Laura Tanna, Contributor

British High Commissioner Jeremy Cresswell, who left on December 4 after more than four years in Jamaica, was somewhat reluctant to be interviewed on anything other than "policy" matters. Alas, on those he excelled at fluent civil servant doublespeak as celebrated in the brilliant 'Yes, Minister' television series.

At one point he actually said: "We're very conscious of the particular challenges and problems facing countries in the Caribbean and that's why we try to do our best to see where we can provide added value. In particular I would say to the governments of some countries in the Caribbean, there are areas where maybe we have certain experience and expertise that we can bring to bear and there are many areas where we can't bring experience or extra assistance." When I observed that he was the most circumspect interviewee with whom I'd ever dealt, he somewhat gleefully commented: "Like trying to nail the jelly?"

Thoughtful individual

However, scratch beneath the sometimes officious-sounding surface and you find a thoughtful individual who values honesty, integrity and the rights of his fellow man. Someone who has confronted the suffering caused by totalitarian regimes in eastern Europe and the aftermath of World War II, someone who has grappled with the problems of governments in transition and who has witnessed and worked with some of the world's most important politicians. Let us deal first with the man in part one of this interview conducted November 18, 2009 and in part two, with the "Challenge of Change", his observations on Jamaica.

An only child, born in Windsor, England, just 60 years ago to a father who was a small businessman and lay reader in the Anglican Church and "a rather good preacher who was involved in civil society organisations", Cresswell remembers: "He was very strong on social justice. His political instincts were - now I'm talking 1950s, 1960s - the internationalist, anti-colonial type. That, together with the social justice aspect had a strong impact on the formation of my own political views." Perhaps also on his religious views, though in a different way, as Cresswell now considers himself an agnostic, someone who believes that one cannot know whether God exists. Cresswell says of his parents: "They were always extremely tolerant people who never sought to impose anything on me. I remember having many discussions with them about such things. In many ways they were ahead of their times in their tolerance and open approach to parenting."

His mother was a homemaker and less politically minded, but he says: "She was very important in giving me a great love for music, which remains with me up until this day." Indeed, because of her from age seven to 13 he attended choir school at Eton College, a preparatory school focusing on church music from the 16th to 20th century.

Few regrets

He notes: "If you're in a choir, that requires dedication, commitment and regular attendance. In my job here, that's not terribly easy and I've missed that. It's ironic that in a country that is so talented in music and where so many people perform music of all sorts, I've only been a listener. That's one of the very few regrets I have about living here." Not wishing to comment on his preference in Jamaican music, saying: "I'll keep clear of dancehall because that's actually quite a controversial political issue at the moment," he nonetheless remarked: "Music is very, very wide-ranging and one of the best ways in which people together can achieve some sort of common spirituality."

Although the choir school was an integral part of Eton College, for largely financial reasons, he went on to a local grammar school to do his O' and A' levels before entering Exeter College at Oxford University where he read politics and economics. He did a post-grad year, 1971/72, at university in Mainz, Germany, focusing on European law and politics. He observes: "It was a time of student power, of changes in social structures that came with the post-war generation. It was very interesting to be at university in both Britain and in Germany. I was at Oxford in '68, when that relatively staid university became politically active during the Vietnam period. My generation was looking critically at our own society. It was the back end of the swinging '60s, which in itself was a social revolution, so we are creatures of that generation, with more liberal thinking, more open thinking, with a less authoritarian approach. Historians will draw conclusions as to whether that was a healthy time or not."

Return home

Through his interest in international relations he joined the Foreign Service where he has remained for 37 years. Thanks to European Union anti-age discrimination legislation, 60 is no longer the retirement age. In fact, there is now no retirement age in the foreign office, one must apply actively for every single job now in diplomatic service. Having spent four years as deputy head of mission in Germany, prior to his posting here, Cresswell will now return to be based in London as is the norm after eight years abroad.

His first posting was as political officer at the British Embassy in Brussels (1973-76), then as political officer in Malaysia (1976-78) before returning to London. One of his more interesting assignments in London was as private secretary to the minister of state in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (1980-82). His first marriage produced two children, Julia, now 31, and working as a production editor in London for a medical journal, and David, now 24, an Oxford graduate starting a career as a teacher.

Returning to Germany, this time to West Berlin as part of the British military government and as deputy political adviser (1982-86), Cresswell strengthened his understanding of that pivotal Cold War hot spot. Back in London, he served as deputy foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesman (1986-88). Later (1990-94), he found himself again in Brussels, this time in the UK delegation to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and as political counsellor (1990-94). But the posting, which had perhaps the greatest impact on him, was that to Prague, in the Czech Republic, as deputy head of mission (1995-98).

He remembers while at NATO: "I became particularly interested about development in central and eastern Europe because they'd come out of a communist period. They were struggling to regain their independence, struggling to develop political reforms, struggling to develop economic reforms. My time in Prague was a fascinating and interesting period professionally and personally, to see how a country and a society coming out of 40 years of communism was grappling with huge problems and challenges. When I look back, having left Prague just 11 years ago and seeing now the Czech Republic is a full and very important member of the EU and of NATO, it is quite phenomenal what we've experienced over the last 20 years. The recent celebrations commemorating the falling of the Berlin Wall have brought back to all of us what a phenomenal period that was when history simply accelerated in 1989. We're still living with the aftermath of that, with the challenges as well as the very positive elements which have emerged."

He continues: "Vaclav Havel was president of the Czech Republic when I was there. He is a man who I've always greatly admired. I met him fairly often and certainly worked fairly closely with his advisors. At that time, President Havel was playing a significant role, being one of the main leaders of those countries which had come out of communism. I think he's a man of immense moral strength, of immense humanity. A man who thinks for himself. A man who had the courage to put his own political and human beliefs ahead of his own well-being in a way that I think very, very few people ever do. Also, then after the change that happened in his country, was prepared to take on the responsibility that he had no personal need to do, to be there as a leader, really as a beacon for progressive politics.

Great humanist

"He is such a great humanist. Anybody who reads his books, anybody who talks with this man - he's a man of immense modesty - sometimes immense hesitation in what he says - can only be fascinated and spellbound by him.

"I've actually had the opportunity since I've joined the Foreign Office to meet in one way or another and on some occasions to have worked with, every single British prime minister, stretching from Harold Wilson right up to our present prime minister, Gordon Brown and also to have worked with a number of our foreign secretaries. Most of our work is abroad and so we're dealing at various times in our careers with a whole range of people at different levels. It's fascinating sometimes to see how they develop over time from the young politician one knew. But if I was asked the simple question of which single individual has struck the biggest chord with me, then I think I'd have to say that it's President Havel.

"To a slightly different question, who's had the most impact during the period one's been professionally active and in thinking about the changes in Europe, I'd have to say that President Gorbachev, who is not someone I've ever met, was probably the man who singly had the biggest impact on the fortunes of Europe and possibly of the world and whose striving to find solutions to immensely difficult problems has really ensured that we didn't get into situations which would have been intolerable. We avoided a war in a sense because of the far-sightedness and humanity of President Gorbachev."

Next: Part 2 - The Challenge of Change, Cresswell's observations on Jamaica.