James Barbour

Diplo-brats?

In itinerant professions such as mine, one of the more common topics of conversation is the effect of our regular upheavals on our families. Uprooting every few years isn't always easy on spouses and children, and on their friendships, education and careers.

I'm fortunate enough to have a spouse whose career is relatively portable. I also have two children who are having very different growing up experiences to their peer group in the UK. Their friendships are more transient, a self-defence policy against the constant cycle of best friends who disappear. They see their extended family far less than I'd like. Their education is broader but less UK-focused; my daughter probably knows a number of other countries' political systems better than she knows our own. And, culturally, these 'third-country nationals' often seem on a different planet, missing out on kids' TV shows, music and other popular culture. Not to mention the transatlantic accent which, thankfully, they seem to learn to switch on and off at will - another defence mechanism, perhaps.

But there's an up-side, too.

This term, the 5th grade class have been conducting various bits of writing, research and presentation around their topic of choice. Cats, horses, cars and football seem to figure fairly high up the list. I expected something along similar lines when I asked my daughter what her subject would be; fairies, perhaps, or dragons.

"Conflict," she pronounced. "Specifically, the situation in Gaza, and how the different people involved see it."

Gosh. So we're not just talking conflict, but empathy and constructivism, too.

A few weeks later, and she's inspired the whole class to get involved in examining the nature of conflict, both global and personal. I'm impressed.

I asked her why she'd gone for such a grown-up and complex topic.

"Well, I'm really interested in what Embassies and Diplomats do, and I think it's important for people to get along with others," was the exceptionally grown-up reply.

A small example, perhaps, but illustrative of the variety of experiences - and consequent breadth of worldview - that foreign service children are fortunate enough to enjoy, in exchange for the disruption and transience. Well worth the trade-off, if you ask me.

I hope my children agree.

Posted at 06:43 26 May 2009 by James Barbour  |  Comments[2]

Eurovision: The fun and the serious

I used to love the Eurovision Song Contest.  I'm exactly the right age to just about remember Bucks Fizz's win in 1981 with 'Making your Mind Up'.

Well this week, Eurovision fever has well and truly gripped Moscow.  I arrived back in town from Barcelona on Saturday, on the same 'plane as the Andorran entry, and the road on the way in from the airport is festooned with brightly-coloured Eurovision banners.  In fact, all the city's major roads are - there are even Eurovision symbols painted on the tarmac itself in many places.  Visitors have descended on Moscow this week from all over Europe and beyond, with even more expected to arrive before the final on Saturday.  Tickets for even the initial heats are, I understand, changing hands for several hundred Euros.

Eurovision is, of course, a great showcasing opportunity for each of the 45 countries involved.  So ever since Dima Bilan won Eurovision 2008 for Russia, we've been planning how to make the most of it.  Jade Ewen, Britain's entry, has already visited Moscow a couple of times, as have delegations from her record company and from the BBC.  Media coverage here of the contest as a whole - and the UK entry in particular - has been huge.

Eurovision's not without its controversies, of course.  Georgia has withdrawn from this year's contest, in protest at the banning of its song, "We don't wanna put in".  Terry Wogan has abandoned his traditional role as the BBC's commentator, in protest at 'bloc voting'; Graham Norton takes over the hot seat of what Wogan denounced as a "camp, foolish spectacle".  Well, foolish it may be, but you'd struggle to find anyone in Moscow this week who's not excited.

Except, perhaps, for Moscow's Mayor, Yuri Luzhkov.  Eurovision has a huge gay following, and many of the people flocking to Moscow this week - along with members of Moscow's LGBT community - are hoping to take part in a gay rights parade on Saturday, the afternoon before the Eurovision final.  Mayor Luzhkov has explicitly banned such parades, which he views as "satanic" and "weapons of mass destruction".  If the parade goes ahead despite the ban, and clashes result, things could turn sour.

This would be a huge shame for Moscow.  The city went to fantastic efforts when it hosted the Champions League Final last year.  Tens of thousands of British football fans came to Moscow, had a fantastic time, watched a great game of football, and went home happy.  More than that, Moscow demonstrated to the fans - and to the whole world - that it was capable of organising a world-class event which ran like clockwork.

Let's hope nothing happens on Saturday to undo the PR coup Moscow's Champions League Final represented - although we've a consular team on standby just in case.  In the meantime, if you're coming to Moscow - or if you're already here - and you're thinking of taking part in Saturday's parade, take a look at our travel advice.

Today, though, the focus remains strictly on fun.  This evening we've taken over the VIP area of the 'EuroDom', a huge exhibition hall in the centre of Moscow which has been turned into a focal point for Eurovision events.  Lord Lloyd Webber, Jade, Graham Norton and a cross-section of VIPs and society journalists, will all be there to wish Jade well at the finals on Saturday.  Whether this will be enough to overcome the 'bloc voting' remains to be seen. 

At least, thanks to Lord Lloyd Webber, we know she's got Prime Minister Putin's vote.

Posted at 20:40 14 May 2009 by James Barbour  |  Comments[1]