Chris Patten, the “Last Governor”of Hongkong and former EU Commissioner for Foreign Relations and, most recently,author of Not Quite the Diplomat, spoke to James Moore during his last visit to the region.
In your book, you say you could settle in Seattle, and obviously you have a love affair with China. But where’s your piece of heaven?
My home,apart from London and Oxford…the place that I spend my holiday is in the southwest of France. I guess we all have our piece of countryside where we leave our hearts. Mine is in the countryside of The Tarn – rivers cutting through limestone making spectacular gorges – deep countryside.
Are you a “sit back by the pool in a resort” kind of guy?
No!
Where’s next?
I’m becoming very enthusiastic about Italy. I’m even trying in a rather lame way to learn Italian. Last year, we went on a fabulous walking holiday in the area of Marche. At present, we are debating where to go in Italy next May – whether to walk to Sienna, which is beautiful, or to Spoleto.
Having covered so many miles in the name of politics and diplomacy, tell us, do you still love to travel?
The thing about my life is that while I’ve been everywhere, literally. What tends to happen is that I go to government offices or hotel bedrooms, which look much the same (pauses to make a gesture to indicate the Hongkong Suite at the top of the Island Shangri-La and says:“Not like this!”) and I don’t actually see the country.
For example, I’ve been to Morocco four times but I’ve never actually been to Morocco. So places where I really want to see I’m trying to go back and see properly. My wife and I, after Christmas, are going to Fez and Marrakech.
When you’re on holiday, can you really disengage from the rest of the world?
I am quite an enthusiastic traveller. I think my family thinks it’s quite tiresome as I’ve read every guide book and have rather excessive enthusiasm. I remember one time when the kids were rather young and we stopped off at yet another Chateau on the Loire. They had a debate at the back of the car and decided to go on strike!
You quote countless authors in your recent book and you’re obviously a literary fan as you write reviews for The Guardian. What’s your idea of a decent holiday read?
I have just discovered Ian McEwan. I haven’t read him before but I am deep into Enduring Love and I’ve bought another one called The Innocent. I have been reading John Banville, who won the Man Booker, for years and think he’s a terrific writer. So I do read a few novels.But my main reading is history and I’m having to start my reading on my new book. So I have a book in my bag which I’m going to start on my way to Australia which is called Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond.
Are there any countries that you wouldn’t go to because of politics?
Burma. It’s very sad because I’ve been wanting to go to Burma for years, particularly Pagan. But I don’t feel that I can go while Aung San Suu Kyi is still locked up. I wouldn’t now be able to or want to go to Zimbabwe, which is a spectacularly beautiful country.
Where haven’t you been?
Well, I had a spell as Development Minister in the 1980s and I’m lucky enough to have seen most of Africa. I’ve seen most of Asia because of being here and being European Commissioner. But until two years ago, I hadn’t been to New Zealand, and I’ve still only seen the North Island. But I’ve seen enough of it to know that I’d love it. Sometimes, I think that if I’d been to Australia in my 20s I’d have never gone back home.
