Diplomatic lessons, Vienna 2016-2021 by former Ambassador Leigh Turner This blog article is republished without modifications from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/diplomatic-lessons-11-vienna-2016-21-give-something-back-turner-cmg/ by courtesy of the author. When I was appointed as a junior diplomat to Vienna in September 1984, my letter of appointment, signed by Her Majesty the Queen and Foreign Secretary Sir Geoffrey Howe, contained ... Weiterlesen >

or, The Show Must Go On? by Gerhard Seidl One of the reasons for my deep love of Britain is its vibrant music scene. In the 80’s and 90’s I enjoyed many memorable nights in small clubs, and big open-air festivals, all over the island. Every summer, during my student years,  I worked ... Weiterlesen >

by Jochen Ressel As a sports Epeé fencer, a number of years ago, I decided to dive deeper into this fascinating sport than just having training multiple times per week – covering tactics, concentration, fencing technique, speed, muscularity and elasticity, whilst participating in numerous competitions over the season. I wanted to understand fencing ... Weiterlesen >

Experiences over 50 years of mobility from the perspective of the oil business  by Gustav Trubatsch Yes, it was really buzzing - the automotive industry in the 60s and 70s. Somehow it became clear that the car would be the product of the century. As a newcomer to the job market, there was ... Weiterlesen >

It’s Wimbledon again by Jochen Ressel In the late 1990’s, when I worked for a company’s London HQ, our President would have loved to be British. Unfortunately his name was so clearly Swedish, that there was never any doubt that he is not. As a compensation he collected memberships of every British club ... Weiterlesen >

by H.E. Ambassador Leigh Turner This blog article is republished without any modification from https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/leighturner/2021/06/22/diplomatic-lessons-8-2006-8-embrace-responsibility/  by courtesy of the author. When I started work as head of the Overseas Territories Department of the FCO (as it then was) in July 2006, I inherited from my predecessor three steel cabinets stuffed full of files.  They covered all ... Weiterlesen >

… and why he was forced to delay it Ambassadorial Experiences | Part 2 By Alexander Christiani Nelson Mandela, after 27 years of incarceration by the Apartheid regime, was finally set free in Capetown on a sunny and hot Sunday on February 11, 1990. I, at that time, had the good fortune to ... Weiterlesen >

The Labour Leader’s Tear Jerker by Melanie Sully The British are known for the stiff upper lip. You just get on with it, make a cup of tea and carry on. The Queen is the epitome of dutiful aloofness which has won admiration because it suits the tasks she has carried out. Maybe ... Weiterlesen >

One of several remarkable personal experiences of the former Austrian Ambassador in the Netherlands Ambassadorial Experiences | Part 1 Dr Alexander Christiani When on 4 February 2000 the Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel decided to form a government with the Haider-FPÖ, hell broke loose in Europe. A number of European member states imposed “sanctions” ... Weiterlesen >

Is Cash King? by Ian Murdoch When Cash Was King..... I received my first pocket money on a Monday morning in September 1957. From then on I was the proud recipient of the princely sum of sixpence a week. That first Monday was a red-letter day for me - I was excited to be ... Weiterlesen >