It’s not all doom and gloom with British diplomats. Over at Odessablog some warm words of praise for Judith Gardiner, Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Kyiv (Kiev, capital of Ukraine, for those who are not abreast of latest European city names).

Thus:

It is always good to catch up with what the FCO is doing in Ukraine and to be honest, it is always a pleasure to have any dealings with Judith, whatever the medium for communication…

A very broad agenda (as there wasn’t really an agenda) but what an absolute delight to have such quality conversation with someone so involved in Ukraine and access to the corridors of power here (and in Whitehall).  It was nothing less than therapeutic at a certain level and incredibly interesting at another.

Here’s a solid point about the steady reality of diplomatic work overseas:

So often it is easy to forget that whatever the FCO does or doesn’t achieve cannot be shouted from the roof tops, before, during or afterwards for sensitive reasons, often more sensitive to the nation in which they operate rather than the UK’s sensitivities.

So far so good. But wait. What’s this?

Other things discussed included mutual acquaintances, such Mr Charles Crawford who has his own things to say about standards within the FCO.

It seems Charles was one of the first diplomats Judith ever met (20 years ago) and described him has “fearsome”.  Charles, fearsome?  Well, maybe, I have never worked for him but in all our communications he has been nothing but direct and courteous.  In his TED presentations he comes across rather well…..almost cuddly!

Blimey.

Update  Odessablog adds a wise gloss on the ‘fearsome’ side of things:

I am sure you were a hard taskmaster, although "fearsome" maybe a little stretch for the majority of situations. Then, don’t we all look back and remember those who were the hardest of taskmasters and those who insisted on excellence and thank them for the discipline and standards they imparted into our character?  Was their praise, when it came, not worth more than praise from any others?

From school teachers to brigadiers and colonels, I have never forgotten those who insisted I be all that I could possibly be at the time.