12th August 2011
British Sea Power are on stage with some fir trees – not sure where they fit in, but that’s probably my ignorance. Earlier on we visited the Head of the new Tom Lantos Institute in Budapest (he was a Holocaust survivor and US Congressman and the Institute was launched by his family a few weeks […]
12th August 2011
Just arrived at the the Sziget Festival today and right away we bumped into our two British bobbies, Ross and Adrian, who are patrolling in uniform (and are therefore in high demand with fans who want to be photographed with them). This is the 4th year British police with Glastonbury Festival experience have come here […]
12th August 2011
I’ve just helped open the Budapest Eurogames tent at Sziget. The LGBT Eurogames take place here in 2012 and should be a good earner for the city. The organisers have kindly asked me to be patron of the Eurogames 2012 and are displaying the British Embassy’s publcity materials for the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. […]
11th August 2011
I would make one main observation about last week’s report on the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM). The mechanism is working. Thanks to the combined efforts of Romania’s authorities, the European Commission and member states like the UK who have contributed with projects and expertise, Romania has made important progress over the last year in […]
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8th August 2011 Chevening, UK
Following in Gary Fisher’s footsteps as the Chevening engagement manager is a daunting prospect, but here goes…….. As the FCO’s newly appointed Chevening alumni engagement manager, I will be taking forward the excellent work started by Gary on further developing the FCO’s links with its alumni. As a former Chevening Officer in Baku, I have […]
5th August 2011
This will be my last blog entry from La Paz. I am about to complete my mission here after just under four most stimulating and fascinating years in Bolivia. From later this month, I shall be taking up my new post as Her Majesty’s Ambassador to The Holy See. My successor, Ross Denny, arrives in […]
29th July 2011
Australian Olympic experts were extraordinarily complimentary about the London Olympics at events I attended in Canberra and Sydney on Wednesday to mark the milestone of ‘One Year To Go’. The Sydney event, a fundraising dinner for the Australian team, was a fantastic spectacle. There were 800 people including some 80 Olympians. The room was decked […]
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28th July 2011
It’s always humbling to meet elite athletes. So I am rather in awe when we bring together at the residence to mark the one-year countdown to London 2012 some truly great Olympians from Ukraine. They include Valery Borzov, who I remember winning the 100m and 200m gold medals at the 1972 Olympics in Munich and […]
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27th July 2011 Ottawa, Canada
On my most recent trip to London, I had the pleasure of meeting with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office‘s (FCO’s) Chief Scientific Advisor (CSA), Professor David Clary. We took this opportunity to put together a video blog with his thoughts on science diplomacy, while enjoying a bit of sun in St. James’s Park. Here’s what […]
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27th July 2011
A year to go to the London Olympics! And all is on track for a great Olympics and Paralympics Games in 2012 – 90% of venues (and all the major ones) are complete and the Olympic Park will be delivered on time and within budget. These are sustainable and cutting-edge designs too, that will ensure […]