3rd December 2024
RENEWING OLD TIES: THE NEW BISHOP OF LONDON
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The climate crisis and gender-based violence
8th November 2024
Ecolabels: A Catalyst for Sustainable Food Choices?
5th January 2012 Toronto, Canada
Government aims to make UK "best place in the world to do science"
In a speech earlier this week, Universities and Science Minister David Willetts laid out the government’s ambition to make the UK “the best place in the world to do science.” However, he offered no new funding or support and spoke mostly about broad aims for growth. There were eight principal points from the speech. The […]
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5th January 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Jordan comes to Blackburn
One of my favourite Beatles songs is “A Day in the Life” which includes a line: “A read the news today, oh boy! Four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire”. The line made no sense, but for me, a boy from London, it put Blackburn on the map. And Blackburn was on the map in Amman […]
4th January 2012 Toronto, Canada
TRRA releases Life Sciences Regional Innovation Cluster Report
The Toronto Region Research Alliance (TRRA) recently released a summary report on life sciences in the Toronto region, which is available to download here (PDF, 1.9 MB). The TRRA is an economic development organisation that aims to increase the region’s propersity by stimulating investment in research and innovation, and hence has close ties to the […]
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4th January 2012 Windhoek, Namibia
Marking UK and Namibian history in the making
Happy New Year to all! As noted in my previous blog, 2011 marked a significant strengthening of UK-Namibian relations. Looking forward, I am happy to say that 2012 already looks set to hold a number of significant events that will help boost our bilateral links further and provide plenty of reasons for celebration. This year, […]
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4th January 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Could Ukraine win the anti-corruption league?
Back in 2009 I wrote a blog entitled “How to win the anti-corruption league”. In that blog I lamented the fact that Ukraine now stood at place 146 out of 180 countries in the Corruption Perceptions Index published by Transparency International. I noted how corruption reduced inward investment, and how helpful it would be if Ukraine could […]
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3rd January 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Early days
I have been in Addis Ababa for approaching 3 weeks as British Ambassador, some of which has been taken up by “Feranji” (Westerner) Christmas and New Year holidays. What does an Ambassador try to do at the outset of a posting? There have been several priorities (aside from settling in my family): Getting to know […]
30th December 2011 Beirut, Lebanon
The Arc of History Bends Towards Justice
Several Ambassadors were asked by Le Revue Diplomatique for an article on the Middle East over the coming year. Here’s the short version of my thoughts. 2011 was a tumultuous and breathtaking year for the region. At our end of year shura of British ambassadors in the Middle East, it was striking how tired everyone […]
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30th December 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
12 blogs of Christmas
With the New Year looming, here are 12 of my blogs from 2011: January: Is Ukraine Free? (Freedom House rankings) February: MI6, Art and Freedoms (“A Year with MI6”) March: Brilliant British Business in Ukraine (British Business Days) March: Down Syndrome: “Let Us In!” (Down Syndrome in the UK and Ukraine) April: What I think […]
29th December 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
BBC Book of the Year
One of my favourite events in Kyiv is the BBC Book of the Year Award, sponsored by the BBC Ukrainian Service. I’ve presented the winner with the prize for the last four years, including in 2010 and this year — you can see a report on the prize, including details of the shortlist and the […]
23rd December 2011 New York, USA
GREAT Expectations
As 2011 draws to a close, with Christmas and New Year’s Eve just days away, many of us are busy with preparations for holiday cheer with family and friends. Here at the British Consulate-General in New York, we’re also quite busy with preparations for what will be the most exciting year in any Brit’s life: […]