extraordinary locations are an […]
9th November 2015 Bern, Switzerland
Catalysis for Energy
SIN Switzerland had the pleasure last month of organising a bilateral meeting on Catalysis for Energy with the UK Catalysis hub. The workshop was concerned with current and future research on catalytic solutions for Sustainable Energy sources and focused on fuel cells, transportation, photo-catalysis and bio fuels. The event brought together the UK and Swiss […]
9th November 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A GOVERNOR AND A DIPLOMAT?
One of the questions I am most frequently asked in Turks and Caicos, and by friends in the UK, is “what is the difference between being a Governor and a Diplomat?” It’s not an easy one to answer, but here are some of the bigger differences. Compared to most of my jobs with the Foreign […]
Read more on WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A GOVERNOR AND A DIPLOMAT? | Reply
9th November 2015 London, UK
#PeaceHackBey
As I clambered over a pile of stones atop a scrubby hillside olive grove in the searing midday Lebanese sun surveying the remains of the home of Lady Hestor Stanhope trying to recall how a degree in archaeology and passion for this kind of outdoor exploration and activity had lead me to working in the […]
9th November 2015 Hanoi, Vietnam
The Rule of Law
The UK and Vietnam don’t have much in the way of shared history. Sometimes that makes my job harder; sometimes easier. But last week, an all-star cast gathered in Hanoi – the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy, Lord Puttnam; the Vietnamese Minister and Vice Minister of Justice; a former British High Court judge; and most of […]
9th November 2015 Vientiane, Laos
“Education is a guide, knowledge is a key”
Buddha’s famous quotation is a sentiment that the government of this predominantly Buddhist nation has taken to heart in transforming the educational prospects of Lao youth over the last two decades. The results are impressive. Primary school enrolment has reportedly touched 98.5% in 2014, meeting Laos’ MDG target of universal coverage. In 1991, the rate […]
Read more on “Education is a guide, knowledge is a key” | Reply (1)