18th November 2011 Toronto, Canada
The recent Arthur J. Carty lecture at the University of Waterloo featured Prof. Sir David King (Chief Scientific Adviser to HM Government from 2000 to 2008 and current Director of the Smith School for Enterprise and the Environment; pictured left). Prof. King gave an unchallengeable talk on the importance of good science advice in government, […]
31st October 2011 Ottawa, Canada
I remember just 15 years ago, dialling into my internet service provider with the hissing and buzzing of my 14.4 modem, waiting for minutes as pages loaded on Netscape Navigator. I was one of the 16 million users on the internet at the time. How the times have changed. We live in a world where […]
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8th September 2011
The last one was agreed in 1977, in very different circumstances. This morning I signed a Double Taxation Treaty between the UK and Hungary, on behalf of the British Government. Why is that important? Several reasons. It protects against the risk of double taxation where the same income is taxable in either of our countries […]
29th August 2011 Ottawa, Canada
Last week I met the new Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons, the Honourable Andrew Scheer. He’s the youngest Speaker in Canadian history, but as a former Deputy Speaker he brings experience to the job, and is set to acquire a great deal more. It was fascinating to talk about the Commons in both […]
25th August 2011 Toronto, Canada
Today, we talk about an interesting release from science.gc.ca. Have you ever wondered whether that funny-looking building on your way into work is actually a government research laboratory? Well, now you can confirm it – the Canadian government has released a map showing the locations of all 230+ research facilities it administers. You can also […]
22nd August 2011 Nairobi, Kenya
My name is James Hooley and I’m currently part of the British Office for Somalia team in Nairobi. My boss, Matt Baugh, has very kindly lent me his blog so I can tell you a little bit more about our trip to Mogadishu on Wednesday with Andrew Mitchell, the UK Secretary of State for International […]
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16th August 2011 Ottawa, Canada
If you’re like me, you’ll have watched the riots in the streets of London and other English cities with a mixture of shock, dismay and outrage. There was a great deal of criminality on display. Deeper analysis will follow, but there’s plenty to be done in the interim. In London, we’re well into what the […]
12th August 2011 Islamabad, Pakistan
Over the four nights this week people across the world have seen images of riots, criminality and looting taking place in the UK. These images have been shocking and sickening for anyone like me who cares about the UK’s reputation. And no less shocking has been the loss of life this week of three young […]
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11th July 2011 Toronto, Canada
This is John Preece guestblogging about recent reports issued by two of Canada’s influential advisory bodies – the federal Science, Technology and Innovation Council and the provincial Institute for Competitiveness and Prosperity. The reports detail the current status and future directions of innovation in Canada: State of the Nation 2010 and Canada’s Innovation Imperative. Both […]
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29th June 2011
How important is it that Ukraine clears away a major source of corruption? An apparently obscure piece of legislation offers a useful insight into the challenges facing the way Ukraine’s system of governance works; and a good indication of whether Ukrainian governance is improving. The Ukrainian government agreed in 2010 to adopt a public procurement […]