The media are asking if the ‘special relationship’ between the UK and the US is in trouble, this follows the revelation that planes carrying weapons to Israel were allowed to use Prestwick airport as a stop-over, apparently without the proper authorisation.
It would be nice to think that our government had finally remembered that they are actually working for us, not George Bush and his cronies, but being realistic that isn’t going to happen. For reasons one can only guess at, our PM takes his lead from Washington. If George says ‘jump’, Tony asks ‘how high?’ That old joke abut the UK being the 51st state isn’t so funny anymore, because it really does feel as though we live in an extension of the US, and some members of the US government obviously think so because they no longer feel the need to comply with UK law.
There has always been a special rapport between these two countries, which is understandable. We share a similar language, culture and history, so it’s only natural that individual citizens find it easy to get along, and long may that continue. It’s also natural for this same rapport to extend to our politicians, but usually each country kept it’s own separate identity and on occasion the two governments would agree to differ. This no longer happens.
For several years now, the PM has been tagging along behind Bush, like some horrible little kid who hangs out with the school bully because he thinks it makes him seem tough. It doesn’t, it makes him look like a spineless moron, and he is tarring the rest of us with the same brush. He has become an embarrassing liability and the sooner he goes the better.
In the long run, it is the behaviour of Blair and his cabinet that will damage UK/US relations. It is easy to see a scenario where future governments go out of their way to distance the US in an attempt to show that they are different to their predecessors. It would be an enormous shame if this happened simply because of the actions of a pathetic, self promoting twit.
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Kate
Mum, blogger and editor based in the north of England; interests include fog knitting, cat herding and jelly juggling. If you want to get in touch for any reason you can find me on Twitter, LinkedIn or drop me a line via the contact page on my portfolio. Alternatively, you can follow this blog via it's Facebook page, or subscribe to the feed.
Jack Yan
You fancy him really!!!
Seriously it is rather irritating. If your best friend wants to stick his head in a gas oven you don’t have to do the same. A good friend tells you when you are being a prat.
2 more years until elections in the states and 3 here!
Wonderful Kate!
Couldn’t agree with you more….
And as Pete says roll on the elections.
Pete – I do I do. He is my heart-throb LOL OK maybe not.
I agree with you, a real friend doesn’t agree with everything you say, or expect you to do the same. I dont know what you would call the Bush/Blair scenario, but it’s not a friendship.
CotswoldGent – Hear, hear! And lets hope that any bribes in the form of tax cuts don’t work this time around.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/nickrobinson/2006/07/the_poodle_fact.html
Thanks for the link Pete
You’ve pretty much articulated my thoughts exactly.
I am also gobsmacked that there is all this talk of ‘Blair making way for Brown’. Shouldn’t that be the Labour Party member’s decision, not some behind the scenes mates agreement worked out behind closed doors?
Ally, I think so too. It seems to be a foregone conclusion that Brown will take over, but that isn’t right. It does sound as though string pulling has gone on somewhere.