'Many people are looking forward to the Russian Masterpieces exhibition coming to London next year. Rightly. But what on earth can the Russians think will be achieved by forcing the closure of British Council offices outside Moscow? It is illegal (against the 1963 Vienna Agreement), hurts Russians, and damages Russia's image abroad. There is even a debate about whether the Russian measures are MORE restrictive than those against the British Council in Burma and Iran. I hope the government will think again before January 1st.'
Okay, Dave, listen carefully. If the RA show doesn't go ahead, it's your fault. The linkage made in your blog amounted to a deliberate challenge to the Russians and, though Putin may be Time's Person of the Year, we all know this is a gangster government. If you put one of a gangster's buddies in hospital, he'll put one of yours in the morgue. The trick is to outwit the gangster by not letting him make linkages. In this case you did it for him and also inspired headlines that suggested we might pull out of the exhibition. And, Dave, while we are on the subject, does it make sense for a Foreign Secretary to have a blog? A blog suggests you are going to go beyond the official line. But, as this case shows, you can't. And one final question, Dave. Are you or are you not a member of the most jejune and incompetent British administration of modern times?
A blog about, among other things, imaginary ideas - What ifs? and Imagine thats. What if photographs looked nothing like what we see with our eyes? Imagine that the Berlin Wall had never come down. What if we were the punchline of an interminable joke? All contributions welcome.
It's hard to believe it, but T Blair looks like a statesman compared to this lot.
ReplyDeletei was gripped last night by the certainty that the Russians will nuke us. This will probably happen within 10 years.
ReplyDeleteElberry, does that count as a happy certainty for you?
ReplyDeleteAnd Philip, John Major looks like a statesman compared to this lot.
back on form, Mr. A.
ReplyDeletebut he looks more like someone who must keep a blog than he does a gov. dept. In fact, why isn't there a minister for blogs?!
How long have I been off form, Ian?
ReplyDeletedon't worry about it, no one's noticed.
ReplyDeleteha ha, it cracks me up; His first career ambition was to be a bus conductor. I mean, even it was true why would anyone admit to it?
of course, does that makes Gordon Blakey?
That's a nice word. I can use for the next couple of years and really get to know it well. Naive, simplistic and superficial all rolled into one.
ReplyDeleteWasn't Guido going on about Miliband's blog sometime this year and how much it cost?
Obviously a nuclear holocaust would be pretty good news. i'm just hoping it doesn't happen at some inconvenient moment in my life, but then i suppose one can't choose these things.
ReplyDeleteLucky than his blog is not that popular! Even Jim Murphy, Europe Minister has a higher PageRank on his blog.
ReplyDeleteWhat was wrong with John Major? He left the economy and public finances in good shape. The amount he wasted on the ERM exit was like spitting on a red hot shovel next to Northern Rock, the Dome and NHS IT systems. He also kept out Kinnock. My last vivid of him memory was cautioning against the intervention in Iraq - in retrospect these were wise words. Everyone had it in for him. Was it the cones hotline or something? He wasn't at all bad in my book. Compared to Brown, he is a cross between Konrad Adenauer and Harry S Truman.
ReplyDeleteSpongebob, there is much wisdom in what you say. I take back my harsh words regarding John Major and substitute Charlie Haughey instead.
ReplyDeleteNow Haughey, Recusant, there's a name to conjure with.
ReplyDeleteBut Major is a thoroughly decent man who tried to do his best. Whereas Blair, Brown, Mandelson, Campbell, Levy, Milliband et al - decent? honourable? worthy of respect? Don't make me laugh!