Page 50 - Hull's School Yearbook 2018-2019

Graduation*speech*by*Edward*Inglett*(British*Embassy)*
" Thank"you"and"I’m"sorry"our"Ambassador"Jane"Owen"can’t"make"it"today." To"be"asked"to"speak"in"her"stead"is"a"great"honour,"but"one"fraught"with" fear"for"me,"as"only"last"week"the"US"embassy"fed"back"to"my"colleagues" that"my"voice"resembles"that"of"the"actor"Alan"Rickman,"who"I"gather" specialises"in"playing"Hollywood"villains."So"if"I"change"my"accent"or"tone" halfway"through"this,"you’ll"know"it"is"because"I"am"trying"to"disassociate" myself"from"authoritarian"Severus"Snape"in"the"Harry"Potter"movies.""
" I"attended"the"second"oldest"school"in"the"UK"–"King’s"Rochester,"founded" in"the"year"604"AD."Some"of"the"teachers"looked"that"old,"I"can"tell"you."In" preparing"this"speech,"I"tried"to"recall"my"own"school"speech"days,"where" guest"speakers"fell"into"three"broad"categories:"the"professional"from" outside"education"who"knew"all"the"answers"about"education"without" knowing"any"of"the"questions;"the"education"specialist,"who"knew"all"the" questions"but"was"wholly"incapable"of"providing"the"answers;"and,"worst" of"all,"some"vain"halfwit,"their"face"beaming"with"selfOsatisfaction,"who" basically"boasted"“I"never"did"any"work"at"school"and"look"at"me"now”.""
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I’ll"try"to"be"none"of"those."Instead,"I’ll"speak"about"the"current"state"of" the"UKOSwiss"relationship"and"offer"reflections"on"education,"culture"and" integrity."Perhaps"some"of"it"will"inter"itself"in"your"memories"in"years" ahead."It’s"of"reassurance"to"me"that"protocol"and"proximity"compel"you" to"at"least"pretend"to"be"awake"for"it.""
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