21st November 2013 Beirut, Lebanon
Tomorrow I’ll hand a letter from Prime Minister Cameron to President Sleiman, with formal congratulations on Lebanon’s 70th anniversary. The wonderful people at Rag Mag also asked me to write an open letter to mark the day. This is a tough and precarious assignment, and it will annoy or anger some people. But I’ve had […]
19th August 2013 Kingston, Jamaica
I was struck by these words in the Independence Day message of the Governor General of Jamaica , Sir Patrick Allen. I had the honour of calling on Sir Patrick a few days later and asked him about this. He told me about the many examples of untapped excellence, skill, enthusiasm and goodwill which he […]
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31st July 2013 Beirut, Lebanon
Tomorrow is Army Day in Lebanon. The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) will parade, and the Lebanese people reflect on the role the military have played in maintaining stability over the past year, and the sacrifices they have made. I’ll join other Ambassadors in admiring the march past as Lebanese political leaders salute the LAF colours, […]
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28th September 2010
At a time of bicentenary celebrations across Latin America, it seems right that we should also look at the history of Britain’s relationship with the region, and why that relationship remains so important today. In 1810, Simon Bolivar visited Britain as head of a diplomatic mission to enlist support for the Junta in Caracas and, […]