Tuesday 24 April 2018

Macron/Trump = Blair/Bush?

That's about it really - a neat idea to explore, that doesn't require much elaboration to set the ball rolling.

It's from the Graun, who introduce it thus
young European leader flies to Washington on an official visit. He is a modernising charmer from the progressive wing of politics, articulate and comfortable with the media. He arrives to meet an American president whose politics are emphatically not his, and whose election has dismayed US liberals, disrupted the transatlantic alliance and alienated European opinion. The new US president is an American exceptionalist. He is no respecter of human rights and international institutions. But the European leader has decided to hug him close in the hope of influencing his decisions. Washington rolls out the red carpet. It is captivated by the visitor’s eloquence and charisma, such contrasts to their own leader’s bombast. Improbably, the two men find themselves starting to make big plans together...
 They suggest it didn't end well for Tony, though.  Discuss!

ND

8 comments:

Bill Quango MP said...

Improbably, the two men find themselves starting to make big plans together...

So...Macron has agreed to back a Trump unprovoked invasion of somewhere with oil...Nigeria ?

Anonymous said...

Someone on CIF says

"Owen Jones hates him-so Macron can't be that bad"

Anonymous said...

Someone else there @Grauniad:

"I never realised how hard left most of the commentators were here... they see Macron as an odious version of Thatcher because he wants to reform a rail system that's 55 billions euros in debt (possibly it doesn't work that well?), in line with a European agreement passed in 1991 and confirmed by every socialist gouvernment we had since... and he does that without even cancelling the social policies where train drivers (obviously the most painful and dangerous profession in the world) retire at 52 years old, with an average of 32 years of idle life paid by the other workers... only the newly recruted will be aligned on the general system (scandal! fascism!)"

Fighting talk! What does EK say about that then?

E-K said...

SNCF drivers always insisted it was 'bonjour' when we were in Paris. SNCF drivers always insisted it was 'bonjour' when we were in London. Need I say more ?

E-K said...

A 2am start at 52 is highly hazardous on a diet of tea and kebabs.

James Higham said...

You seriously put something from the Guardian? :)

Nick Drew said...

I do it all the time, James (+:

where have you been these 12 years?

Anonymous said...

Guardian goes on to say "When Tony Blair first visited George W Bush in 2001, he began a process that would end, among other things, in the wreck of his own reputation, the collapse of his party’s electoral ascendancy and the undermining of his country’s moral and international standing"

Not sure I buy that. Its what (some) Lefties say, certainly, but Brown had a big hand in undermining Labour ascendancy - and he didn't come to power for any other reason than that he had the stamina to do so (ie Iraq alone didn't force Blair out). Did UK have moral/international standing significantly higher in 2002 than in 2007? Vietnam aside, we're always (fairly) seen as a US sidekick.