[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?

[Norman Bates]

Can’t say I saw this one coming.

[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