Just like his comments about us needing to keep nuclear weapons “because we don’t know what is going to happen in China” David Cameron is proving to be an utter utter lightweight in international affairs.

The part of me that sings “Rule Britannia” when drunk is very ashamed we have sunk so low. The rational part is a little worried that we have a captain at the rudder who wants to turn us into a tiny pariah.

The Tories have done more to wreck the “special relationship” in this episode than Obama has by not considering at all with the havoc BP has wrecked on.

Er…what?

Oh, and that insert there is a classic. What Sunny writes:

“[Tories] should stick to arguing over the meaning of their unwritten constitution.”

What Egan writes:

…the other conflict appears to be a monumental misread on the part of the British. They should stick to arguing over the meaning of their unwritten constitution.

The rest of the article is as insightful of British politics as you would expect from someone who refers to the British football squad.

[quote]Chuck Todd, senior political analyist on MSNBC, asked: “What part of the British isles has ever experienced an oil spill? [/quote]

Anyone want to point out how ignorant Mr. Todd appears to be?

3 – we talking about Milford Haven here? Oh, and goodness me, it was an American oil company (then, since bought by, um, BP) that was responsible. Or Torrey Canyon?

Oh, and that insert there is a classic.

Tim – you missed the bit where he slams Boris.

And who do you think all this rhetoric is aimed at? Who was whining? Certainly wasn’t the left.

And who do you think all this rhetoric is aimed at? Who was whining? Certainly wasn’t the left.

I think you probably need to get over your belief that Lord Tebbit is ‘the Tories’.

As for Boris, what he actually said was:

‘I do think there’s something slightly worrying about the anti-British rhetoric that seems to be permeating from America. I would like to see a bit of cool heads rather than endlessly buck-passing and name-calling.

‘When you consider the huge exposure of British pension funds to BP it starts to become a matter of national concern if a great British company is being continually beaten up on the airwaves. It was an accident that took place and BP is paying a very, very heavy price indeed.’

That’s not whining. That’s a pretty clear-headed description of what’s happening – not from Obama, but from other voices in US politics and media, whether its congressmen saying that anyone British talking about BP is lying, or whether its Louisiana spending money on adverts comparing the oil spill to the battle of New Orleans, on the grounds that they were both occasions when the US fought the British.

At any rate, if publicly stating that singling out BP for blame is unhelpful counts as whining, then yes, the left have been doing it too.

Shadow energy secretary Mr Miliband went further in defending BP, telling Mr Huhne that “finger-pointing at BP in particular is not helpful”.

He said other private sector companies involved in the accident, including Halliburton, Transocean and Cameron should also be subject to investigation.

Miliband wasn’t accusing anyone of anti-British sentiment was he?

I think you probably need to get over your belief that Lord Tebbit is ‘the Tories’.

I include Boris. And no his statement wasn’t clear-headed. It was idiotic, with little regard for the impact the BP spill is having on the environment and people’s lives there.

Sunny,

“I include Boris. And no his statement wasn’t clear-headed. It was idiotic, with little regard for the impact the BP spill is having on the environment and people’s lives there.”

Well, since he is elected to consider the impact on the people of London (who are a substantial subset of the people of Britain), I think his primary concerns were well expressed. There are plenty of American politicians claiming to have regard for the impact of the BP spill (some probably actually do), but whilst British politicians have generally not been happy about the spill, their first concern is surely ensuring that the reaction to it does not affect the future of British pensions? Or isn’t that what politicians are meant to do – should they all line up behind the correct response, and ignore the interests of those they represent and serve?