23rd January 2012
I love a good beer. Preferably a real ale (consumed responsibly, naturally). If I was back home in the UK, I’d order a pint of Spitfire, brewed by England’s oldest brewery, Faversham-based Shepherd Neame. So I thought I was going to be disappointed with the lighter offerings in the US, and have to resign myself […]
20th January 2012 USA
The following is a guest post by Melinda Goforth, Consul, Head of Trade and Investment — Washington. George Bernard Shaw once said that America and Great Britain are two countries separated by a common language. But I think the quirky differences in our respective ways of phrasing can actually bring us together, a point illustrated […]
20th January 2012 Washington DC, USA
I’m not sure if it was nerves, enthusiasm, or a combination of the two, but the atmosphere in the Embassy here in Washington DC was palpably different this week. Ties and new haircuts had been acquired by colleagues over the weekend. And—clearly a sign that something was up—we were all early to the regular Embassy-wide […]
19th January 2012 USA
Last week at the National Building Museum, I had the pleasure of listening to Jim Eyre, one of the founders of the London-based Wilkinson Eyre Architects. Over the years, Wilkinson Eyre has unveiled futuristic designs for gardens in Singapore; skyscrapers in Guangzhou, China; and a number of innovative UK projects. One of the firm’s projects […]
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19th January 2012 Washington DC, USA
It is an immense privilege to return to Washington as British Ambassador, and a great honour to serve at the heart of a relationship that is not just special, but – as our respective leaders have said – essential. I begin my assignment this week at the start of what will be a very exciting […]
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13th January 2012 Washington DC, USA
Long before I knew I was coming to DC, I saw Alec Ross, Senior Advisor on Innovation to Secretary Clinton, give a talk at the London School of Economics on foreign policy in the era of social media. He argued to an enthusiastic London audience that high speed Internet is the infrastructure of the 21st […]
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11th January 2012 Washington DC, USA
I’m just on the train back from a trip to New York City—my first excursion out of DC since arriving in the US at the end of November. Of course, I’ve been to NYC many times before (indeed Layla and I went there on our honeymoon) but it’s a very different experience to go to […]
10th January 2012 Dublin, Ireland
The successful Polish Presidency is over. But 2012 is set to be another year in Britain and Poland. Even if England were drawn in Ukraine, EURO 2012 will be a highlight here and a chance to showcase the best of Poland. For the UK, 9 January marks 200 days until the start of the Olympic […]
5th January 2012 Washington DC, USA
When I was offered the dream job of Counsellor for Global Issues at the British Embassy in Washington DC, clearly I couldn’t refuse. It’s a dream job because of the range of issues my portfolio covers—diplomacy on trade, energy, the environment, transport, science and innovation—and because of the country and context, since the US is […]
20th December 2011
Important developments at the UN in New York, where “humanitarian week” has ended with the annual replenishment conference for the UN Central Emergency Fund (CERF). This is a vital fund, established with UK encouragement in 2006 by the General Assembly, to provide timely and reliable funding for countries affected by rapid and unexpected emergencies, as […]