Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs

A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy

7th February 2014

Avatar photo

by Bruce Bucknell

Former British Deputy High Commissioner Kolkata

Bookish Britain

One of my favourite activities is to spend time browsing in a bookshop.  When I was growing up, that was the most likely place I would go to when I visited our local town.  I usually spent my pocket money on a book. Reading is still very popular in Britain.  Radio 4, the main national […]

Read more on Bookish Britain | Reply (1)

7th February 2014 Mumbai, India

Avatar photo

by Sheryl Anchan

Science and Innovation Adviser

UK-India ageing partnerships

Last month was an exciting one for me, as I saw months of hard-work and endless tele-cons, email exchanges and meetings, finally culminate into a fantastic two –day close-door workshop at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences Mumbai. There, we had some of the best of ageing experts from India and the UK gathered under […]

Read more on UK-India ageing partnerships | Reply (3)

7th February 2014 Beirut, Lebanon

Tom Fletcher

by Tom Fletcher

Former British Ambassador to Lebanon

DIVA DIPLOMACY – ‘ONE LEBANON: UNITED FOR TOMORROW’

Last Saturday, twenty Lebanese stars performed together in a powerful rejection of divisive politics and sectarianism. Pop idols, divas, comedians, sportsmen, rappers and actors put on the best possible display of the real Lebanon – talented, resilient, and proud of their country. It was an extraordinary night. The charismatic Anthony Touma got the largest screams, […]

Read more on DIVA DIPLOMACY – ‘ONE LEBANON: UNITED FOR TOMORROW’ | Reply (2)

6th February 2014

Avatar photo

by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Australia is BBC Worldwide’s third largest market

I begin every day by checking the BBC News website – before I’ve even got out of bed – to see what has been happening overnight. Later I catch the BBC World Service, which local broadcaster ABC carries on FM radio at certain times of day. And if you switch on the TV here there’s […]

Read more on Australia is BBC Worldwide’s third largest market | Reply

6th February 2014 Brasilia, Brazil

David Bowie is… very British – guest blog by Beatriz Correa

During the pre-opening of the “David Bowie is” exhibition for the press, Alex Ellis, British Ambassador to Brazil, began his speech by saying that Bowie is “international, global and ‘very British’”. The ambassador’s words made me think about how Bowie translates perfectly the reasons that make the UK, and the British culture as a whole, […]

Read more on David Bowie is… very British – guest blog by Beatriz Correa | Reply

6th February 2014

Avatar photo

by Christopher Prentice

Former British Ambassador to Italy

Joining the M’illumino di Meno energy saving campaign!

Welcome to my blog. I’m the British Ambassador to Italy and I’ve decided to start this blog in order to shine a light on what we get up to here in the Embassy. The idea is to write about the United Kingdom and Italy, the issues that join us together and perhaps even one or […]

Read more on Joining the M’illumino di Meno energy saving campaign! | Reply (2)

6th February 2014 London, UK

Avatar photo

by David Lidington

Minister for Europe, London

Not Poles apart: Britain and Poland’s close relationship

Guest blog by Robin Barnett, Ambassador to Warsaw 31 January was an important day in relations between Britain and Poland, key partners in the EU and NATO. Prime Ministers Cameron and Tusk met at RAF Brize Norton to discuss the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.   My journey back from Warsaw began badly, with weather at […]

Read more on Not Poles apart: Britain and Poland’s close relationship | Reply

6th February 2014

Avatar photo

by Sarah Dickson

Ambassador to Guatemala (June 2012 - June 2015)

Putting an end to contraband

Next week in Costa Rica the British Embassies in the Central America region are joining together to host a conference on tackling contraband. Experts and authorities from all over the region (Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Panama, Belize, Nicaragua and of course, Costa Rica) will meet to discuss this fundamentally cross-border issue. In the conversations I […]

Read more on Putting an end to contraband | Reply

5th February 2014

Avatar photo

by Nigel Baker

Ambassador to the Holy See (2011-2016)

Britain and the Holy See: The Royal Connection

It is great news that The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh will meet Pope Francis at the Vatican in April this year. It will be Her Majesty’s fifth visit to the Vatican, and the seventh occasion on which The Queen has met a reigning Pope. Her Majesty of course met Popes John Paul II […]

Read more on Britain and the Holy See: The Royal Connection | Reply