Opinion / Public Speaking and Speechwriting

The Decline Of Courage

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn at Harvard in 1978: A decline in courage may be the most striking feature which an outside observer notices in the West in our days. The Western world has lost its civil courage, both as a whole and separately, in each country, each government, each political party and […]

Continue Reading

Diplomats – Gagged? (2)

The House of Commons Public Affairs Select Committee has now given its thoughts on the FCO/Cabinet Office rules – tightened after the Craig Murray and Sir Christopher Meyer books – on what diplomats can (or not) say after they leave the Service. Their view:  … the results do indeed appear […]

Continue Reading

Diplomats – Gagged?

The role (if any) played by former diplomats in public life depends to quite a degree on how – and how far – they draw on their extensive and unique experiences in the Diplomatic Service. So, questions. What are the limits if any on what they can say publicly about […]

Continue Reading

Chopped

Buying things is a redistribution of wealth. Wood? Meet Axe.

Continue Reading

Those US Presidential Elections Meet Eastern Wisdom

Is B Obama losing momentum? If so, is it because he did not take some earlier advice?  

Continue Reading

Should Ambassadors Write To Newspapers?

An interesting pair of Ambassadorial letters to newspapers have appeared in recent days. First, HM Ambassador in Poland Ric Todd wrote in July to the Polish paper Rzeczpospolita about the death in a plane accident in 1943 in Gibraltar of General Sikorski. Various Poles continue to insist that this death was suspicious, […]

Continue Reading

Britblog Roundup #181

Welcome, Britblog Roundup readers. The latest Roundup is here. It links to one of my Craig Murray Saga posts: "long-term mud-wrestle … one to watch." Lots of other interesting blogs there too. Such as the Stroppybird – someone about as far from my own views as I can imagine. It […]

Continue Reading

Craig Murray: Another View (8) – Establishment Hatchet-Job?

Craig Murray responds to my previous post: Charles, You brush very lightly over the fact that you praised in the warmest terms at the time the telegrams you now rubbish – as did numerous other Ambassadors including Jeremy Greenstock who commended the to his New York morning meeting.  I think […]

Continue Reading

Have You Voted Yet?

There’s still time to do so, either here or via Iain Dale’s site. But you do need to vote for 10 UK blogs, so get cracking. Plenty to choose from on the TP Blog Directory. Guide to Political Blogs 2008-9: Vote for your Top Ten Blogs   Take Part & […]

Continue Reading

New Internet Watchdog For Bloggers?

This report as picked up by Iain Dale and others asserts that: Internet users will be protected from abusive bloggers and malicious Facebook postings under proposals to set up an independent internet watchdog, The Daily Telegraph has learnt. The body, made up of industry representatives, would be responsible for drawing […]

Continue Reading
Newer EntriesOlder Entries