{"product_id":"parting-shots-1","title":"Parting Shots","description":"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. Combining 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.","brand":"bookshop.lol","offers":[{"title":"Thryft - Used (Like New)","offer_id":42476002934862,"sku":"9780670919291","price":3.9,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Thryft - Used (Very Good)","offer_id":42476002967630,"sku":"9780670919291","price":3.9,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Thryft - Used (Good)","offer_id":42476003000398,"sku":"9780670919291","price":3.9,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Thryft - Used (Well Read)","offer_id":42476003033166,"sku":"9780670919291","price":3.9,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0645\/3857\/4926\/files\/11478444_32c8194d-1f4f-40bc-8eb1-5d84a1eec993.jpg?v=1747212100","url":"https:\/\/bookshop.lol\/products\/parting-shots-1","provider":"bookshop.lol","version":"1.0","type":"link"}