Spies, grey zone wars and the climate crisis on the menu
Table Talk – Spies, grey zone wars and the climate crisis on the menu
By Lyndsey Jones
With so many global threats, from cyber attacks and forever wars to the rise of populism, you could be forgiven if you thought it was hard to know where to start when discussing the state of the world over dinner with two experts on geopolitics.
Except it was sweltering and the climate crisis was literally the hot topic. My guests – Noel Hadjmichael, founder and chair of the Defence and Security Circle, and Trevor Peel, founder of the NLC’s Commonwealth forum and European forum – and I had chosen the hottest day in June since records began. I was regretting saying dinner on the terrace, weather permitting. I had meant rain. Not lethal heat.
It was going to be unusually difficult to enjoy one of London’s most impressive tree-lined riverside terraces. A perfect place for aperitifs, the bar menu or à la carte. But all we could muster was one beer, a glass of Gardet champagne and tap water. Maybe we should dive into the Thames like Victorian NLC members did when they finished dinner?
Normally the terrace is a wonderful venue for entertaining guests from all walks of life in the heart of Whitehall. “The location and the history and the heritage of the club are very powerful,” said Noel.
Suddenly a fellow member tapped on the dining room window overlooking our table. She was trying to get Trevor’s attention. “Oh hello,” he waved back. It was Emma Slack, a former BBC employee and the body double of the late Queen Elizabeth II. “I didn’t do the parachute jump,” she reassured us, referring to the James Bond stunt at the opening of the 2012 London Olympics, once we had retreated to the air-conditioned dining room.
I wondered how Noel could keep his jacket and tie on. “I’m used to it from my Navy days,” he responded. Climate change is touching everyone, everywhere and nearly everything. “I think the Commonwealth’s got a particular issue because of the significant number of small island developing states,” Trevor said.
“The Commonwealth’s got a proud record of raising these issues and trying to be of assistance to these countries who were facing a particular issue, but the only really credible force we’ve got to take it forward is the United Nations, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the COP conference process.”
The UN organises its COP conference, with the next one in Turkey in November 2026. Trevor was a Commonwealth observer at the 26th UN Climate Change conference in 2021.
Noel takes up the topic with gusto. “Trevor’s hit the nail on the head. A good example is that one of the hottest, most significant defence and security challenges is global migration. It is being driven by climate change more than anything else.
“The world is now a much smaller place, so with the high profile of the space domain and new hypersonic weapons, we’ve got the reality that the whole world is vulnerable to these direct threats. There are no safe havens remaining.”
This was already good-humoured but intense. Maybe ordering our starters would lighten the mood. Noel chose the “light and tasty” summer vegetable tart from the seasonal menu while Trevor tucked into his “superb” basil and lime prawn Tian and I had the sweetcorn velouté, which went down rather well.
Both of my guests run successful groups or circles. Noel clearly relishes a challenge – he set up the DSC during the pandemic in 2020, and it quickly grew in popularity. Noel reinforced that his group is not just for “spies and squaddies”. “We’re more than just that. We’re scientists, we’re policy people, we’re venture capitalists, creatives, and students … We have people who are interested in ideas; they don’t have to have worn a uniform or have worked at some anonymous government department down the river at Vauxhall [MI6, the UK’s foreign intelligence agency].”
Trevor was his inspiration. “I knew that if I was ever going to be involved in a group or a circle, it would be to the standard that Trevor has set, because Trevor has created a community, but also he’s given a message that the club is interested in Europe and the Commonwealth, and that’s why I think DSC are very happy to say that we follow in the footsteps of great success, but also great insight,” Noel said.
The DSC now boasts 200 club members and more than 700 “friends” across the UK and 47 allied countries. Since 2020, Noel has convened 195 events, ranging from fireside chats and drinks receptions to conferences. Topics include individual resilience, Taiwan, and the hybrid grey zone, where state and non-state actors engage in coercive activity.
The latter piqued my interest: That type of activity perhaps could include attacks on infrastructure, such as undersea cables being cut, or markets being manipulated and dirty money polluting politics? “I don’t believe in coincidences,” Noel said darkly.
“This is not the Cold War that my generation served up until the late 1980s. This is a different war … It is a hybrid grey zone war,” he said
Trevor agreed: “It’s an issue that all the political parties and the country need to sit up and take notice of … there needs to be a significant development of political thought from all the parties in relation to the funding of defence.”
I was relieved when the mains arrived – Noel dived into the roasted fillet of Scottish salmon, Trevor turned to his fillet of Cornish sea bream. He tried to offload his chips onto me but realised they were a chorizo and potato terrine. Being vegetarian, an international incident had been averted. I was more than satisfied with my wild mushroom, ricotta, asparagus and pea tart.
Maybe this was a good time to raise Brexit. “The worst strategic decision this country’s ever made. However, it was a decision we made, and we can’t change history. Cheers!” Trevor said as he sipped his glass of water.
Having said that, the NLC is a respectful place where you can debate tough issues. Trevor and Noel’s groups hold serious conversations in the national interest, covering topics such as immigration policy, investment in defence, and human rights in Europe and gay rights in Commonwealth countries, to name a few.
“I think respect is the key word, because you don’t just agree with the public. I mean, you should test out the arguments, and your argument has to be tested as well,” said Trevor.
He set up the Commonwealth Forum in 2014 and the European Forum in 2016, realising a lifelong interest in international affairs. The fora take part in events across 50 countries in Europe, including the EU 27, and the 56 Commonwealth countries; some events are by invitation only.
Now it was time for desserts…it could only be cooling ice cream.
On the way home, the trains were cancelled or delayed due to the heat affecting the rails. But I couldn’t quite get rid of the feeling that maybe, just maybe, I was living in a hybrid grey zone, and I no longer believed in coincidences.
For more information on the defence and security circle, go to www.defencesecuritycircle.org and contact Noel via chair@defencesecuritycircle.org
For more information on the Commonwealth Forum or European Forum, email Trevor at trevor.peel1951@gmail.com
Lyndsey is deputy chair of the NLC board and chair of the joint marketing and communications committee. She is also the author of Going Digital, published by Pearson.
More from our Member News
Brenda Hale on why the fight for equality must go on
Read more