10th November 2015
One important element in the bilateral relationship between Britain and the Holy See is Parliament. Since 2004, an All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on the Holy See has existed, in its words, “to monitor the relationship between the UK and the Holy See and call representatives of faith communities and the foreign/diplomatic service to brief […]
1st May 2014
“The authors of the Magna Carta clearly recognised the interdependence between personal freedom and economic freedom” said Foreign Minister Julie Bishop as she began her speech at the annual Magna Carta Lecture, which the British High Commission hosts. Before a packed audience at the Victoria State Parliament, she set out her new development paradigm, for […]
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2nd April 2014 Dublin, Ireland
On Friday 28 March members of the House of Commons and House of Lords, as well as representatives of the UK government, met some of their counterparts in Poland. During a conference organised jointly by the British Embassy and Polish parliament, they had a wide-ranging discussion about the economic and institutional reform necessary in the EU. From […]
Read more on Guest blog by Michał Cichowlas – Economic Officer from the British Embassy Warsaw, summing up "The Future of a Competitive EU" discussion in the Polish Parliament | Reply
13th February 2014
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop attended a reception I hosted last night to welcome new Members of Parliament to Canberra, at the start of the Parliamentary year following the long Christmas/Summer break. With huge British investments here (we’re the second largest foreign investor), 1.1 million Brits living in Australia, 600,000 visiting each year and a million […]
25th October 2013
One intangible measure of the strength of a bilateral relationship is how far relations go beyond strict government to government formalities. Relations between the United Kingdom and the Holy See received a boost this week with a visit by 12 members of the All Party Parliamentary Group on the Holy See (APPG for short). The […]
23rd May 2013
I was familiar with Adelaide’s origins as a planned city of free settlers, but I did not know about its links with London’s famous Reform Club (the starting point for Jules Verne’s “Around the World in 80 Days”) until I attended a fascinating event there organised by the Australia Britain Society while I was back […]
11th February 2013 Tashkent, Uzbekistan
On Friday I met two officials of Uzbekistan’s parliament who were about to set off to London to spend a week there learning about Britain’s parliament and how it is run. They will meet the clerks who keep the work of Parliament running smoothly and support the work of its committees as they examine legislation […]
19th September 2012
Canberra is “a game of two halves” as the football (soccer) commentators put it. For about 20 weeks a year, the parliamentarians descend on it from all across this vast continent, in a whirl of activity. The rest of time it is somewhat quieter. With Parliament sitting last week, I was up there twice speaking […]
11th September 2012 Nairobi, Kenya
Yesterday, Somalia marked a major milestone in its recent history. After two decades of civil war, and a year after the Roadmap was agreed, the Transitional Period finally concluded with the election by MPs of new President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud. This was the first such election inside Somalia for many years and came just weeks after […]
30th May 2012
Seven members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Holy See have just visited the Vatican. In a whistle-stop tour, they were able to meet a range of important Holy See officials, including calls at the Secretariat of State and, separately, at Caritas Internationalis. They were also presented to Pope Benedict at the General […]