5th July 2011
I first had the idea of writing a blog about justice and politics in Ukraine in autumn 2009. At that time the campaign leading up to the presidential elections of February 2010 was in full swing. One presidential candidate made the campaign pledge that, if successful, he or she would ensure that another candidate stood […]
30th June 2011
Nineteen young men and women stand in a semi-circle as various luminaries (including me) give short speeches about them and their plans. They then sign a contract under which, in return for financial assistance to study at one of the world’s top 200 universities, they undertake to return to Ukraine and work in their area […]
27th June 2011
After a day of thunderstorms the sun emerges. The wet grass glistens as the teams run out. The bright blue terraces sparkle against an ominous dark sky. We’re at Kyiv’s exquisite Dynamo stadium, home of the legendary Dynamo Kyiv, for the first in a series of matches between a volunteer team from the Foreign and […]
24th June 2011
What do Arsenal Football Club, British and Ukrainian charities, the Chernihiv regional authorities and former British ambassadors in Kyiv have in common? Answer: all have helped support a remarkable institution, the Chernihiv “Revival” centre for the social and medical rehabilitation of children. I’m visiting Chernihiv to help celebrate the 15th anniversary of the “Revival” centre. […]
15th June 2011
How much should an ambassador know about Louboutins? My recent blog Ambassadors in high heels prompted some interesting comments (eg from one female British diplomat: “there is no doubt that when I joined up as a young woman in the 1970s the expectation was that I would marry and leave”, but… “I have never not […]
10th June 2011
It’s a good feeling to speak first and have not one but two people speaking after you say something which dovetails perfectly with your opening remarks. This happens on my first day back in Kyiv after a stay in the UK, when I host an event at the residence to mark the planned opening of […]
3rd June 2011
The teenager is lying motionless in the road. The driver of the black Porsche Cayenne stands over him, horrified. A couple of passers-by are on their mobile phones, perhaps calling the police or an ambulance. I saw this scene recently in Kyiv on Ivana Mazepu Street, down which I walk and drive regularly. Although the […]
10th May 2011
Of what 47-member body is Ukraine about to assume the Chairmanship, followed by the United Kingdom? The answer is of course the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (CoE), whose Chairmanship Ukraine will take on on 11 May. The UK, in turn, takes over the chairmanship from Ukraine in November. CoE Chairmanships are […]
6th May 2011
From the moment the lights go down and the familiar heavy metal chords ring out through the vast indoor space, it is clear that Deep Purple have lost none of their ability to rock. We’re in the Kyiv International Exhibition Centre and the ur-British rockers are here for one night only as they cut a […]
5th May 2011
Is it good or bad for Ukraine to allow the sale of agricultural land and, if so, under what conditions? There is muted excitement in Ukraine that the authorities may soon bring forward proposals to allow the sale of agricultural land, either later this year or in early 2012. Although most agricultural land in Ukraine […]