Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs

A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy

30th November 2012

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by Greg Dorey

Diplomat

Linked by a Saint

Today is the Day of St Andrew, Patron Saint of Scotland since the 10th Century – legend tells that his remains were sent out to sea in the 8th Century and by chance cast up on the coast of Scotland and buried there. So his national flag, the Saltire, will be flying over the British […]

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30th November 2012

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by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Promoting Australian investment in UK infrastructure

One of the British Government’s top economic priorities is promoting international investment in the  infrastructure needed to support growth and prosperity, such as transport and energy. So I addressed the annual Australian Super Fund Association conference (ASFA 2012) in Sydney to set out the opportunities for Australian superannuation funds.  In my speech I described the […]

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29th November 2012 New York, USA

Charles Arrowsmith

by Charles Arrowsmith

Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of the Consul-General

New York State of Mo

Moustaches have been a staple of British male identity for centuries. They can be comic (Basil Fawlty, Borat), serious (any of Daniel Day-Lewis’s efforts), musical (Freddie Mercury leaps enthusiastically to mind), even political (one thinks of Harold Macmillan’s full-bodied triumph). Handlebar, pencil, horseshoe, toothbrush… such variety of facial topiary means there’s something for everyone. Approval […]

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29th November 2012 Beirut, Lebanon

Tom Fletcher

by Tom Fletcher

Former British Ambassador to Lebanon

SOLIDARITY AND SHATILA

I’ve blogged previously about our work with the Palestinian veterans who fought with us in World War II, and questions of history and justice. Today is the Day of International Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Attention will rightly be focused on New York, where – just as Israel did in 1948 – Palestine is making […]

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29th November 2012 New York, USA

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by Danny Lopez

British Consul-General, New York

Calling all tech entrepreneurs

This week in New York, we at UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) have led a Digital Mission of 20 British tech start-ups looking at New York as an international expansion destination. For four days, we’ve connected them with key players in New York’s technology scene, including: like minded-entrepreneurs; potential partners; prospective clients; industry experts; media […]

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29th November 2012 New York, USA

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by Danny Lopez

British Consul-General, New York

Calling all tech entrepreneurs

This week in New York, we at UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) have led a Digital Mission of 20 British tech start-ups looking at New York as an international expansion destination. For four days, we’ve connected them with key players in New York’s technology scene, including: like minded-entrepreneurs; potential partners; prospective clients; industry experts; media […]

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29th November 2012 Budapest, Hungary

by Jonathan Knott

Former British ambassador to Hungary, Budapest

Gender and politics

Guest blog by MP Katalin Ertsey On a sunny August afternoon I received a phone call from the British Embassy asking if I would be able to attend an important gender politics conference in November. I was thrilled and humbled to find out that the Embassy would nominate me to represent the Hungarian Parliament at […]

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29th November 2012

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by Leigh Turner

Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna

A proud moment

A guest blog by Nicole Sauvage Utku, British Vice-Consul, Ankara and Istanbul, Turkey This month Robert Murray Jamieson became a British Citizen. Standing proudly in front of the Union Jack he swore allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen and was handed his certificate by HM Consul General, Leigh Turner. Robert was born in Australia in […]

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29th November 2012

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by Nigel Baker

Ambassador to the Holy See (2011-2016)

Defending Women’s Rights and Dignity

The following is a guest blog by Sr. Eugenia Bonetti. Human trafficking is one of the greatest affronts to human dignity of our time. It claims an estimated 27 million victims globally, primarily women and children, many forced into prostitution. And it is a lucrative trade, generating roughly $32 billion annually for well organized crime […]

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28th November 2012

by Judith Macgregor

British High Commissioner to South Africa

The Scotland that we want to celebrate

The following is a guest blog by Justin McKenzie Smith, Deputy Head of Mission and Director for Trade and Investment at the British Embassy Mexico City. “30 November is St Andrew’s Day, the patron saint of Scotland. The longer I am here, the more I am finding out about the connections between Scotland and Mexico. It is quite something […]

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