The first thing they tell you on the Foreign Office media training course is that there is no such thing as off the record. This is definitely true, especially in India. But at least Indian journalists do us the courtesy, when they write about something which was meant to be off the record, of telling their readers that it was off the record. It's important that your readers understand what they are and are not supposed to know.The second thing they tell you is to always put the media bus in the middle of the prime minister's convoy, because if the media get left behind they get mad and they write even worse stories about you than usual. I hope you won't get mad with us today. If there is anything wrong with the food or drink, please complain to Marcus.And the third thing they tell you on the Foreign Office media course is to always be friendly to journalists, because they have a tough life and most people dislike journalists almost as much as they dislike diplomats. So, I am delighted

James Bevan

James Bevan

James Bevan

'Diplomats and the media have a lot in common'