Nous sommes arrives And arriving in DRC through Kinshasa airport is quite an experience. There are few facilities, and many steps to pass through with passport, yellow fever vaccination certificate, baggage labels all checked – sometimes repeatedly with a hint of bribery in the air. Dozens of locals descend on you looking to help with…
Listening diplomatically while asking tough questions that must be answered is never easy. So, confronting Congolese rebels with accusations of recent sexual violence during a dialogue about long term solutions and peace was a test for me on Saturday. But the opportunity to hear up close the grievances of some of the M23 rebels, and…
One of the saddest places on earth is the Kigali Genocide Memorial managed by the Aegis Trust. Here, 250,000 or so victims of the Rwanda genocide in 1994 are buried together, alongside an exhibition and permanent memorial to their memory. A flame is lit each year by President Kagame to burn at the entrance as…
I’ve spent the weekend on Sark, a 3 mile long Channel Island lying off the coast of Guernsey. It feels a bit like Cornwall/Britanny with lovely wild flowers and gorse. And a bit olde worlde, with horse drawn carriages and tea rooms serving scones. The island is politically independent of the UK and ruled by…
On my previous visits to Rwanda over recent years, I have either been supporting specific projects managed by the Hunter or Clinton Foundations, or by other international NGO’s, or meeting the President to discuss global challenges: education, conflict, development. So Friday 24 May, the first full day of our APPG visit was particularly interesting. Meeting…
It is Thursday 22 May, first day of the Whitsun Recess. I am travelling to Kigali: first stop of the delegation from the All Party Parliamentary Group on the Great Lakes Region of Africa. We will study and report upon the current peace process, the stabilisation efforts of the UN and others including the UK,…
The Marriage (Same-sex Couples) Bill has completed its passage through the Commons. It was given a Third Reading by 366 votes to 161. It has now arrived in the Lords, having been given its formal First Reading at the end of proceedings yesterday. It is scheduled for Second Reading on the first day the House…
It is sad that the NAHT has been so hostile to Michael Gove. Heads are dedicated people who, in my long experience, are dedicated to raising the performance of all children and giving the best to all the pupils in their charge. That is what Michael Gove wants as well, so why can’t they have…
On Sunday I did the first leg of a walk along the North Downs Way/Pilgrims Way. It goes past Canterbury Cathedral and ends up at Dover. It starts in Farnham. There are 8 of us who do this walk – four couples – and we have just completed walking from the source of the Thames…
