A chance to find out how diplomacy works...

Just after Christmas, Ros forwarded something on to me, an invitation to take up an short course of study, “Diplomacy in the 21st Century”, offered by the Open University in co-operation with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. I pondered the matter for a week or so and then thought, “Why not?”.

The course is, I admit, intended for;

... all UK government staff working on international issues, in the UK and overseas and colleagues from other Diplomatic Academies and Ministries of Foreign Affairs worldwide. It will also be suitable for people working in thinktanks, academics and professionals in any sector whose work has a close relation to diplomacy, students in fields such as diplomatic studies, and anybody interested in the nature of a diplomatic career.

but, with my interest in foreign policy and international affairs, it should prove to be, if not useful, then interesting.

And I really ought to find ways of keeping the little grey cells active. I’ve given up being Treasurer of Mid Suffolk Liberal Democrats, indeed I’m not even on the Executive Committee (but that’s a story for another day), and I have some time on my hands. What I’d rather not take on is an ‘everyday’ long term commitment, so a short course is ideal, particularly with the long winter evenings to fill.

So, what is the subject matter? Well, we’ll be covering;

• Overview of modern diplomatic representation
• The new tools of social media and wider digital diplomacy
• The history of women in British diplomacy and the gender equality agenda
• Overview of some key theories of diplomacy
• The challenges of expeditionary diplomacy and leadership in a diplomatic context
• Diplomatic tradecraft including protocol, networking and reporting

From that, it seems that I might be able to develop (in some cases, obtain) some useful skills. The likelihood of me ending up in the Diplomatic Service is, I accept, highly unlikely, but as a member of the Federal International Relations Committee, it might help me to be more effective when working with sister parties, or at ALDE Party events.

I’ve met some of our Ambassadors close up - Armenia, Chile and Cuba - and been impressed both by their commitment and their willingness to explain and answer questions. Finding out some more of the background to their work will be interesting...

The course doesn’t start until Monday though, and there are, it seems, still places. So, if you fancy joining me, here’s the link.

On being reminded that, perhaps, one should count one's blessings more often...

I read Jennie Rigg's blog post today with a sense of disquiet. Not, as one might think, with a sense of disbelief, or disgust, or disappointment, but disquiet. It does bother me somewhat when people I like are disturbed to the point when they take actions which, in my mind, are injurious to themselves and/or others, or are made unhappy by the actions of others or even sheer randomness. Sometimes I note from their Twitter feeds, or from third parties, that life is dealing out lemons today.

I find myself thinking, "there, but for the grace of God, go I", but seldom do I take the next step of reflecting upon that. So, by way of making amends, perhaps I should tempt fate by doing just that.

I am, in many ways, extraordinary in my ordinariness. I had an uneventful childhood, raised by two people who cared for me, in a community where I felt safe, and schooled by people who took sufficient interest in me as an individual to want to encourage me to explore the possibilities open to me.

I never experienced poverty or suffering in the way that, as it turned out, so many other people have done, never had people tell me that I couldn't do things, never been treated as a persecuted minority, never felt that I have to justify my existence. Clearly, being a mixed-race, middle-class male comes with certain advantages. And to the extent that I am in a minority, it is one that goes almost entirely unnoticed, even if it is something that I am inordinately proud of.

I have had opportunities denied to many, and even taken some of them, and when bad things have happened, I have been blessed by friends and family who generously given their love and time to support me. And I am married to someone who I love and, I think, loves me back.

In short, the fates have been generous thus far, a view reinforced by the dilemmas faced by my friends and associates on a day by day basis. I can only admire the grace and good humour with which they face them.

And so I say to Jennie, and to so many others, I am proud and honoured to be your friend, and I take strength and solace from your bravery and honesty.

And, in turn, I give thanks for the good fortune that I have had over nearly half a century, and promise not to take it for granted quite so much in future...

Bureaucrat dices with organisational death, but lives to administrate another day...

In my somewhat unexpected quest to qualify as an trained killer (that's a joke, by the way), there were always going to be obstacles to be faced. However, I had rather hoped to encounter them later, rather than sooner...

My course starts off with a series of core skills assessments, communication, general law, analytical thinking and the like. Think of it as a skills audit but with a sting in the tail, as all subjects are assessed, and all ten must be passed with the required 70% score or better. And it had been going swimmingly until I encountered 'Communicating Effectively in the Workplace'.

There is an obvious irony here, as most of my managers and colleagues have acknowledged that I communicate pretty well. Alright, perhaps over enthusiastically at time, I accept, but I am told that I write well, take a robust but helpful approach to my telephone work, and have a wide vocabulary. So, should be a breeze, right?

Wrong, as it turned out. Yes, I wasn't well, and perhaps should have deferred the test, but found myself confronted with something that was rather blurry, at least it seemed so to my medicated with paracetamol brain. And perhaps I hadn't really grasped the material through the haze. Whatever it was, the result was a failure, albeit a narrow one.

And so, a sudden death resit beckoned. Pass, and I could move on. Fail, and the course was over almost before it had started.

The catch? You have to wait at least a week to resit so, with resit scheduled, my attention turned to the other outstanding assessments. I survived 'Teamworking' and 'General Law Awareness' but missed 'Interacting with HMRC Customers' through ill health.

So, as impending doom approached, I read and re-read my notes. And read them again. And took notes from my notes.

The clock ticked relentlessly towards the assigned time for the assessment until, at precisely 3.00, I clicked on the link to the assessment, and looked, with a degree of bemusement, at the questions, before ploughing in.

Six questions went easily, three required a bit more thought, but the last one left me somewhat perplexed. I thought it through, but didn't really like any of the answers. So, gentle reader, I took what I considered to be an informed guess, pressed 'submit' and crossed my fingers.

Interestingly, good news comes in a red font. And the news was good - I had passed. So, nine down, one to go on Wednesday. Can't wait...

Maintaining one's dignity - life in the heart of the campaign

It's been a long campaign. A fun one, but a long one all the same. Curiously, though, we've reached a rather odd phase, in that the limitations placed on candidates really begin to kick in at this point.

The absence of membership lists means that the opportunity to drive increased voter turnout is severely reduced, whereas in the leadership election last year, access to those very lists meant that the two campaign teams could use a range of methods to cajole those still to vote into action.

Tight control over the issue of e-mails (they all go out at once at a time not necessarily of the candidate's choosing) means that the ability to use the medium for a conversation with members or with the other candidates is lost.

The absence of formal hustings has taken away that 'gladiatorial' element that adds an exclamation point to the campaign, although I've not been wildly impressed with the informal hustings that have taken place thus far (poorly organised, poorly attended, and of limited value).

And so the campaign has continued in its usual efficient manner, with everything that be usefully done being done - many thanks to those of you who have contributed their time, support and enthusiasm!

I've focused on my role of support to Ros, making sure that she rests between engagements, making sure that the travel arrangements work, that we have somewhere to stay, noting the issues that resonate with members in different locations, doing all of the things that a good candidate's aide does.

What I haven't done is used this blog to act as a cheerleader for Ros. Everyone knows where I stand and, to be honest, it would be embarrassing if 'Liberal Bureaucracy' was seen to be a completely over the top, partisan stream of 'isn't she amazing' candyfloss. Instead, I've tended to report on the things that I've learnt in the course of the vast range of local party events that I've attended. There is no doubt that, regardless of what happens when the poll closes, I will have gained insights that will make me more effective at what I do for the Party.

And for those of you who have contributed to that education, many thanks!