Every so often, I set aside some time to read Brian Barder's Ephems. He has a way of using 15 words when 3 will do at times, but he regularly comes out with some gems. This one I particularly like:
I believe Straw’s departure from the FCO to be deeply regrettable, especially as his successor is to be a woman of undoubted good practical common-sense and decency but with absolutely no experience of international affairs: for that lack of experience will make her warm plasticine in Blair’s hands. Given Blair’s careless and impetuous style of decision-making, his marginalising of experienced officials’ advice, the degree to which he is in thrall to the most reactionary and wilful US President of modern times, his impatient scorn for legality and his quite unwarranted confidence in the rightness of his own instincts and judgment, the prospect of No. 10 having even greater dominance than hitherto over the country’s Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary is genuinely frightening.
1 comment:
I struggle to find what is admirable in his comment.
It's rather wide off the mark.
There is plenty of international experience to be had outside the FCO. As DEFRA Secretary, she's the one who's been doing a whole load of trade and agriculture negotiations internationally.
What international experience did Jack Straw have before he became Foreign Secretary?
Certainly less than Margaret Beckett has now, the woman has been a minister since the 1970s for goodness sake!
Margarett Beckett was Labour leader before Tony Blair and ran against him, I doubt she is a Blair poodle, a lot more than one can say for Straw, who was continuously side-lined by number 10.
Barder's comments are because Beckett is an old lady pensioner rather not because of her "inexperience". Ageist and misogynistic is how I'd describe them.
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