Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs

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24th September 2012 Warsaw, Poland

Martin Oxley, Head, UKTI Poland

by Martin Oxley

Director of UKTI Warsaw

Great British Supercars Set the Pace for UK Trade & Investment

To mark the visit of the Right Hon William Hague, MP to Warsaw recently the British Embassy in co-operation with Aston Martin Warszawa, Lotus Warszawa and JLR Polska hosted a British Motoring Hall of Fame. A superb line up of British Motoring Excellence. Never before has the Embassy seen so much horsepower on one occasion. […]

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24th September 2012 Geneva, Switzerland

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by Bob Last

Head, UK Mission Political and Human Rights Team

Growing Older, Getting Colder

My second week of the Council session got off to a particularly bad start as I managed to put my back out while playing with my son at the weekend. My boss Ian cheerfully put it down to age catching up with me. I like to think I’ve a few good years left in me […]

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21st September 2012 Washington DC, USA

by Peter Matheson

Economic Counsellor

A Fashion Statement

‘We are the goon squad and we’re coming to town-beep beep’ So sang David Bowie in a thinly veiled 1980’s attack on charlatans and copycats, ‘Fashion’. Bowie is not only a British musical living legend but also one of our most stylish icons (second only to Bryan Ferry in my opinion). Which brings us to […]

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21st September 2012

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by Nigel Baker

Ambassador to the Holy See (2011-2016)

Religion, Foreign Affairs and Dialogue

In her book “The Mighty and the Almighty”, Madeline Albright asked rhetorically:“Why can’t we just keep religion out of foreign policy?”. She responded: “we can’t and shouldn’t. Religion is a large part of what motivates people and shapes their views of justice and right behaviour. It must be taken into account”. The last fortnight has […]

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21st September 2012

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by Greg Dorey

Diplomat

International Peace Day

As well as being British Ambassador to Ethiopia, I am also the United Kingdom’s Permanent Representative to the African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN) Economic Commission for Africa. Given that today is the International Day of Peace, it is perhaps worth reflecting on how much the AU does to promote peace throughout the […]

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19th September 2012 Ottawa, Canada

by Nathan Skolski

Head of Media and Public Affairs at the British High Commission, Ottawa.

“Brits on Bikes” for cancer research

I’ve discovered the wonders of spandex recently. For the second year in a row, I’ve had the privilege to participate, with a number of my colleagues here at the British High Commission, in a terrific local charity event called Ride the Rideau. Our team, dubbed “Brits on Bikes”, is not made up of the athletic […]

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19th September 2012 Budapest, Hungary

by Jonathan Knott

Former British ambassador to Hungary, Budapest

A weekend of firsts at the British Embassy in Budapest

Guest blog by Ian Saunders, visiting British diplomat Last Saturday and Sunday the Embassy participated in the European Heritage Days programme in Hungary for the first time. This cultural initiative allowed the public to see inside the British Embassy and savour its interesting and historical interior. On show were the main entrance, a view of […]

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