{"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":"Kitabay Jaipur","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52994324037948,"sku":"9780670919291_Kitabay Jaipur_54-A1","price":11.52,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0978\/1346\/3356\/files\/621872bb00d4b916b7a2f9c7c979cc24.jpg?v=1776504022","url":"https:\/\/svkcart.com\/en-ch\/products\/parting-shots","provider":"svkcart","version":"1.0","type":"link"}