{"product_id":"parting-shots","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":"Thryft Singapore","offers":[{"title":"Like New","offer_id":46055270613273,"sku":"DA307.P37 2010","price":3.9,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Very Good","offer_id":46055270646041,"sku":"DA307.P37 2010","price":3.9,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Good","offer_id":46055270678809,"sku":"DA307.P37 2010","price":3.9,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Well Read","offer_id":46055270711577,"sku":"DA307.P37 2010","price":3.9,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0110\/0598\/4849\/files\/11478444.jpg?v=1717715786","url":"https:\/\/thryft.sbs\/products\/parting-shots","provider":"Thryft","version":"1.0","type":"link"}