"So what was the point of Farish anyway?" - Sunday Times

[emad]

Jasper Gerard:
Envoys are a waste so let's scrap them

What is the point of ambassadors? America does not have one here ever since its last, invisible representative William Farish galloped home to his beloved horses in Virginia. Nor did we have one in Washington for the Iraq war. If the word’s most important bilateral partnership can flourish without, why not abolish them all? Ambassadors used to be like an upmarket DHL: they conveyed messages between sovereigns.

But now — hello! We have telephone, e-mail, TV diplomacy. When Tony and Silvio were doing their Julio Iglesias impressions to the karaoke the other night, they rang George in America to shoot the breeze (or was that to chat breezily about shooting Iraqis?).

So sack all diplomats. The Paris embassy’s chablis bill could be diverted to build six hospitals. If they want to remain abroad, diplomats could always retrain as tour reps. That would test their ability to defend the indefensible.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,176-1226584_2,00.html

Ever wondered just why Poppy's and Junior's bagman was despatched to London for top Shrubpost at US Embassy when he was supposed to be running Dumbo's "blind trust" portfolio?

Maybe to make sure that all internet-archived press cuttings about George W and Poppy going back to the 1970s were eradicated from the public domain.

Remember that "Millenium Bug" biz whereby $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ were spent globally on checking that "computers would not go into global meltdown when 23.59 hours on 31 December 1999 became 00.01hours January 1st 2000"? Maybe that's when those IT assess wiped the slate clean to erase W's past - in the UK, on Blair's personal orders.....

[smirkymonkey]

1. Here, here!

Pink slips for all the useless sinecures of the ruling class!