17th May 2024
Reflections on IDAHOBIT: International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
13th May 2024
Value with Values: UK Commitment to Climate Partnership
25th April 2024
Reflect & Remember: Anzac Day 2024
18th May 2010 Islamabad, Pakistan
Britain decides!
For British citizens the outcome of last week’s General Election has been pretty remarkable. For the first time since the Second World War we have a coalition government. And we have the prospect of some quite substantial constitutional change: legislation to give Parliament a fixed term of five years, a referendum on whether to move […]
7th May 2010 Islamabad, Pakistan
An historic consensus
Earlier this month, Pakistan’s National Assembly voted 292 to 0 to amend the country’s Constitution, passing more power from the President to the Prime Minister and from the centre to the provincial governments. The Senate followed suit and the amendment has been signed into law. The change restores the Constitution to something closer to the […]
19th April 2010 Islamabad, Pakistan
Why the EU matters for Pakistan
Many Pakistanis have never heard of the European Union. Still fewer know what it is. But when Prime Minister Gilani met 16 of the European Union’s Ambassadors in Peshawar recently, it was natural for him to do so. The European Union is Pakistan’s largest trading partner (two-way trade was worth €7.5 billion in 2008, approximately […]
1st April 2010 New York, USA
Climate and New Jersey
Guest blog by Jane Kozinski, Senior Policy Adviser on Climate Change In his last blog post, Dominic mentioned two of my favourite subjects – “climate” and New Jersey (my home state). So, I felt inspired to write in. Last week Sir Alan Collins and I visited Rutgers University’s Center for European Studies where we participated […]
26th March 2010 New York, USA
A Distinctly Sporting Flavour
A distinctly sporting flavour to this week. On Saturday, colleagues from the Consulate and the UK Mission to the UN ran a mile for Sport Relief in Central Park. Against better judgement and sound medical advice, I too ran the mile, momentum and a gentle downhill slope carrying me over the finish line. […]
26th March 2010 Islamabad, Pakistan
Celebrating a proud Pakistan!
In response to an earlier blog of mine someone asked whether I really meant my description of Pakistan as a proud country or whether I was just being polite. I was not just being polite. I meant proud. And proud in ways that diplomats like me need to understand and remember. The celebration of Pakistan […]
24th March 2010 New York, USA
Brits at Bellayre Race for Veterans
Today, a guest blog from Captain Nick Binnington, who competed over the weekend in the Brits at Belleayre Race for Veterans ski race at Belleayre Mountain in upstate New York. Captain Binnington is part of the British Army Staff at the British Embassy in Washington, DC. Standing in the start gate, boots tightly done up, staring […]
22nd March 2010 New York, USA
St. Patrick’s Day
St Patricks Day in New York is something everyone should see once. I was once told that about 500,000 New Yorkers can claim Irish ancestry. Each 17 March, it feels more like a few million. For us, St Patricks Day brings in visitors from Northern Ireland, including Shaun Woodward MP and Martin McGuinness MP […]
12th March 2010 New York, USA
British Memorial Garden
One of the roles that comes with my job is to represent the Consulate-General on the Board of the British Memorial Garden Trust. The Trust’s mission is to build a permanent memorial for the 67 British victims of the 9/11 attacks. That memorial has taken shape in a public park in Downtown’s Financial District. […]
9th March 2010 Islamabad, Pakistan
First impressions of Pakistan.
Where better to start a blog about my encounters with this proud country than the presentation of my credentials to the President, Asif Ali Zardari? Credentials are an ancient piece of diplomatic ritual that is half absurd and wholly serious. An Ambassador’s (or, in the case of Commonwealth countries, a High Commissioner’s) credentials are the […]