Gordon Brown: I love the USA (wants to make ties even stronger)

The Sun (U.K.) ^ | November 12, 2007 | David Wooding

[Stoat]

Translation assistance

From the article:

The toff peer — dubbed “B*****k Brown” over his off-message outbursts — was branded a “liability” by officials.

The English-to-American Dictionary

toff n. Although itself a rather esoteric working-class term, a toff is a member of the upper classes - someone born with a silver spoon in his mouth, you might say.

Definition of toff - Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

toff

Function:

noun

Etymology:

probably alteration of tuft titled college student

Date:

1851

chiefly British : dandy, swell

 

[Stoat]

Please also see this FR thread from 2004:

Brown hails Bush's war (Great Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer delivers glowing endorsement)

[PetroniusMaximus]

Merkel, Sarkozy and now Brown.

Somebody want’s to push the unification of America and the EU.

[TrueKnightGalahad]

Prove it, Gordo - fire Malloch (not Moloch?) Brown.

[guinnessman]

So Britain, France and Germany all want close ties to the U.S.

John F——ing Kerry will not be pleased.

[Enchante]

Lord Malloch-Brown was last night looking increasingly isolated. A Foreign Office insider said: “He will probably resign in the end.”

LOL. Can't come soon enough!!!

[BradtotheBone]

But, Bill Clinton said the nation must restore its standing in the world by electing his wife.

[Hillary4Penetentiary]

I detect the Brits getting a little concerned that we’ll move toward the French, who are growing closer and closer with the US under the demi-god Sarkozy. If not for Sark’s open affection for the US, Brown would be giving us the bird. But Brown is clearly worried about France becoming our new best friend in Europe and the strong US-UK bond under Bush and Blair now being transfered to Paris instead. Who’d have thought we’d see the day?

[DoughtyOne]

But tonight Mr Brown will pledge his determination to forge even closer links in his Mansion House speech. And he wants to go further still by bringing France and Germany into the “special relationship”

Excellent.  (+1)

Mr Brown believes pro-US French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel can create a better working partnership.

Excellent. (+2)

And he signalled fresh moves to modernise the United Nations and global financial markets.

Eee gads! (-10)

He said: “As France and Germany and the EU move closer in understanding to America, then the chances we have together to reshape these institutions, now fall to this generation of leaders.”

Pucker factor 8.5 on the richter scale.
  
When folks talk about modernizing the U.N. I get nervous. 

When folks talk about modernizing the U.N. and global financial markets, I get ill.

[sono]

GW Bush - a Uniter, not a Divider. Who’d a thunk?

[DoughtyOne]

You may be on to something there. The new French President has been a healthy addition to the mix.

[RightOnline]

Three words explain why:

A resurgent Russia.

[infidel29]

Merkel, Sarkozy and now Brown.

Somebody want’s to push the unification of America and the EU.

I was thinking, "thank God the Americans are going to take care of Iran for us."

[Norman Bates]

Can’t say I saw this one coming.

[Stoat]

I was thinking, "thank God the Americans are going to take care of Iran for us."

This may be of interest (linked page includes video interviews)::

Gordon Brown Won't Rule Out Brit Role In Iran Sky NewsPolitics

Gordon Brown has refused to rule out British participation in any future military attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.

(edit)

Mr Brown told me that "a new generation of leaders" - himself, Germany's Angela Merkel and France's Nicolas Sarkosy - are ready to work with the Americans to modernise international institutions, from the United Nations to the International Monetary Fund.

He claimed that diplomatic efforts to halt Iran's nuclear programme were doing better than many people think.

But he declined to rule out British participation if it should ever come to attacking Iran's nuclear facilities.

 

[Stoat]

And he signalled fresh moves to modernise the United Nations and global financial markets.

Eee gads! (-10)

As usual, the devil is in the details on these sorts of things.

From the tone of the rest of this interview, I would suggest that "modernize" COULD mean "transforming the UN from a rabidly-anti-American, anti-Capitalist and anti-Western  swamp, ruled by third-world Socialist tinpot dictators into a halfway-reasonable and credible international forum"

Although the UN has done little to inspire confidence in sane folks over the past several decades, having it stay the course does nothing to improve things for the UK.  I also fail to see how "forging closer ties" with the USA translates into "making the UN even worse than it is"..  Thoughtful Americans HATE what the UN has become, and I suspect that PM Brown is fully aware of this.

I suggest waiting for more details, which hopefully will be forthcoming in his Mansion House speech.

[DoughtyOne]

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to dump on you, but I do not ever see a time when our nation should sign on to global governance.

We are a sovereign nation. I don’t mind a meeting place for things to be discussed between nations. Everything else is simply a way for the U.N. to exhert and develop more influence.

The U.N. should never have become more than a dispute resolution facilitator.

That’s my take on it.

[goldstategop]

Prime Minister Brown is far from ready to call the Anglo-American alliance quits.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[Stoat]

I do not ever see a time when our nation should sign on to global governance

Neither do I, and I don't see him saying that in these sparse words that are quoted here.

What he's said is in no way definitive and is largely positive.

The U.N. should never have become more than a dispute resolution facilitator.

Agreed.  The main superpowers who appear happy with the current state of things in the UN are Russia and China.  PM Brown is speaking of forging closer ties with the USA, France and Germany.  Russia and China weren't mentioned.

I suppose our only disagreement, if you can call it that, is that I'm seeing the glass as being half full but this doesn't mean that I'm going to be happy if he declares "more of the same" for the UN.  I'll (metaphorically) toss the glass right at him if he does that.

I'm merely suggesting that this Sky News interview can be interpreted optimistically, but I'll wait for more details before doing a full-fledged Stoat Happy Dance.  We've all been disappointed many times before in regards to the UN, after all.

[DoughtyOne]

I completely agree with your comments. My (-10) was a rather hypothetical what if. We’re in full agreement and sorry I may have implied otherwise.

It is certainly refreshing to see Sarkozy and Brown take this route. It certainly puts to rest the left’s claim that we are isolated, and that is significant in and of itself.

Canada even honored their troops in Afghanistan a day or two ago. Wow, it’s rather refreshing to know there are others out there who either get it or are showing signs of getting it.

Thanks for the follow-up.