Parting Shots

<p>Matthew Parris's <i>Parting Shots </i>is a treasure trove of wit, venom and serious analysis.<br><br>Up till 2006 a British Ambassador leaving his post was encouraged to write what was known as a valedictory despatch, to be circulated to a small number of influential people in government. This was the parting shot, an opportunity to offer a personal and frank view of the host country, the manners and morals of its people, their institutions, the state of their cooking and their drains. But it was also a chance to let rip at the Foreign Office itself and to look back on a career spent in the service of a sometimes ungrateful nation.<br><br>Combining gems from the archives with more recent despatches obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, <i>Parting Shots</i> sheds light on Britain's place in the world, revealing the curious cocktail of privilege and privation that makes up the life of an ambassador.<br><br>'Wonderful ... a glimpse of that lost world of private eloquence and erudite candour' Matthew d'Ancona, <i>Evening Standard</i><br><br>'Unbuttoned, indiscreet and very funny' <i>Yorkshire Post</i><br><br>Matthew Parris had a short career in the Foreign Office where one of his tasks was to distribute incoming valedictory despatches. He was a Conservative MP from 1979 to 1986, since when he has worked as a journalist. He is the author of <i>A Castle in Spain</i>, <i>Parting Shots</i>, and <i>A Spanish Ambassador's Suitcase</i>. He divides his time between Derbyshire (where his old constituency was situated) and east London.</p> <p>Matthew Parris's <i>Parting Shots </i>is a treasure trove of wit, venom and serious analysis.<br><br>Up till 2006 a British Ambassador leaving his post was encouraged to write what was known as a valedictory despatch, to be circulated to a small number of influential people in government. This was the parting shot, an opportunity to offer a personal and frank view of the host country, the manners and morals of its people, their institutions, the state of their cooking and their drains. But it was also a chance to let rip at the Foreign Office itself and to look back on a career spent in the service of a sometimes ungrateful nation.<br><br>Combining gems from the archives with more recent despatches obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, <i>Parting Shots</i> sheds light on Britain's place in the world, revealing the curious cocktail of privilege and privation that makes up the life of an ambassador.<br><br>'Wonderful ... a glimpse of that lost world of private eloquence and erudite candour' Matthew d'Ancona, <i>Evening Standard</i><br><br>'Unbuttoned, indiscreet and very funny' <i>Yorkshire Post</i><br><br>Matthew Parris had a short career in the Foreign Office where one of his tasks was to distribute incoming valedictory despatches. He was a Conservative MP from 1979 to 1986, since when he has worked as a journalist. He is the author of <i>A Castle in Spain</i>, <i>Parting Shots</i>, and <i>A Spanish Ambassador's Suitcase</i>. He divides his time between Derbyshire (where his old constituency was situated) and east London.</p>