7th March 2012 Washington DC, USA
My mother’s mother was born early in the 20th century in a small Welsh mining village. She was the third of 11 children and she left school – illegally – at 12 to work in a factory. This was not uncommon – indeed only her very youngest sister finished school. Married at 17, to avoid […]
Read more on An unconventional flapper lives the American Dream | Reply
5th March 2012 Islamabad, Pakistan
I have been Political Counsellor at the British High Commission in Islamabad since December 2011. This is my first posting to South Asia. Before coming to Pakistan, I was Head of Human Rights and Democracy Department at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London, and before that I served in Moscow, Paris, New York and […]
24th February 2012 Islamabad, Pakistan
Yesterday Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar attended the international conference on Somalia in London hosted by British Prime MinisterDavid Cameron. Her presence was valuable and built on the good collaboration that Britain and Pakistan have enjoyed over the narrower question of Somali piracy. We’ve both suffered from these pirates. So our two navies have collaborated on […]
13th February 2012 Washington DC, USA
It’s a steep hill from our apartment in Georgetown to the Embassy in DC. In the mornings, I’ve tried to reconcile myself to this by reminding myself how healthy it is to start the day with a walk up a hill. I’ve had some success. But the journey home was less enjoyable for the first few […]
2nd February 2012 USA
This week Washington welcomed the best and brightest in reality and unscripted television industry to the (sold-out) 14th Annual RealScreen Summit. Home to non-fiction powerhouses like Discovery Communications, The National Geographic Channel and PBS, the event here brought together the top creative talent who develop the shows we love (or love to hate), like Wife […]
11th January 2012 Ottawa, Canada
As we approach the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, Canadians have begun to reflect on its role in shaping what Canada is today. But this is also a chance for Britain to consider its own contribution to the conflict, and how its relationship with Canada has evolved over the past two centuries. The […]
21st December 2011 Ottawa, Canada
A holiday message from British High Commissioner Andrew Pocock… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zof8de9GQMk
10th November 2011 Ottawa, Canada
11 November is Remembrance Day. Along with many of my diplomatic colleagues, I’ll be laying a wreath at the War Memorial in Ottawa, at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, when the guns finally fell silent on the Western Front in 1918. This will be particularly poignant for me, as […]
6th October 2011
The following is a guest blog from Mary and Detlef Golletz, friends of mine who visited in the summer. “Kyiv?” friends asked quizzically as we discussed plans for a short break. A reasonable question, given that it proved impossible to buy local currency in the UK and our 2008 Lonely Planet Guide said that the […]
15th September 2011 Ottawa, Canada
Last weekend I had the honour of taking in my first British Day at Spruce Meadows. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUREzQkcaQE