Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
A horrifying thought
Reading the papers today I saw mention of the possibility that Sir Kier Starmer might ask David Cameron to continue in his current role as Foreign Secretary if Labour win the general election. Cameron quickly put the kybosh on that idea.
The suggestion was apparently prompted by Cameron's competence and clout on the global stage during the current crisis in the Middle East. I then realised who the Foreign Secretary would be if Labour does win. Our very own David Lammy is currently the Shadow Foreign Secretary so if nothing else changes he would replace Cameron.
Now that scares the pants off me! Can you imagine Lammy being taken seriously by Putin, the Iranians or the Chinese - or even by our allies like Trump (presumably next President) or Netanyahu?
I can only assume there would be a quick reshuffle if Labour does win and Lammy might be reassigned but who would Starmer choose to lead our diplomatic efforts? Something to ponder before the election.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by James H. on
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Not setting the bar very high, I realise, but I doubt whether he could be quite as bad as Liz Truss.
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Quite!
Starmer could enoble David Milliband and have him serve as Foreign Secretary from the Lords.
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Please excuse my cynicism but whoever gets into power, be it Con or Lab will make no difference at all.
A wise man once said "Politics is the entertainment division of the military industrial complex."
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Permalink Reply by Dick Harris on
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The thought that Mr Lammy might be Foreign Secretary has not horrified me nor does it scare my pants off. I do not know the gentleman personally but on one important area of foreign relations (Europe) I have thought his remarks mostly pretty sound.
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'Sound'?
Of all the adjectives associated with David Lammy, I'm not sure I've ever seen that one used before.
A reminder of the level of Lammy's discourse on Europe...
"David Lammy has said comparing the hard-Brexit European Research Group of Tory MPs to Nazis and proponents of South African apartheid was “not strong enough”, and suggested that the Brexit debate had allowed proponents of hard right views to flourish.
The Labour MP, who is a vocal campaigner for a second EU referendum, was asked on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show whether a comparison he previously made to the election of Adolf Hitler’s party in Germany and to South African white supremacists was appropriate.
“I would say that that wasn’t strong enough. In 1938 there were allies who hatched a plan for Hitler to annex part of Czechoslovakia, and Churchill said no, and he stood alone,” he said.
Asked if it was fair to make such a comment about elected politicians, he said: “I don’t care how elected they were: so was the far right in Germany.” https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/apr/14/comparing-erg-to-n...
And his recent word-salad on 'progressive realism' leaves us in no doubt as to how out of his depth he is. While he wont be the worst Foreign secretary we've had in the past few years, we certainly all deserve far better and brighter.
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Thank you for the reference to Mr Lammy's recent article in Foreign Affairs May/June 2024 edition (I quote all this because, for some reason, the link you provided does not lead to the article). It can be found at https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-kingdom/case-progressive-real....
I have now read it and it does not lead me to doubt his potential as foreign secretary.
In short, my opinion stands.
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Permalink Reply by Christopher Fowler on
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I think that Mr Lammy would make a good Foreign Secretary. I realise there are plenty of Lammy-haters in Haringey, and in the Tottenham constituency, but I am not one. He is, at least, not smarmy and two-faced (not to mention a man who has taken money for lobbying) like the current Foreign Secretary, David Cameron. Let's wait and see what happens after the next GE before we follow the haters and condemn Lammy.
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