Opinion / The Art of Diplomacy

Brexit v UKinEU (9): Nothing Lasts

Last night I had a somewhat desultory appearance on BBC Newsnight as part of a discussion on UK/EU and what a post-Brexit UK might look like. They asked me for a short blog contribution for their site. Here’s what they published. Here’s what I sent them: How might a post-Leave […]

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Poland: The Economic Consequences of the PiS

How is Poland doing these days under new management? Not so well according to Bloomberg: Polish Stocks Count $50 Billion Cost One Year After Duda Win Twelve months on from Andrzej Duda’s surprise initial victory in Poland’s presidential elections, stock investors are fleeing the country. And there’s little sign they will […]

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Brexit v UKinEU (8): Framing

So, my foray to Cambridge for that Cambridge Union UK/EU debate ended (as I expected) in a huge win for the Remain tendency, ably led by Lord Ashdown. He concluded the debate for the Remain side with a rousing speech that seamlessly combined sound points (“The only world leader who will […]

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Brexit v UKinEU (7): Cambridge Union Debate

So. Off to Cambridge tomorrow, to take part in a Cambridge Union debate: This House Believes The UK is better off in the EU This one raises interesting public speaking challenges. It’s a high-powered debate, not a conference presentation or lecture or TV interview. There has to be a goodly […]

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Speeches for Leaders: Cicero Awards 2016

My methods work (as if any of you doubted it). A speech I drafted for Sir John Sawers on the broad themes of Technology, Security, Freedom has won a 2016 Cicero Award over in the USA under the Public Policy heading. The Cicero 2016 Grand Award went to Dain Dunston for […]

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Brexit v UKinEU (5): The Blogs

Back in the day when this blog generated new material like a whirling dervish on heat, I contributed to the BritBlog Roundup – a self-appointed group of bloggers who took it upon themselves to assemble more or less thematic round-ups from the blogosphere as a contribution to the common weal. […]

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Brexit v UKinEU (4): Treaties

A reader asks very pertinent Brexit questions: Is the referendum we are having on 23rd June our only chance to leave the EU? In other words, if we voted to stay in this time, would we ever be able to, or have another opportunity  to leave again? There seems to […]

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Brexit v UKinEU (3): Security

Would the UK lose or gain in ‘security’ terms if it was not part of the European Union? Yes! says my old boss Pauline Neville-Jones, with a rather graceless swipe at former MI6 Chief Richard Dearlove: I do not join those who argue that were the UK to leave the […]

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ICTY: Justice or Peace?

Back in 2009 I wrote two hefty pieces here about ICTY and its role in bringing to justice Balkans war crimes suspects. This one, on the occasion of the viewing of a film Storm: I said that in this sense the film had done a good job, bringing out a […]

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Karadžić is Guilty

The arrest of Radovan Karadžić back in 2008 prompted me to write at some length about him and his life and times. See here. Two pieces read nicely now. This one: Karadžić looks to have been a second-rate romantic who became improbably entangled in Bosnian nationalist politics and then was […]

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