{"product_id":"parting-shots","title":"Parting Shots","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eUp 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.\nCombining gems from the archives with more recent despatches obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, Parting Shots is a treasure trove of wit, venom and serious analysis. Astute and often gloriously non-politically, they shed light on Britain's place in the world, and reveal the curious cocktail of privilege and privation which make up the life of an ambassador.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Buy3X.com","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52911022964960,"sku":"9780670919291_Kitabay Jaipur_54-A1","price":15.36,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/www.carouselstore.co.uk\/products\/parting-shots","provider":"Carousel Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}