Tuesday 22 November 2016

Twitter diplomacy

My mother had a habit of breaking into song prompted by a random word or phrase that happened to pop up in the conversation. Eventually we turn into our parents, and now I’m doing the same. (cue quick chorus of “I’m stickin’ with you) 

Sometimes she did it out loud, as do I, but mine is more of an an internal voice. Earworm, that sort of thing.
I keep hearing (in my head) Robin Hood, Robin Hood, ridin’ through the glen; Robin Hood, Robin Hood with his band of men; feared by the bad, loved by the good…. Robin Hood etc. Only it goes ‘Donald Trump’ not Robin Hood. 

Donald J Trump


Over the course of the last few months Jon Sopel has been giving increasingly petulant sounding reports from the US. Before November, his love-struck eulogies to Hillary were the poems of a besotted groupie. 

Now he’s calling Robin’s Donald Trump’s ‘Nigel would make a good ambassador‘ Tweet  an “intervention”. Did he call Barack Obama’s pro-Remain visit an intervention? I can’t remember, but all I can say is that the BBC has gone to town with this story and Theresa May’s terse reposte. 



The BBC is very keen on the word ‘snub’, which they’ve been bandying about a lot.   

Most (but not all) bloggers are mere bystanders and casual observers. My opinion is nothing special, be assured I don’t know any more about Nigel Farage’s suitability for any kind of diplomatic role than the next person. (I did see  a clip of the man himself saying he was not cut out for such a role)  But as a casual observer I would like to observe, casually, that Twitter seems to be taking on a function that is way above its pay grade. I do hope so. (Is the future of international relations going to a matter of 140 characters and some emojis? )

Also, Robin’s Donald’s Tweet seemed to me, as a casual observer, like a public expression of friendship intended more as a gesture of admiration than a serious political  ‘intervention’. 
Theresa May’s irritable response also seemed unnecessarily snappy and lacking in wit. Boris should have intervened with something boyish and tousled.

People are muttering about Theresa May’s control freakishness. I wonder if she manages her own Twitter account.


(Whatever happened to Cliff Richard?)  (I'm not singing that)

5 comments:

  1. Twitter is a rich seam for those who like reading between lines, chicken entrails and stuff.

    The BBC and its mates get very animated when it is a dubious tweet from a foe.

    Themselves on the spotlight, more: 'views own, moving on (VO;MO)'.

    Or, if a mate...

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-16745047

    Editorial integrity in all its many forms, and glory, at the world's least trustworthy and opaque broadcaster?

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  2. Wonderful wind up.
    To see Norman Smith clutching hie pearls and going all Lady Bracknell over this "breach of long-established diplomatic norms"...like himself!...was joyous.
    Not REALLY Children of the Revolution are they?...pantie bunches and wet beds in truth.

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  3. Thanks, sue, now I have "Dennis Moore" going through my head.

    Can't remember Norman Smith getting so freaked out when Obama lectured Britain on Brexit. But Trump's the President-elect, and remarks like this will have more weight than they would otherwise. He'll figure it out soon enough.

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    Replies
    1. Seems Nic Robbo has also suffered a fit of the vapours too, poor love.

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  4. The BBC has a Donald Trump problem and until they have the intellectual humility to admit this, the people's broadcaster will continue down the disastrous path to irrelevance.
    However, it is joyous to read past articles by the usual suspects - like my favourite, a delicious piece of crap written by Fatty Mardell on November 3rd entitled: "What Happens If Donald Trump Loses?" by which, of course, he means "WHEN Donald Trump Loses". In it he rings every liberal bell and blows every racist whistle. And his conclusion is sodden with irony.
    Quoth he: "It may not matter for a good while - simply saying: "No, no, no," to the Clinton White House would do for a bit.
    But there is little glory in becoming the eternal outraged opposition, shorn of serious ideas about how to exercise power." Dear Democrats, are you listening?
    Does anyone hold people like the blessed Mark accountable for his woeful opinions?

    http://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2016-37846433

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