Andrew Liddle

Chris was one of the most intelligent people I've ever met, a source of good humour and really excellent company. 

“Two memories stand out for me. The first was an anecdote he told about being interviewed for a job by Paddy Ashdown after University. Chris told us how the interview was conducted in Mandarin, to test his potential ability to work easily in China. After they had spoken for a while, Paddy said to Chris: "Excellent Chinese, but your accent reveals you are not a native speaker". And Chris replied, somewhat perplexed, that yes, it was unfortunate his accent alone would reveal he's not native Chinese. We laughed so hard at that story in the pub that night. Chris told it so well, I can't even do it justice. 

The second memory was a trip in a minicab. We were on our way to Bar Napoli after a few drinks near the Scottish Parliament and Chris began chatting to the driver in Hindi. They got on so well that we didn't have to pay for the cab at the other end! As someone who has always struggled with languages, I remember being in awe at his ability to connect on such a personal level in a language that seemed so complex and unrelatable. But Chris was too modest to take any praise - it was just something he was able to do.

I can't believe I'll never get another chance to chat with him about politics, or spend an evening sharing pints of beer - I remember he always had an eccentric preference for Fosters with a lemonade top - in that pub down by parliament. I will always value the friendship, time and support he gave me - especially with my book - even though we came from different sides of the political divide. I will greatly miss him.”