The Annual Summer Diplomatic party, organised by the Conservative Foreign and Commonwealth Council, took place on June 22nd 2016 in the Cholmondeley Room of the House of Lords. The infamously fickle British weather was fortunately very fine, and under the bright summer sun the terrace overlooking the Thames was a beautiful backdrop for the gathering. There was an amicable and welcoming atmosphere amongst the gathered guests, and between relaxed, informal socialising and some light networking, there was no shortage of topics for conversation. Subjects ranged from professional and political matters, to unorthodox topics such as tonka bean chocolate and the merits of karate over taekwondo. The event proved to be a great platform for the fostering of relationships between the many and diverse members of the CFCC, and the interesting and approachable congregation were wonderful company with whom to enjoy the warm weather.
This year’s guest speaker was the Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. His address covered the defence issues facing both the United Kingdom and the world at large; such as the threat posed by terrorism, the development of nuclear weapons by North Korea, and the occupation of Ukraine. Despite these sombre subjects, the speech also detailed the great progress that the United Kingdom has made as a nation and thus carried a reassuring and positive message, which was well received by the audience.
The party was very well attended – among those present were: Rt Hon Lord Astor of Hever, Lord Howell of Guildford, Rt Hon Baroness Chalker of Wallasey, Lord Rose of Monewden and Rt Hon Dominic Grieve QC MP. There was also a great international presence due to the many representatives from around the globe – among those present were the Ambassadors of Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Paraguay, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Denmark, Germany, Slovenia, Estonia, France, Norway, Kazakhstan, Uruguay, Bahrain, Finland, Brazil, Peru and Israel. The High Commissioners for the Bahamas, New Zealand, Cyprus, Malaysia, Singapore, Barbados and Mauritius also attended.
As the sun set over the Thames, the time came for the evening to draw to a close. It was clear from the atmosphere that the crowd would be content to remain – but the ballot box called. While none knew the outcome of the impending referendum, it was certain that whatever the result, there would be a wealth of discussion for next year’s event.
Dmitri Stokes.