Tag: robin barnett

22nd October 2012 Dublin, Ireland

Robin Barnett

by Robin Barnett

Former Ambassador to Ireland, Dublin

A varied week in the life of an ambassador

The last week has shown the many facets of our bilateral relationship. It began with an excellent seminar on reducing regulation, which we co-hosted with the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Economy and the Prime Minister’s office. We exchanged experiences with Polish Ministers and experts and agreed that deregulation and reducing burdens on business […]

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9th October 2012 Dublin, Ireland

Robin Barnett

by Robin Barnett

Former Ambassador to Ireland, Dublin

Railway cooperation? All on the right track!

I am just back from London,where I hosted a Poland/Romania/UK rail for growth event. Both the Polish and Romanian delegations were led by Ministers and included government representatives and rail industry experts. Both countries saw similar key challenges and opportunities in areas like safety, project management and funding future investment, for example the use of […]

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17th September 2012 Dublin, Ireland

Robin Barnett

by Robin Barnett

Former Ambassador to Ireland, Dublin

Superhumans are back home

I am just back from leave and want to congratulate Poland’s magnificent paralympians on their fantastic achievement in winning 36 medals, including 14 golds. Just like the Team GB, the team exceeded expectations. I know that the London atmosphere of packed stadia full of passionate sports fans brought the very best out of every member of the […]

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23rd July 2012 Dublin, Ireland

Robin Barnett

by Robin Barnett

Former Ambassador to Ireland, Dublin

A GREAT Summer

Sorry to have been off the air but I spent much of last week visiting Budapest and Bucharest in my role as Director of the Central European Network, which brings together nine Embassies in Central Europe. It was fascinating to compare the situation in Poland with the situations elsewhere in the area. There are many […]

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15th June 2012 Dublin, Ireland

Robin Barnett

by Robin Barnett

Former Ambassador to Ireland, Dublin

The UK and the Eurozone crisis

Here in Poland, public attention is understandably focussed on EURO 2012, not the Eurozone crisis. Poland’s 1-1 draw with Russia was a classic game and leaves open a real chance for Poland to qualify for the Quarter Finals. But the tournament will end on 1 July while the Eurozone crisis with its continuing impact on […]

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8th June 2012 Dublin, Ireland

Robin Barnett

by Robin Barnett

Former Ambassador to Ireland, Dublin

Time for non football fans to take a holiday

Euro2012 fever is upon us. I am writing this from Krakow, where a large and enthusiastic crowd is watching the England team’s open training session at the Hutnik stadium in Nowa Huta. They are great Ambassadors for their country. It is a far cry from my first visit here in 1983 during John Paul II’s […]

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1st June 2012 Dublin, Ireland

Robin Barnett

by Robin Barnett

Former Ambassador to Ireland, Dublin

(British) Food is GREAT!

Poland has always been a problem for my waistline, as I have a real weakness for dishes like pierogi, żurek and a well made bigos. The ingredients for these and many other dishes can now be found in most British supermarkets thanks to the thriving Polish community in the UK. But now British food and […]

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8th May 2012 Dublin, Ireland

Robin Barnett

by Robin Barnett

Former Ambassador to Ireland, Dublin

Those magnificent men in their flying machines

On Sunday, I realised a lifelong ambition. I flew for the first time in an open biplane, a 1939 Tiger Moth, owned by a great friend of the Embassy Jacek Mainka. Not only was it an extraordinary experience to fly in a 73-year-old aircraft, but it was also a poignant moment since my father learnt […]

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20th April 2012 Dublin, Ireland

Robin Barnett

by Robin Barnett

Former Ambassador to Ireland, Dublin

Space and beyond

For me, space was always about Star Trek or Apollo rockets. I am old enough to remember Neil Armstrong walking on the moon in 1969. This month we are celebrating the golden anniversary of “50 Years of the UK in Space.” Ariel-1 was the world’s first international satellite. It was US-built with UK instruments. It […]

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4th April 2012 Dublin, Ireland

Robin Barnett

by Robin Barnett

Former Ambassador to Ireland, Dublin

Happy Easter: Time for a short break!

It has been a busy few weeks. A few highlights. Working with some great British companies particularly during the visit of Susan Haird (Deputy CEO of UKTI). There are some big opportunities, not least in the energy field where there is great interest in exploiting the shale gas and civil nuclear opportunities and in infrastructure, […]

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