19th September 2013
When I learned Swedish before coming out to Stockholm I did so at a language centre in the city of London. This week the Foreign Office has reopened its own language centre, part of our “Diplomatic Excellence” campaign, to improve the skills of our people, the quality of our policy-making and the relevance of our […]
24th January 2013
Earlier this week, I was in London to attend and address the first ever course run by the Foreign Office on religion and foreign policy. The particular focus was on the issue of freedom of religion or belief, but the wider goal of the course is to help British diplomats understand better the importance of […]
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8th January 2013 Washington DC, USA
How do you prevent the spread of dangerous weapons around the world? Negotiations? Treaties? Sanctions? Seizing illegal shipments? Securing dangerous materials? All of these play an important part. But there is always room for innovation. And who is better suited than the wealth of NGOs and think-tanks based here in the US to combine their […]
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3rd January 2013 Washington DC, USA
As 2012 and my first six months of my job at the Embassy came to a close, my colleagues and I reflected back on how great the year was for the UK. One of the reasons that we were able to celebrate this was because of the cutting edge UK fashion industry. Recently our very […]
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15th October 2012
No-one in India exemplifies ‘The Power of We’ more than Mahatma Gandhi, even over 60 years after his death. He sought to improve the conditions of the poorest and to lead one of the world’s first non-violent mass movements, first in South Africa and then in India. Hundreds of books have been written about his influence on […]
4th October 2012
Here in the British Embassy’s trade team, we’re just as likely to be in downtown DC extolling the virtues of free trade and why Britain’s open for business to anyone and everyone who will listen as we are tied to our desks doing the more traditional reporting roles expected of Embassy officials. That’s all […]
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23rd April 2012 Washington DC, USA
I’m just three weeks into the Corporate Services role here and spent last week flying solo after a great handover from my predecessor, Alison, who is now destined for Uganda in the summer. It’s a busy agenda as expected, but made easier by a remarkable and supportive team from the very top downwards. But my […]
2nd April 2012 Washington DC, USA
I recommend you take a look at the latest blog written by Helmand’s new Head of Mission, Catriona Laing, on the recent DCC elections in Sangin. Famous for its dangerous past where many British and American soldiers lost their lives, Sangin now boasts its first ever District Community Council elections where over 2,000 people travelled […]
7th March 2012 Washington DC, USA
My mother’s mother was born early in the 20th century in a small Welsh mining village. She was the third of 11 children and she left school – illegally – at 12 to work in a factory. This was not uncommon – indeed only her very youngest sister finished school. Married at 17, to avoid […]
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10th January 2012 Chevening, UK
The following article was written by Ms Andrea Yin Cheng Tay, a 2011/12 Chevening Scholar currently studying Masters of Science in Economics at The University of Nottingham. How it all began from Brunei Darussalam Everything feels like a blur image and that time has accelerated without you knowing it. I can still remember my relief […]
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