Ditchley Foundation
Encyclopedia
Ditchley
Ditchley is a country house and estate about northeast of Charlbury in Oxfordshire.-Archaeology:There are remains of a Roman villa on the Ditchley Park estate at Watts Wells, less than southeast of the house...
near Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, which aims to promote international relations, especially Anglo-American relations, through a programme of around fifteen annual conferences on matters of international interest. The foundation was incorporated in 1958 by Sir David Wills, descendant of the tobacco importing family, W. D. & H. O. Wills of Bristol.
At each conference, around forty invitees are drawn from senior levels of politics, business, the armed forces, media, and academia, with roughly a third of guests being American, a further third being British, with the remainder being of other nationalities. The director of the Foundation is usually a retired ambassador - the current director is Jeremy Greenstock
Jeremy Greenstock
Sir Jeremy Q. Greenstock, GCMG is a retired British diplomat, active from 1969-2004.-Life and career:Greenstock was born in Harrow on the Hill, north-west London, the son of Ruth Margaret and John Wilfred Greenstock. He was educated at the Harrow School and Worcester College, University of...
, former British Ambassador to the United Nations.
Discussion begins with all members present, before participants divide into three sub-groups, each having its own chairman and rapporteur to summarise proceedings. Proceedings end with one more conference-wide session. Like the similar Bilderberg meetings
Bilderberg Group
The Bilderberg Group, Bilderberg conference, or Bilderberg Club is an annual, unofficial, invitation-only conference of approximately 120 to 140 guests from North America and Western Europe, most of whom are people of influence. About one-third are from government and politics, and two-thirds from...
, discussions are private and non-attributable.
A corresponding American Ditchley Foundation helps to shape the conference program as well as select American participants.
Notable members
- Sir John MajorJohn MajorSir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
, the former British Prime Minister, is the current chairman of the Ditchley Foundation. - Sir John Wheeler-BennettJohn Wheeler-BennettSir John Wheeler Wheeler-Bennett , GCVO, CMG, OBE, FBA, FRSL was a conservative English historian of German and diplomatic history, and the official biographer of King George VI.-Early career:...
. British historian; the first chairman, appointed in 1958. - Sir Reginald Hibbert. Director 1982–1987.
- Sir Philip Adams. Director 1977–1982.
- Sir Michael Quinlan. Director 1992–1999.
Current Governors
- Lord AdonisAndrew Adonis, Baron AdonisAndrew Adonis, Baron Adonis is a British academic, journalist, Labour Party politician and Life Peer, who was Secretary of State for Transport between 2009-2010....
. Former Transport Secretary. - Giuliano AmatoGiuliano AmatoGiuliano Amato is an Italian politician. He was Prime Minister of Italy twice, first from 1992 to 1993 and then from 2000 to 2001. He was more recently Vice President of the Convention on the Future of Europe that drafted the new European Constitution and headed the Amato Group. He is commonly...
. Formerly Prime Minister of Italy. - Margaret BeckettMargaret BeckettMargaret Mary Beckett is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Derby South since 1983, rising to become the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party under John Smith, from 18 July 1992 to 12 May 1994, and briefly serving as Leader of the Party following Smith's death...
. Formerly Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. - Paul BoatengPaul BoatengPaul Yaw Boateng, Baron Boateng is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Brent South from 1987 to 2005, becoming the UK's first black Cabinet Minister in May 2002, when he was appointed as Chief Secretary to the Treasury...
. Formerely British High Commissioner to the Republic of South Africa and Chief Secretary to the TreasuryChief Secretary to the TreasuryThe Chief Secretary to the Treasury is the third most senior ministerial position in HM Treasury, after the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer . In recent years, the office holder has usually been given a junior position in the British Cabinet...
. - Baroness Bottomley of NettlestoneVirginia BottomleyVirginia Bottomley, Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone, PC, DL is a British Conservative Party politician. She was a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons from 1984 to 2005. She was raised to the peerage in 2005...
, JP. Formerly Secretary of State for Health and for National Heritage. - John BrademasJohn BrademasJohn Brademas is an American politician and educator originally from Indiana. He served as Majority Whip of the United States House of Representatives for the Democratic Party from 1977 to 1981 at the conclusion of a twenty-year career as a member of the United States House of Representatives...
. Formerly Chairman, The American Ditchley Foundation. President Emeritus, New York University. Formerly Democratic Congressman for Indiana. - John BrutonJohn BrutonJohn Gerard Bruton is an Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 1994 to 1997. A minister under two taoisigh, Liam Cosgrave and Garret FitzGerald, Bruton held a number of the top posts in Irish government, including Minister for Finance , and Minister for Industry, Trade,...
. Former IrishRepublic of IrelandIreland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
TaoiseachTaoiseachThe Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
. - Robin Butler, GCB, CVO. Master, University College, Oxford. Formerly Secretary of the Cabinet and Head of the Home Civil Service.
- David CameronDavid CameronDavid William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
, MP. Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Conservative Member of Parliament for Witney. - Menzies CampbellMenzies CampbellSir Walter Menzies "Ming" Campbell, CBE, QC, MP is a British Liberal Democrat politician and advocate, and a retired sprinter. He is the Member of Parliament for North East Fife, and was the Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2 March 2006 until 15 October 2007.Campbell held the British record...
, CBE, QC, MP. Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Fife North East and formerly Leader of the Liberal Democrat Party. - Lord Carrington, KG, GCMG, CH, MC. Formerly Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and Secretary-General of NATO.
- Shami ChakrabartiShami ChakrabartiShami Chakrabarti CBE , has been the director of Liberty, a British pressure group, since September 2003. Chakrabarti is the Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University.-Early life:...
, CBE. Director of LibertyLiberty (pressure group)Liberty is a pressure group based in the United Kingdom. Its formal name is the National Council for Civil Liberties . Founded in 1934 by Ronald Kidd and Sylvia Crowther-Smith , the group campaigns to protect civil liberties and promote human rights...
. - Lynda ChalkerLynda ChalkerLynda Chalker, Baroness Chalker of Wallasey PC is a British Conservative politician who was Member of Parliament for Wallasey from 1974 to 1992...
. Formerly Minister for Overseas Development. - Robert Cooper. Director General, Council of the European Union.
- David HennessyDavid Hennessy, 3rd Baron WindleshamDavid James George Hennessy, 3rd Baron Windlesham and Baron Hennessy, CVO, PC, FBA was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom who held visiting professorships at various universities....
. Formerly Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords; Principal of Brasenose College, Oxford. - Geoffrey HoweGeoffrey HoweRichard Edward Geoffrey Howe, Baron Howe of Aberavon, CH, QC, PC is a former British Conservative politician. He was Margaret Thatcher's longest-serving Cabinet minister, successively holding the posts of Chancellor of the Exchequer, Foreign Secretary, and finally Leader of the House of Commons...
. Formerly Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. - David Hunt. Formerly Secretary of the Cabinet and formerly Chairman, The Ditchley Foundation.
- Douglas HurdDouglas HurdDouglas Richard Hurd, Baron Hurd of Westwell, CH, CBE, PC , is a British Conservative politician and novelist, who served in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major between 1979 and his retirement in 1995....
. Formerly Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. - Peter JayPeter JayPeter Jay is a British economist, broadcaster and diplomat.-Background:Peter Jay is the son of Douglas and Peggy Jay, both of whom were Labour Party politicians...
. Former Ambassador to the United States. - François Lagrange. Chairman, National Commission for Privatisation and President of the Patent Office, France.
- Roy MacLarenRoy MacLarenRoy MacLaren, PC , is a Canadian politician, diplomat, historian, and author.Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of British Columbia with a major in History, a Master's degree from St Catharine's College, Cambridge, a Master of...
. Formerly Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Minister of Trade. - Neil KinnockNeil KinnockNeil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock is a Welsh politician belonging to the Labour Party. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995 and as Labour Leader and Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition from 1983 until 1992 - his leadership of the party during nearly nine years making him...
. Chairman, The British Council. Formerly Vice President of the European Commission. - Peter MandelsonPeter MandelsonPeter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson, PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004, served in a number of Cabinet positions under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and was a European Commissioner...
. Commissioner for External Trade, European Commission. Formerly Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. - John MajorJohn MajorSir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
. Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. - David MilibandDavid MilibandDavid Wright Miliband is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for South Shields since 2001, and was the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from 2007 to 2010. He is the elder son of the late Marxist theorist Ralph Miliband...
. Formerly Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and Labour Member of Parliament for South Shields. - Patrick NairnePatrick NairneThe Rt Hon Sir Patrick Nairne, GCB, MC was a senior British civil servant. He was formerly Permanent Secretary of the Department of Health and Social Security and Master of St Catherine's College, Oxford ....
. Formerly Permanent Secretary, Department of Health and Social Security and Master, St. Catherine’s College, Oxford. - Pauline Neville-JonesPauline Neville-JonesLilian Pauline Neville-Jones, Baroness Neville-Jones DCMG PC is a former BBC Governor and Chairman of the British Joint Intelligence Committee . Before her elevation to the Peerage she was known as Dame Pauline Neville-Jones, DCMG...
. Minister of State for Security, Governor of the BBC and Political Director, Foreign and Commonwealth Office. - Martin O’Neill. Formerly Member of Parliament for Ochil.
- Malcolm RifkindMalcolm RifkindSir Malcolm Leslie Rifkind KCMG QC MP is a British Conservative Party politician and Member of Parliament for Kensington. He served in various roles as a cabinet minister under Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major, including Secretary of State for Scotland , Defence Secretary and...
. Conservative Member of Parliament for Kensington and Chelsea. Formerly Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. - John SawersJohn SawersSir Robert John Sawers, KCMG is a British diplomat and senior civil servant. He is the current Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service...
. KCMG. Chief of SIS. Formerly British Permanent Representative to the United Nations. - Jack StrawJack StrawJack Straw , British politician.Jack Straw may also refer to:* Jack Straw , English* "Jack Straw" , 1971 song by the Grateful Dead* Jack Straw by W...
. Formerly Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Leader of the House of Commons, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs; Home Secretary. - Elizabeth Symons. Formerly Minister of Defence Procurement, Minister of State for International Trade and Investment, Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
- Kevin TebbitKevin TebbitSir Kevin Reginald Tebbit, KCB CMG ) is a former British civil servant.-Career:He was educated at the Cambridgeshire High School for Boys and St John's College, Cambridge. From January to July 1998, Tebbit was director of GCHQ...
. Formerly Permanent Under-Secretary, Ministry of Defence. - David WillettsDavid WillettsDavid Linsay Willetts is a British Conservative Party politician and the Minister of State for Universities and Science. He is the Member of Parliament representing the constituency of Havant in Hampshire.-Education:...
. Conservative Member of Parliament for Havant and Minister of State for Universities and Science. - Shirley Williams. Former Leader of the Liberal Democrat Party in the House of Lords and Public Service Professor, Kennedy School of Government. Director, Project Liberty, Harvard University. Formerly Secretary of State for Education and Science.
External links
- Official Web Site
- The Ditchley foundation council
- The Ditchley foundation governors
- The Ditchley Foundation from the autobiography of Harry HodsonHarry HodsonHenry Vincent "Harry" Hodson was a British economist and editor.-Career:Hodson was born in Edmonton, London. He was educated at Gresham's School, Holt, and Balliol College, Oxford, becoming a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, in 1928. He was later a member of the Economic Advisory Council and...
- Knives are out for Mandelson as new job begins Enron - Mandelson discussions at Ditchley