I was amused to note the FT's revelations yesterday of the massive diplomatic gaffes by Peter Mandelson's successor as the UK's ambassador in Washington yesterday, no doubt held back for best effect to coincide with the state visit of Charles Mountbatten Windsor to the USA. They reported:
Britain's ambassador to Washington has said that America's only “special relationship” is “probably Israel”, not the UK, in remarks that risk embarrassing King Charles during his visit to the US this week.
They also noted this:
Sir Christian Turner also criticised America's political system for failing to hold US associates of the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to account, saying it was “extraordinary” that the scandal “hasn't touched anybody” in the US.
They added:
He noted that, by contrast, senior British figures, including his predecessor as ambassador Lord Peter Mandelson and “potentially the prime minister”, had been “brought down” by the affair.
Three key messages, then.
First, that the USA's special relationship is with Israel, but since I also happen to think that's true of the UK as well, you could argue that the special relationship survives, but it's just a threesome these days. Of this, I have little doubt.
Second, the Epstein case has not caught up with Trump as yet. Give it time. It might still. Avoiding it appears to be what motivates Trump most of all.
Third, Starmer is going. Was that a leak, a prediction or an acknowledgement of a certainty? Does it make a difference? It is hardly classified information these days.
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I think that Sir Christian is absolutely correct, and that your three points are, Richard,in turn, bang on the button.
I says something about out times that to state the truth or the obvious attracts criticism from the commentariat, but I suppose that is a consequence of the fact that our guiding ideology is in itself nonsense.
What a farcical imbroglio this all is. It pains that Starmer will go because of Mandelson because he should be going for breaking his promises and not dealing with Tory and Lib-Dem cruelty.
It seems Sir Christian needs to get the memo that diplomats are good men sent abroad to lie for their country … not tell the truth. 🙂
I have to disagree. The so called special relationship was and is a figment in the British imagination. Such as it was a relationship, and certainly since 1939, it was essentially one-sided, if not downright abusive. The USA pressed home its dominance at every turn, including the terms by which the war effort was funded, and now in return for housing US bases we are almost entirely in hock to the USA in respect of our defence infrastructure.
The ambassador is a little naive if he thought that anything he says is guaranteed to remain private. On the other hand, I think he can be justified if he feels a little sore that a Sixth Former recorded private remarks – even if they aren’t earth shattering by any stretch – during a visit to the ambassador’s residence in Washington in February and on their return sent them to the FT, which is, apparently. how all this came out.
The only thing special about the UK’s relationship with the USA is that we still obsess about how special it is. Is it not the reaction of the abused towards a long term abuser, clinging on to a relationship in which every occasional expression of warmth by the abuser is taken as evidence that we should continue to remain within it, while all the evidence of abuse is ignored. Back in the 1950’s we should have realised that we could no longer rely on support from the USA when it mattered to us. Suez was a terrible idea, but when the USA was called upon to support an ally, it made plain both UK and France should withdraw. France under De Gaulle realised the USA would always put its own interests first. We should have joined France in developing our independence, whereas now, since Brexit, we are more than ever controlled.
So were these private remarks overheard accidentally.. or does someone actually speak the truth?
“extraordinary” that the scandal “hasn’t touched anybody” in the US”
Ghislaine Noelle Marion Maxwell the Former British socialite and convicted child sex offender is in jail
Bill Gates association with Epstein is what really caused his divorce
Nothing can happen unless the Department of Justice (DOJ) decides to pursue criminal cases. Most of the criminality with individuals happened outside of the USA. There is no Statute of Limitations on sex trafficking in the USA. If the Democrats take the White in 2028 then new Attorney General can pick-up where Trump’s DOJ left off or choose not to go.
The Epstein files will be a MAJOR factor in both the 2026 and 2028 elections.
The hard core MAGAts hate sexual child abusers.
It’s a special abusive relationship, UK being the poor relation in this toxic threesome.