NEW YORK BOSTON |#Popular: Irish Celebrity Gossip Irish in US Politics Irish Festivals Irish Roots Irish Entertainment Offbeat Irish

Home Page > Blogs > News blogs > People and Politics > Romney tells the truth in Britain and is slammed for it - British get their knickers in a twist over very little

People and Politics by Patrick Roberts

Romney tells the truth in Britain and is slammed for it - British get their knickers in a twist over very little

Posted on Sunday, July 29, 2012 at 08:21 AM

Larger Text

E-mail

71 Comments

RSS

Archives

U.S. Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney meets with David Cameron at 10 Downing Street in London

A political gaffe these days is when a politician tells the truth.

Mitt Romney has shipped lots of criticism about his various comments in London while there for the Olympics. Democrats have tried to portray him as Sarah Palinesque in his inability to articulate and get basic facts wrong, but when you examine what he said was it all that bad?

Firstly his comments on British preparations for the Olympics were spot on. He was asked about Britain’s preparations for the Olympics and instead of waffling about how great they were, he pointed up some concerns.

"There are a few things that were disconcerting," Romney said. "The stories about the private security firm not having enough people, the supposed strike of the immigration and customs officials – that obviously is not something which is encouraging."

What could be wrong with that? A politician tells the truth and he was, of course, immediately slammed for it.

David Cameron huffed and puffed on Thursday.

"We are holding an Olympic Games in one of the busiest, most active, bustling cities anywhere in the world,"

Also true but Romney was correct that there was a major security faux pas.
The other issue the British jumped on was his calling the leader of the opposition Ed Miliband 'Mr Leader.'

Again a very minor point. That is what he would have been called in America and Miliband’s title is leader of the opposition. British journalists sneered that Romney had forgotten his name but there is no compelling evidence of that.

His actual statement was "Like you, Mr Leader, I look forward to our conversations this morning," Romney said.

What is the big deal?

Next he was accused of publicizing the fact that he met the MI6 leader.

Britain loves their spooks, and the media, now in full hue and cry demanded that Romney should have kept the information secret.

Whatever for? If Romney met the head of the CIA and the Secret Service no one would think anything of it. Again score one for Romney and not the hysterical British.

This is what Romney said: "I appreciated the insights and perspectives of the leaders of the government here and the opposition here as well as the head of MI6"

Hardly the stuff of espionage thrillers.

Finally, advisors to Romney not Romney himself referred to “common Anglo Saxon heritage.” Romney got tagged with their language which many saw as a not too subtle racist slap at Obama. The unnamed advisors back pedalled but it was hardly Romney’s fault they spoke so stupidly.

Again, much ado about nothing.

Score yet another knickers in a twist moment for the Brits and a clear indication that Obama still has the hearts and undying devotion of overseas journalists.

E-mail

71 comments

Next Previous Page 2 of 5 pages

curtisjohnson | Jul 30, 2012, 09:53 PM EDT

hancock, excellent post. @realist " The U.K. stood alone for almost 3 years." This is ludicrous - the Germans forces were severely diluted eastward against the massive Soviet war maching beginning in 1941.

Report abuse

sparklemagic | Jul 30, 2012, 08:55 PM EDT

Mitt Romney is in over his head.

Report abuse

hancock | Jul 30, 2012, 08:03 PM EDT

The US bailed out the English from start to finish with material and after their entrance in 1941 when they led their junior partner. England was under paid under sexed and under Eisenhower. When the UK was alone they got their ass kicked. Gordon Brown was a Scot, I know that. Soon the Scots will be independent, even the English would vote for that. No love lost there. The nationalist Irish were opressed in Ireland right up until and after Stormont was taken down in 1972. Even the English were too embarrassed at that point. You remind me of an old man pining for empire and still mad at the Irish for being the first to start tearing it down. P.s. WHEN ARE THE PARAS GOING ON TRIAL?

Report abuse

Realist | Jul 30, 2012, 07:34 PM EDT

hancock: Lol....Dunkirk was in June 1940.....the United States was not active in the European theatre of operations until early 1942. The U.K. stood alone for almost 3 years. All aid advanced to the U.K. from the U.S. was paid for, in full, with interest (check the records). I know you hate the British to the point of not being able to use their name (I remember laughing at you describing Gordon Brown as English, but in retrospect, I think you really don't know the difference), but facts are facts. You remind me of the Free State Irish who stoned the British and American Embassies on VE Day (7th May 1945), 2 weeks after their premier became the only World leader to prostrate his condolences to the Nazi ambassador on the suicide of Adolf Hitler.....disappointed by the liberation of Bergen-Belsen perhaps.

Report abuse

Realist | Jul 30, 2012, 07:16 PM EDT

hancock: Lol....who is "oppressed in Ireland"? Can't wait to read this.

Report abuse

hancock | Jul 30, 2012, 05:58 PM EDT

No, you sound juvenile when you don't agree with something then decide that in a nutshell thats why they're hated. I never whined about America. America isn't perfect and they've taken some lumps. Ireland certainly seems to have moved on, too bad they left a sixth of their country behind. Good thing there's the Palestinians to worry/ whine about.

Report abuse

Sparklet | Jul 30, 2012, 05:12 PM EDT

Haven't got an anti-American attitude. Am anti Americans who are hypocritical. How many people in NI do you think would swap places with a Palestinian? Calling me juvenile sounds just like a whiny American who doesn't like the truth to me. But of course, your outdated anti Brit rants aren't juvenile. Ireland has moved on and is generally embarrassed by Americans whose roots are in the past, and don't have a clue about the country today.

Report abuse

hancock | Jul 30, 2012, 04:10 PM EDT

Stupid only to a person willing to worry about Arabs over Irishmen and women. If you read carefully I was referring to the last 40 years in the 6 counties. Many of which weren't pleasant to the I rish nationalist population. You anti- American attitude is juvenile to the extreme. Are you also willing to excuse terror against other countries if they don't agree with your nutshell opinions?

Report abuse

Sparklet | Jul 30, 2012, 03:57 PM EDT

Stupid post, hancock - there's no comparison between the way people live in Palestine and the way they live in Northern Ireland. The Irish situation is being addressed and people are moving on - the majority of people there are happy with what they've got, or are happy to wait for reunification. Do you seriously think that their way of life is comparable to that of the Palestinians. And there it is in a nutshell folks..why America is a target for terrorism. A complete and utter disregard for the plight of a nation. Pity the Palestinians don't have power or oil.

Report abuse

hancock | Jul 30, 2012, 03:44 PM EDT

English interference and oppression at the expense of the Irish in their own country is the root cause of terrorism in the last 40 years. Isn't it ironic that there is vocal support of Palestinians and their cause and not the opressed people in there own country.

Report abuse

lecorri | Jul 30, 2012, 02:04 PM EDT

Wounded Knee, from where did you get that info on Romney and did he mean calling them on ALL decisions or just on ones that directly affect Israel? I have searched and not found it and would like to see for myself.

Report abuse

Sparklet | Jul 30, 2012, 02:00 PM EDT

Western support for Israel at the expense of the Palestinians is the root cause of the problems we have with terrorism today. Or is it fighting back, and the whiny Americans don't like it? Sorry, some whiny Americans. It's not right to generalise. Isn't it ironic though that there is vocal support for the IRA because of their cause, but not for the Islamic terrorists.

Report abuse

WoundedKnee | Jul 30, 2012, 12:39 PM EDT

I see Romney is continuing his fatuous progress, this time in Israel. The fool said that the reason the Israelis had a better GNP than the Palestinians was because Israeli culture was superior. Did this idiot ever think of the effect of six decades of occupation on the Palestinians? Of regular raids by the Israeli military, bombing and destroying infrastructure, and killing thousands of people? Of control by the Izzies of Palestinian electricity, water, all imports and exports? Of Izzie control even of which Palestinian young men and women could be allowed go abroad to study? What an utter fool is this Romney. He'd be a very dangerous president, the same gang that got us into the Iraq invasion would be back calling the shots. I'm very disappointed with Obama, but when I read about Romney I even rethink my decision not to vote for the president.

Report abuse

PhlutiePhan | Jul 30, 2012, 11:09 AM EDT

@lokonline: Obama is straight out of the 1917 Russian Revolution. Romney has his faults but what he said in Britania is "much ado about nothing". That is from Shakespeare and not from the media handbook written by Joseph Goebbels.

Report abuse

hancock | Jul 30, 2012, 10:46 AM EDT

England was and is Americas biggest aircraft carrier. England took on Hitler after he snatched half of Europe and then were forced to after Poland. Remember the Czhechs? As usual England was worried about England's empire. The Germans kicked your ass across from Dunkirk and the U.S. bailed you out. Sorry if that sticks in your stiff upper lip.

Report abuse

Next Previous Page 2 of 5 pages