Which returns us to Darroch. There is a suspicion that Sedwill, and not Darroch himself, was the real target of the leak. The former is reportedly interested in the Washington post. A new Prime Minister will be in place by the end of the month. Changes at the top of the civil service are expected. The leak looks designed to prepare the way for a replacement for Darroch who is more Trump-friendly than Sedwill. But the disposition of Darroch’s replacement to the President is not the exam question, or shouldn’t be.Jay was undeserved nepotism. He was a dreadful ambassador. The point is right - don't reinforce failure. We need an ambassador in Washington independent enough to be free to be critical of US policy where this is against the UK's interests, and with enough delegated authority to now take forward the robust and pragmatic discussions we now need to have with the USA.
There is a precedent for sending a non-civil servant to Washington as ambassador: Peter Jay, Jim Callaghan’s son-in-law, was sent to Washington when the latter was Prime Minister. However, the example is not encouraging. Perhaps Prime Minister Johnson should scour the more junior civil service ranks, and send for one of those who, pro-Brexit Ministers tell us, have put in exemplary work preparing for No Deal if necessary, regardless of their own views.
Monday, 8 July 2019
Darroch again ...
There's an intelligent post by Paul Goodman on Conservative Home. I concur wholly that Darroch has done nothing wrong, and that he was just doing what we pay him to do. I would also remind everyone that UK ambassadors to Washington are there to represent British interests, not to promote any one American politician. Such tasks fall to our political Head of Government, who may be more or less successful in cultivating the relationship. That between Thatcher and Reagan was superlative, between Blair and Bush cringemaking and between Cameron and Obama outright hostile. Goodman concludes
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We also need to eradicate the May/Home Office culture of leaking as a political weapon by civil servants, sometimes for their political masters, sometimes on their own behalf (yes, you, Sedwill). Any Diplomat aware that his private notes are prone to being leaked will be much more circumspect in their communications, and therefore less candid.
Isn't the main issue not what he is reporting but whether an ambassador's judgement and analysis of important matters are sound? I suggest the question to be asked is can our government base their decisions and attitudes on what is being reported to them by the ambassador and trust the information and analysis is sound and won't lead to misunderstandings?
Is our USA ambassador's judgement sound?
If Trump has feet of clay, he also has the great virtue of not being Hillary.
The problem that Darroch was communicating is faced by all foreign embassies in Washington; the Trump administration is in a constant state of churn, differing and contradictory policy positions are in constant flux, there is a want of stability and continuity of policy etc etc.
It must be a .... challenging ... environment for a diplomat.
Personally, I think his judgement is sound and his analysis fair. I'm a Trump supporter, not a credulous or purblind plank.
Broadly I agree, Raedwald.
However, those "robust and pragmatic" discussions cannot be nearly so as those which have already happened with the European Union over TTIP, and which its Parliament rightly threw out.
A badly-disadvantaged, supplicant UK will just have to bend over and take it like a...er...bendy-over thingy.
DP111 writes..
After Ed Snowdon, it is surprising that any competent person would not know that everyone's emails are monitored. This must be particularly so for anyone working in an embassy, particularly in the UK and USA. The US is even monitored Angela Merkel's smartphone.
Now Darroch must have thought that he was going to outsmart everyone by encrypting his emails. But surely he must know that the only encryption allowed is that which has been sanctioned by MI5, GCHQ, NSA etc. And they have the keys.
This is incompetence.
Pres Trump has nothing but contempt for this man. And "American sources said Sir Kim’s position was “not tenable” and that he had “simply made himself unfit to represent the British Crown and Downing Street”, given the memos “are replete with demonstrable falsehoods, which mean that no one will ever take ambassador Darroch seriously again.”
As an example, just how "robust" would those discussions have to be, to get the US to move one of its apparent Red Lines in the TTIP talks, but this time just for lil' ol' Blighty??
That is, the setting up of secret commercial courts, to enable US interests to sue the UK Government, if it dared to introduce any policy on behalf of its people and electors, which threatened the profitability of those interests here?
How does that sit with the claim that leaving the European Union was about "sovereignty" and "taking back control"?
It never was, was it?
His complete misreading of who and what Trump is plus Trump more than likely getting another term makes him unsuitable on every level.
@Thud, 14:00
I agree entirely.
I too am a Trump fan and it must be remebered that the instability and state of flux is largely the doing of the Obama stay-behind-army (I am not referring to Trump sacking people he himself appointed, obviously) that is still high in numbers and influence.
Up until very recently many positions in the US government were STILL not filled due to Democrat shenanigans.
Nigel Farage - or me - would be perfect but I suspect we need him in the UK.
Span, it's a requirement of an ambassador that your own country's interests be paramount, not the host's.
Farage works for unaccountable right-wing US interests, along with others here.
He failed in his project, that is, to start a domino effect using the UK - at whatever cost to it - which would destroy the EU. It has had the opposite effect.
@ Thud 14:00 & Span Ows 15:01
Agree, PDJT is being stymied at every turn by the Dems., but is pressing ahead with his objectives albeit by an often forced zig zag path.
Coming out with:-
" Trump administration is in a constant state of churn, differing and contradictory policy positions are in constant flux, there is a want of stability and continuity of policy etc etc."
Does not truly represent the situation. It is more one persons slanted opinion and not a true representation of the full picture . Unless MP's have the time and desire to follow US politics closely they need some one who will give them the whole picture. Darroch does not appear to have done this and therefore needs to be replaced.
Darroch has also needlessly risked antagonising a potentially useful Allie who could be helpful when we are free of the eu. The Con's have one more chance to get it right, they can't afford screw up.
@Cheerful Edward,
Which unaccountable right wing US interests does Nige work for?
And how is he rewarded?
C Edward, am I part of this right wing thingymajig? I think I ought to be told. As for the never knowing about funds....you nailed it there hey? what a load of bollox.
Sunday evening PDJT answered impromptu press questions whilst boarding his helicopter, here's one.
Q Mr. President, do you have a reaction to the British ambassador’s comments that were reported about today?
THE PRESIDENT: No, I haven’t seen it. But, you know, we’ve had our little ins and outs with — with a couple of countries. And I would say that the UK and the ambassador has not served the UK well, I can tell you that. We’re not — we’re not big fans of that man, and he has not served the UK well. So I can understand it. And I can say things about him, but I won’t bother.
*************
Not exactly a glowing reference.
Seems like the leaker has form (from 2017)......
https://nypost.com/2017/01/19/britains-ambassador-doesnt-regret-trump-remarks/
Darroch sent an urgent diplomatic memo to British Prime Minister Theresa May after Trump’s White House win and said while he was an “outsider” he would be “open to outside influence.”
*****************
Open to influence from globalist May? Wrong again Darroch.
Cheerful Ed, 15:26.
I am genuinely stunned by your comment: Farage quite obviously has the UK's interests at heart; probably more so than ANY British politician of the last 25 years.
"He failed in his project, that is, to start a domino effect using the UK - at whatever cost to it - which would destroy the EU. It has had the opposite effect."
You need to ask for a change of medication: it's not working.
Span, Farage has said so himself. When asked what he would do, once the UK had left the European Union, he said that he would continue to devote his life to working for its destruction, but from the outside, in concert with "others".
We know who they are, don't we?
He very much did not say that he would work to make the UK a happier place for its people.
Frankly this has all the hallmarks of DisMays failed government, cabinet ministers leak, bureaucrats leak, cabinet collective responsibility is ignored, Russia is blamed for all that ails yUK. The government is a total shambles and has damaged Britains interests at every turn.
DisMay and a clique of wimmin ministers were dismayed by President Trumps win, they would have much preferred Hilliary, Darrochs analysis is of a type that managers often give to their superiors-tell them what they want to hear. Who would discount a theory that this leak came from DisMay herself?
One must only hope that this destructive womyn has no part in selecting future consular officials.
OK Ed, so Farage isn't so selfish as to want to only save the British from the encroachment, corruption and communist EU apparatchiks then - he's man enough to want to free ALL the people of Europe from their grip. Good for him - and what's wrong with that attitude?
By freeing the UK from the clutches of the EU Farage, by default, makes the majority of us happier. He doesn't need to state the bleedin' obvious, does he?
...and, since you mention it, no, I'm not aware of who those 'others' are. Perhaps you'd like to enlighten us?
" We will no longer deal with him "
So that cooks his goose.
Donald J. Trump
Verified account @realDonaldTrump
5h5 hours ago
I have been very critical about the way the U.K. and Prime Minister Theresa May handled Brexit. What a mess she and her representatives have created. I told her how it should be done, but she decided to go another way. I do not know the Ambassador, but he is not liked or well....
Donald J. Trump
Verified account @realDonaldTrump
5h5 hours ago
....thought of within the U.S. We will no longer deal with him. The good news for the wonderful United Kingdom is that they will soon have a new Prime Minister. While I thoroughly enjoyed the magnificent State Visit last month, it was the Queen who I was most impressed with!
Many are saying that Trump's tweets of late demonstrate that each of His Excellency's observations is correct.
He is patently thin-skinned, ego-driven, and will only deal with flatterers.
However, his words give the UK Government an interesting and comical dilemma. There must be much mirth in at least twenty-seven capitals just now.
Leaving aside the fact of the memos being published (it wasn't an accident), why, and who did it (if found he should be forthrightly removed).
The information contained in the memos could have been gained by watching CNN. I don't claim it was, but if the ambassador has no better sources perhaps HMG would do as well watching TV.
I think Darroch should remember the adage about people who live in glass houses; look at the mess UK is in.
Craig Murray thinks the explanation could be simpler:
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2019/07/kim-darroch-the-simple-explanation/
Thanks for that link, Sackerson.
Yes, it's a plausible explanation among the rest, but has the advantage of simplicity.
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