As the Guardian reports:
Prince Andrew launched a scathing attack on British anticorruption investigators, journalists and the French during an "astonishingly candid" performance at an official engagement that shocked a US diplomat.
Tatiana Gfoeller, Washington's ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, recorded in a secret cable that Andrew spoke "cockily" at the brunch with British and Canadian business people, leading a discussion that "verged on the rude".
During the two-hour engagement in 2008 at a hotel in the capital, Bishkek, Andrew, who travels the globe as a special UK trade representative, attacked Britain's corruption investigators in the Serious Fraud Office for what he called "idiocy".
He went on to denounce Guardian reporters investigating bribery as "those (expletive) journalists … who poke their noses everywhere".
He’s a diplomat who has broken the rules of diplomacy.
Sack him.
And bar him from further payment from the civil list.
In a time of austerity we have no reason to support liabilities.
The man is clearly without any ethics at all. There is no place for people like him representing the UK. It’s not our job to promote corruption — and that’s what he’s doing.
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@Richard Murphy
“The man is clearly without any ethics at all. There is no place for people like him representing the UK. It’s not our job to promote corruption — and that’s what he’s doing.”
Totally agree. Fraud and a lack of ethics and integrity is becoming increasingly “acceptable”, particularly in the financial services industry.
Start with Royalty and refuse to tolerate dishonesty.
From now on only allow honour, decency and morality.
Quite right. I wonder if he actually believes he is corrupt though?
Bankers and MP’s think they were within the law in general. So does he.
So is it not the laws we need to change that allow these kind of things to happen? Rather than policing perpetrators after the event?
For example we tax things that people know intuitively are not immoral. Like doing work. And producing goods and services. Earned incomes.
And do not tax other things that are deeply immoral collected privately. Like increments in location values, money creation, resources privileges. Unearned incomes. These things were all central in the MPs expenses and banker bonus scandals.
This polarised and “legal” activity surely brings the morals of the country into question? And allows seemingly “wise” leaders to carry on without realising it?
“All this immoral stuff is legal. All this moral stuff is illegal”
surely the phrase you are looking for is “off with their heads”?
By all means knock back his benefits to JSA level, but keep him where he is and report his utterances. He is perfectly representative of the supple moralities found at the commanding heights.
Prince Andrew is, and always has been, a clueless moron. The Andrew-Fergie wedding of 1986 perhaps summed up all that was wrong with 1980s Britain. A pompous, shallow, overblown spectacle. Coalition Britain feels more like ’80s Britain every single day.
You’re right, Richard, but it just won’t happen. In fact, it’s more likely that you’ll be featured in tomorrow’s Daily Mail as some kind of dangerous anti-royalist.
Let’s be frank, as any reader of Private Eye can tell you, turning a blind eye to corruption, or indeed actively promoting it, particularly in relation to the sale of arms is par for the course and has been for years. Of course, it wouldn’t be referred to as corruption – more ‘oiling the wheels’ of trade for UK PLC. And ‘oiling’ leads to wealth creation and creates/protects jobs, doesn’t it?
So that’s alright then, isn’t it?!?!?
@Robin
“Quite right. I wonder if he actually believes he is corrupt though?”
Please don’t mix apples and pears. Corruption is corruption – it’s clearly immoral as well as illegal. Collection of taxes by the state which you consider to be immoral is not recognised as such by most reasonable people.
Richard
I have sent this to my MP – John Penrose (Cons) and asked if he agrees
that Andrew Windsor should be sacked. I await his reply with interest!
Howard,
Hilarious and on the money, if I may say.
Then there is the matter of Prince Andrew’s £15m Sunninghill Park mansion allegedly bought with tainted cash laundered via a scam which link the purchase with a £110million stake in the sale of a state-owned oil and gas company in Kazakhstan…
In 2007 the house was sold to Timur Kulibayev, the son-in-law of the president of Kazakhstan, for £15million despite having been on the market for £3million less.
More “embarrassment” for Andrew who has built links with Kazakhstan through his role as Britain’s international trade ambassador
But in the “world-of-finance” that lacks any moral compass who really cares?
Edmund Burke, perhaps …
@PSG
Kazakhstan – there’s a great (oil) state. I’m rather ashamed to say that I get my pension from BAE Systems – although that wasn’t the company I originally joined. I remember how £millions were piled into winning potential contracts in Kz (which came to nil in the end) all fostered by the then MD who now, surprise, surprise, works for some dodgy outfit in Kz. Arms sales and corruption, the two go together like peaches and cream. (Confession: I worked on the radar system sold to dirt poor Tanzania – the subject of one of the BAE corruption investigations. The workers were lied to about this – although I never believed the spiel, it’s difficult to refuse work when you’re the sole wage earner.)
@mad foetus
Thanks!
Roll on the royal wedding of 2011… 🙄
There is a great interview with Assange on Forbes:
http://blogs.forbes.com/andygreenberg/2010/11/29/an-interview-with-wikileaks-julian-assange/
Appearing next on Wikileaks: a major American bank.
I can hardly wait.
@Carol Wilcox
“Arms sales and corruption, the two go together like peaches and cream.”
Oh gosh! And there’s people thinking that all the naughty people live on the Isle of Man (Jersey and Guernsey).
Corruption yes – but without the arms sales. Or maybe not?
How does one avoid not becoming a cynic?