From the annals of the "Special Relationship"...

This is how a "No Spin" government works.

Douglas Alexander, Secretary of State for International Development and Gordon Brown's long-time Mini-Me, comes to Washington to bravely speak truth to power. Choosing a suitably establishment venue such as the Council on Foreign Relations, Mr Alexander tells the United States that:

"In the 20th century a country's might was too often measured in what they could destroy. In the 21st century strength should be measured by what we can build together. And so we must form new alliances, based on common values, ones not just to protect us from the world, but ones which reach out to the world."

And:

"We need to demonstrate by our deeds, words and our actions that we are internationalist, not isolationist, multilateralist, not unilateralist, active and not passive, and driven by core values, consistently applied, not special interests."

The US must be asked:

"to recognise the importance of a rules based international system".

Plus:

"Given the interconnected nature of the challenges we face, I would argue that we have to simultaneously be fighting to end poverty, to secure trade justice and to tackle conflict and climate change, as well as working to defeat terrorism and ensure the preservation of our security."

All this, of course, is designed for domestic consumption. No-one expects Mr Brown to have as close a relationship with the American President as Tony Blair did. Hence this deliberate poke in the eye. It is inconceivable such a speech was made without the new Prime Minister's express approval. (Even if one agrees with Mr Alexander's argument one might question whether it really needed to be delivered in such a public setting.)

That's just the warm-up act however. Iron Broon pops out of his bunker to tell us that, no, Wee Dougie didn't mean what he said and that everything is as it was before.

"I think people have got to remember that the relationship between Britain and America and between a British prime minister and an American president is built on the things that we share, the same enduring values about the importance of liberty, opportunity, the dignity of the individual," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"I will continue to work, as Tony Blair did, very closely with the American administration," he added.

Now of course this has the benefit of being, well, sort of true in one sense. The facts - or boots - on the ground can't help but make it so. But there we have it: a government minister makes a deliberately provocative speech to cause trouble in Washington and placate the masses back home so that the Prime Minister can then appear to smooth things over having been seen to have made his point. It's a subtle, indirect, yet typically under-handed approach. Create a "crisis" and then be seen to "solve" it by announcing that you'll visit Washington soon.

But you have to laugh when Brown says this:

"I thought the interpretation that was put on Douglas Alexander's words was quite extraordinary," he said.

"To interpret this as saying anything at all about our relationship with the US is nonsense."

So why did you approve the speech Gordon? Silly question...

A No Spin Zone indeed. It's manipulative nonsense like this that results in the press and public despising these people.

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Comments

[Panenka'sChip]

Alexander is a little Brown toady and has been sent (sacrificed) to test the waters of public opinion here to a shift in US-UK relations. I'm unsure how much coverage this gets in the US, Alex but as you say, it wasn't a speech targeted really at a US audience.

While I agree that Brown won't be as close as Blair to Bush, I would imagine the Calvinist Brown shares a great many things in common with Bush and the current Republican administration. A little distance publically without actually moving anywhere politically won't do Brown any harm and I would imagine that the current administration will understand the political reasons (given Blair's undoubted political sacrifices for Dubya).

[Robert M.]

Given its time-honored etiquette among diplomats & civilized countries, I have no problem with the Way The Message Was Delivered. And, well, it was also a True Statement. Especially from the Euro view of the need to balance China Rising. But the second audience for the speech are centrist elements within BOTH parties, the blood-line thinned grandchildren of the Eastern Establishment (you know, the one Senator Prescott Bush [R-CT] belonged to as did Ambassador Ellsworth Bunker). These are Brown's natural allies in the reconstruction of American foreign policy in the NEXT administration.

Why do this now? Why not? Afer all, the Cheney/Bush administration is politically irrelevant to Brown as he's NOW finally finally PM. Tony Who? can't stop 'em now, can he? (As if he ever could have.)

Of coure that irrelevancy will last until, in one last spasm of Oedipal issues, Bush OKs Cheney's orders to bomb Iran. But then, that'll be a problem for ALL of us.

[Brad DeLong]

You do realize that the entire Democratic Party, the entire centrist caucus, and the 2/3 of the Republican Party who aren't Bush-payroll dead-enders approve of Alexander and Brown, don't you? From the standpoint of 2009, Alexander and Brown just did themselves a world of good with respect to the opinion of the American president to be...

[Peter]

Well, if you want to get the credit for fixing something, first you have to make certain to break it.

[Robert M.]

Brad DeLong for Treasury Secretary! Smarts, Attitude and Fun.

[Well, its nice to see that a semi-employed brother-can-you-spare-a-dime historian and a tenured, whiz-bang math kinda econ prof can both spot the American sub-text. {Really, guys. This is what diplomats do. Talk like this & for these reasons. The knife is just as sharp.} So, prof, about that Assistantship to the Under-Secretary's Under-Secretary's Assistant's Assistant...]

[Joerg - Atlantic Community]

Great post. I loved the Mini-Me reference.

I have linked to your post in Atlantic Community's post "Will Brown's Dinner With Merkel Leave Bush Hungry?"
http://atlantic-community.org/index.php/articles/view/Will_Brown%27s_Dinner_With_Merkel_Leave_Bush_Hungry%3F

Perhaps you are interested in joining the Atlantic Community. That would be great. Thanks.