Nad
Known Troublemaker
Well, in a few hours time old Georgie will be touching down to a royal greeting and Britain's finest. Over the next few days, he will be meeting families of soldiers fighting in Iraq, he will dine with the queen, he will meet the opposition leaders and address the media, and he will visit crony Tony's Sedgefield constituency to meet members of the "general public".
Of course, thousands of the "general public" will be trying to tell him what they REALLY think of him but poor George is too vulnerable for that and will be protected by rolling roadblocks, exclusion zones, the hundreds of armed guards he's brought with him along with HALF of Britain's police officers. That's right, all police leave and holidays have been cancelled and massive forces are being diverted by Scotland Yard to protect El Presidente. Sounds like a good time to be a burglar...
Anyway, enough of my cynicism. Opinions in Britain are vastly differing over Bush's visit. A very interesting piece is the Guardian Letters Page, on which they have 60 letters to President Bush addressing the various opinions of his visit. The letters are from many different types of people, from Michael Portillo (Conservative MP), to Andrew Motion (poet laureate), to George Bush (namesake!).
Here's the link
What are your opinions of this? What do the Brits think and what do Americans think about this visit and how Europeans react to Bush?
A few samples of letters I enjoyed, both in support and against Bush (many of the letters are very amusing):
Dear George,
Thank you for the leadership that you have given to the free world. Your father's decision not to topple Saddam in 1991 started a decade in which America looked weak, and unwilling to defend itself and its values. Escalating terrorism from al-Qaida went unpunished, encouraging further outrages. It was not American arrogance that led up to 9/11, but American feebleness. In parallel, Saddam came to represent the most successful defiance of the US and of the UN by a rogue state.
It is regrettable that Tony Blair misled you into thinking that he could deliver Mr Schröder, Mr Chirac and Mr Putin to vote for a UN resolution. The PM does, I am afraid, have delusions of grandeur. Unfortunately, the doomed strategy of making weapons of mass destruction the cause of war has discredited the war in the UK. You did better to say frankly that you wanted to remove the Saddam regime which so brutalised its people and destabilised the region.
Through you I would like to thank the American people for the sacrifice of lives that they have made, and for the billions of dollars of their money that has been voted to rebuild Iraq. We appreciated your words recognising the sacrifice made by British families.
Please do renew your efforts on the Middle East roadmap. The terrorists there can now be in no doubt that they will not win using violence. That is the necessary pre-condition for achieving peace, which with your commitment is within grasp.
Congratulations on organising your own security while in Britain. You may have noticed that our policemen could not protect the Royal family from a joker dressed as Osama bin Laden who walked into Windsor Castle. I don't think you could have relied on them to protect you against the real thing.
Yours sincerely
Michael Portillo
Conservative MP
Dear Mr Bush,
Two years ago, shortly after the 9/11 atrocity I was arrested in the early hours of the morning at the home I shared with my wife in Colnbrook. At the time we were happy and looking forward to the future. I was studying to convert my US commercial pilot's licence to a European one and Sonia, my beautiful wife, had recently had a promotion at work. As the anti-terrorist branch officers stormed into our home, our life died and the nightmare began.
The front page headlines around the world reported the US and their representatives as saying that I was the "lead instructor" of four of the pilots responsible for the hijackings and that I would in time be charged for "conspiracy to murder". I faced extradition and the death penalty.
The proceedings against me lasted seven long months. Millions of pounds and dollars were spent on what the crown prosecution service described as the biggest investigation ever in the UK. The result was that the US case against me was thrown out of court by a UK judge who said that there had been "no evidence whatsoever" to support the allegation that I was involved in terrorism.
I spent five months of hell in Belmarsh prison where threats were made on my life. My dream of a career as a pilot is over. The money spent on my training is wasted. My wife and I are unemployed. Many people will now always think of me as a terrorist. Because the US won't admit they were wrong and withdraw the warrant I can't travel out of the UK except to visit Algeria. I can't even visit my in-laws in France. The "war on terror" has moved on but my life and family are still in pieces.
Lotfi Raissi
The pilot falsely accused of aiding the September 11 terrorists
Dear Mr Bush,
Novelists are famous for not knowing much about public affairs, but for what it is worth, I have always liked America. I have only been a tourist, but my family goes back a long way: my grandfather died as a reporter with American troops on the Rhine in 1945, and my father was wounded twice at Anzio fighting alongside the US Third Infantry Division.
After that, we had our Suez; you had your Vietnam, Korea, Guatemala, Chile... I could go on, but we will pass over these things because in the 20th century we won the first, second and cold wars. It wasn't just the winning, it was the fact that we were on the democratic side, and that we behaved with propriety. We were not the aggressors. We negotiated. You waited. Good heavens, did you ever wait!
Pearl Harbor and the Twin Towers were attacks to which you responded with appropriate force. Saddam Hussein, however, had neither the means nor the motive to attack you. Nor did he supply others. None of the reasons you offered for invading Iraq - taken singly or jointly - stood up to moral or strategic scrutiny. This was clear to even those of us well disposed towards America. We were at first puzzled ("I'm sure they know something we don't, they're just not allowed to tell us"); then, as it became apparent that you knew nothing, we became unhappy.
What we hated was the way you failed to understand the inheritance of the west. It was not a birthright of absolute superiority, but it was the best thing we had; it was something that went, as Mr Blair put it, to the "heart of our credibility as a nation". And this credibility, for which so many millions died - you have let it run through your hands. And in doing so, you allowed a British prime minister to be morally finessed by Jacques Chirac... Dear God, that it should come to that.
You can laugh at the old Stalinists who lead the protest march against you and ignore the anti-western ranting of a few journalists here whose pathology is one of guilt and self-hatred. But please do be aware of the distaste felt towards what you have done by reasonable, pro-American Britons. I hate to think what the allied dead of two world wars would have made of it, and of your presidency.
Sebastian Faulks
Novelist
Dear George,
First, do no harm. Your state visit to the UK is risky, unpopular and awkward enough. Many Americans will be nervously peeking at the TV news from between our tightly crossed fingers and praying that you don't utterly disgrace us. Don't go all folksy and Texan, thanking Tony Blair for his friendship. He has enough to deal with already in the Labour party without receiving any more public kisses of political death from you. Don't interrupt when someone is asking you a question. Try not to puke on the Queen.
Second, despite all the security arrangements, physical barriers and traditions that make a state visit - as you have said yourself - like travelling in a bubble, you can make an effort to learn from this trip. You've said that you admire the longstanding British tradition of free speech. This week, free speech will be blasting in Trafalgar Square and in the streets. Pay attention. To British ears, your claim not to read polls sounds like stolid indifference to public opinion, not moral strength and political courage. Even if you are sheltered from the demonstrations, read the British newspapers - the whole raucous range of them. Watch television; listen to the radio. Competition as well as tradition makes the British media the feistiest in the world. If you argue your position from awareness of what they are saying, rather than ignorance, you may win some respect.
Ride in a London taxi. Why don't we have those superb vehicles here in Washington? Please get us some. And meditate upon the traits of intelligence, humour and dignity that will always make Britain great, whatever her status as a military power.
Best wishes for a safe journey,
Elaine Showalter
Writer and professor of literature, Princeton University
Dear George,
Sorry about that delay at the airport - no one had been warned that you had never owned a passport. And thanks for warning us that your secret service requires a motorcade of more than 35 cars. You might want to look out for a letter that turns up in the next few weeks marked "Congestion charge".
You are, of course, an enormously popular figure over here and thousands of well-wishers will be turning out to greet you. They are so desperate for a handshake and a chat that they may have even made special placards asking you to "Stop Bush!" Even if your security officers advise against it, why not pull over and mingle with the crowd? You might ask them if they can guess what the initial stands for in George W Bush. It might be fun to see which W first springs to mind!
John O'Farrell
Writer
Of course, thousands of the "general public" will be trying to tell him what they REALLY think of him but poor George is too vulnerable for that and will be protected by rolling roadblocks, exclusion zones, the hundreds of armed guards he's brought with him along with HALF of Britain's police officers. That's right, all police leave and holidays have been cancelled and massive forces are being diverted by Scotland Yard to protect El Presidente. Sounds like a good time to be a burglar...
Anyway, enough of my cynicism. Opinions in Britain are vastly differing over Bush's visit. A very interesting piece is the Guardian Letters Page, on which they have 60 letters to President Bush addressing the various opinions of his visit. The letters are from many different types of people, from Michael Portillo (Conservative MP), to Andrew Motion (poet laureate), to George Bush (namesake!).
Here's the link
What are your opinions of this? What do the Brits think and what do Americans think about this visit and how Europeans react to Bush?
A few samples of letters I enjoyed, both in support and against Bush (many of the letters are very amusing):
Dear George,
Thank you for the leadership that you have given to the free world. Your father's decision not to topple Saddam in 1991 started a decade in which America looked weak, and unwilling to defend itself and its values. Escalating terrorism from al-Qaida went unpunished, encouraging further outrages. It was not American arrogance that led up to 9/11, but American feebleness. In parallel, Saddam came to represent the most successful defiance of the US and of the UN by a rogue state.
It is regrettable that Tony Blair misled you into thinking that he could deliver Mr Schröder, Mr Chirac and Mr Putin to vote for a UN resolution. The PM does, I am afraid, have delusions of grandeur. Unfortunately, the doomed strategy of making weapons of mass destruction the cause of war has discredited the war in the UK. You did better to say frankly that you wanted to remove the Saddam regime which so brutalised its people and destabilised the region.
Through you I would like to thank the American people for the sacrifice of lives that they have made, and for the billions of dollars of their money that has been voted to rebuild Iraq. We appreciated your words recognising the sacrifice made by British families.
Please do renew your efforts on the Middle East roadmap. The terrorists there can now be in no doubt that they will not win using violence. That is the necessary pre-condition for achieving peace, which with your commitment is within grasp.
Congratulations on organising your own security while in Britain. You may have noticed that our policemen could not protect the Royal family from a joker dressed as Osama bin Laden who walked into Windsor Castle. I don't think you could have relied on them to protect you against the real thing.
Yours sincerely
Michael Portillo
Conservative MP
Dear Mr Bush,
Two years ago, shortly after the 9/11 atrocity I was arrested in the early hours of the morning at the home I shared with my wife in Colnbrook. At the time we were happy and looking forward to the future. I was studying to convert my US commercial pilot's licence to a European one and Sonia, my beautiful wife, had recently had a promotion at work. As the anti-terrorist branch officers stormed into our home, our life died and the nightmare began.
The front page headlines around the world reported the US and their representatives as saying that I was the "lead instructor" of four of the pilots responsible for the hijackings and that I would in time be charged for "conspiracy to murder". I faced extradition and the death penalty.
The proceedings against me lasted seven long months. Millions of pounds and dollars were spent on what the crown prosecution service described as the biggest investigation ever in the UK. The result was that the US case against me was thrown out of court by a UK judge who said that there had been "no evidence whatsoever" to support the allegation that I was involved in terrorism.
I spent five months of hell in Belmarsh prison where threats were made on my life. My dream of a career as a pilot is over. The money spent on my training is wasted. My wife and I are unemployed. Many people will now always think of me as a terrorist. Because the US won't admit they were wrong and withdraw the warrant I can't travel out of the UK except to visit Algeria. I can't even visit my in-laws in France. The "war on terror" has moved on but my life and family are still in pieces.
Lotfi Raissi
The pilot falsely accused of aiding the September 11 terrorists
Dear Mr Bush,
Novelists are famous for not knowing much about public affairs, but for what it is worth, I have always liked America. I have only been a tourist, but my family goes back a long way: my grandfather died as a reporter with American troops on the Rhine in 1945, and my father was wounded twice at Anzio fighting alongside the US Third Infantry Division.
After that, we had our Suez; you had your Vietnam, Korea, Guatemala, Chile... I could go on, but we will pass over these things because in the 20th century we won the first, second and cold wars. It wasn't just the winning, it was the fact that we were on the democratic side, and that we behaved with propriety. We were not the aggressors. We negotiated. You waited. Good heavens, did you ever wait!
Pearl Harbor and the Twin Towers were attacks to which you responded with appropriate force. Saddam Hussein, however, had neither the means nor the motive to attack you. Nor did he supply others. None of the reasons you offered for invading Iraq - taken singly or jointly - stood up to moral or strategic scrutiny. This was clear to even those of us well disposed towards America. We were at first puzzled ("I'm sure they know something we don't, they're just not allowed to tell us"); then, as it became apparent that you knew nothing, we became unhappy.
What we hated was the way you failed to understand the inheritance of the west. It was not a birthright of absolute superiority, but it was the best thing we had; it was something that went, as Mr Blair put it, to the "heart of our credibility as a nation". And this credibility, for which so many millions died - you have let it run through your hands. And in doing so, you allowed a British prime minister to be morally finessed by Jacques Chirac... Dear God, that it should come to that.
You can laugh at the old Stalinists who lead the protest march against you and ignore the anti-western ranting of a few journalists here whose pathology is one of guilt and self-hatred. But please do be aware of the distaste felt towards what you have done by reasonable, pro-American Britons. I hate to think what the allied dead of two world wars would have made of it, and of your presidency.
Sebastian Faulks
Novelist
Dear George,
First, do no harm. Your state visit to the UK is risky, unpopular and awkward enough. Many Americans will be nervously peeking at the TV news from between our tightly crossed fingers and praying that you don't utterly disgrace us. Don't go all folksy and Texan, thanking Tony Blair for his friendship. He has enough to deal with already in the Labour party without receiving any more public kisses of political death from you. Don't interrupt when someone is asking you a question. Try not to puke on the Queen.
Second, despite all the security arrangements, physical barriers and traditions that make a state visit - as you have said yourself - like travelling in a bubble, you can make an effort to learn from this trip. You've said that you admire the longstanding British tradition of free speech. This week, free speech will be blasting in Trafalgar Square and in the streets. Pay attention. To British ears, your claim not to read polls sounds like stolid indifference to public opinion, not moral strength and political courage. Even if you are sheltered from the demonstrations, read the British newspapers - the whole raucous range of them. Watch television; listen to the radio. Competition as well as tradition makes the British media the feistiest in the world. If you argue your position from awareness of what they are saying, rather than ignorance, you may win some respect.
Ride in a London taxi. Why don't we have those superb vehicles here in Washington? Please get us some. And meditate upon the traits of intelligence, humour and dignity that will always make Britain great, whatever her status as a military power.
Best wishes for a safe journey,
Elaine Showalter
Writer and professor of literature, Princeton University
Dear George,
Sorry about that delay at the airport - no one had been warned that you had never owned a passport. And thanks for warning us that your secret service requires a motorcade of more than 35 cars. You might want to look out for a letter that turns up in the next few weeks marked "Congestion charge".
You are, of course, an enormously popular figure over here and thousands of well-wishers will be turning out to greet you. They are so desperate for a handshake and a chat that they may have even made special placards asking you to "Stop Bush!" Even if your security officers advise against it, why not pull over and mingle with the crowd? You might ask them if they can guess what the initial stands for in George W Bush. It might be fun to see which W first springs to mind!
John O'Farrell
Writer
indeed.
