Charles와 Camilla가 three-line whip을 수행하는 동안, MPs는 civil servants가 겪는 극심한 불편함을 지켜보았습니다. 우리는 평소 senior civil servants가 외부에서 활동하는 모습을 자주 보지 못합니다. 그들은 대중의 시선에서 벗어나 책상 뒤에 앉아, 장관들이 정부 부처에 너무나 파괴적인 결정을 내리지 않도록 설득하는 일을 합니다. 단지 맡은 일을 했다는 이유로 그들이 왜 knight나 dame 작위를 받았는지는 인생의 미스터리 중 하나입니다. 나머지 우리들은 가끔 boss로부터 오는 이메일에 만족해야 합니다. 하지만 지난주, 두 명의 top civil servants가 Keir Starmer의 Peter Mandelson US ambassador 임명 결정에 대해 foreign affairs select committee에서 마지못해 증언을 하게 되었고, 이는 매우 유익했습니다. 특히 그들이 대중의 추가적인 관심을 얼마나 싫어하는지 볼 수 있었다는 점에서 더욱 그러했습니다. 책임을 추궁당하며 드러낸 그들의 명백한 불편함은 지켜보기 괴로울 정도였습니다. Continue reading...
Every PM hopes to emerge having said nothing that makes the news, and with Iran centre-stage Keir played a blinderWhat a difference a week makes. At last week’s prime minister’s questions, Keir Starmer tried to persuade us that he knew less than he did. His memory was so bad that he could barely remember who Peter Mandelson was, let alone why he had appointed him as ambassador to the US. Fast forward to Monday’s appearance before the liaison committee, the supergroup of select committee chairs, and Keir was desperate to convince us he knew more than he did. He had the inside track on Iran. He was in control. He also wasn’t altogether convincing.Mind you, it’s hard not to feel some sympathy with Starmer. The whole point of being prime minister is that you’re expected to know more than the rest of us. And most of the time you do. State secrets are your life blood. Only just occasionally the veil slips. Having threatened to obliterate Tehran’s power plants just days earlier, on Monday morning Donald Trump announced on Truth Social – along with a strange witch reference – that he was going to delay the bombardment for five days as constructive talks with the Iranian regime were taking place. Continue reading...
