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His glasses lopsided, his cufflinks over-large, hands clutched and knees all a-knock, Andy Burnham looked a bag of nerves when meeting Donald Trump at the United Nations building in New York.
asserted
Burnham → see → York
Social-media wits were reminded of Ronnie Corbett doing one of his monologues.
asserted
Corbett → remind → monologues
Any fair-minded patriot wanted Mr Burnham to represent us with aplomb.
asserted
Burnham → want → aplomb
No doubt he tried his best but it was not enough.
asserted
it → try → best
He seemed daunted.
asserted
He → seem → ?
President Trump was pretty gentle with the newcomer but there were two sticky moments.
asserted
Trump → be → newcomer
A reporter asked about Labour’s Chagos Isles deal, the one whereby we would pay Mauritius billions to rent an Indian Ocean air base that we already own.
asserted
we → ask → that
Mr Trump dismissed this as a ‘terrible and ridiculous’ idea.
asserted
Trump → dismiss → idea
Mr Burnham stared through his wonky spectacles, frozen in horror.
asserted
Burnham → star → horror
Then someone mentioned Labour’s sanctions against the West Bank, a policy that has been welcomed by Hamas terrorists but criticised bitterly by Washington and Jerusalem.
asserted
that → mention → Washington
Mr Trump diplomatically pretended to know nothing of the matter (this was a fib).
asserted
this → pretend → matter
He suggested instead that ‘prime minister Andy’ might like to say something.
uncertain
Andy → suggest → something
A tangibly queasy Burnham hummed and hawed and lamely reminded the US president that he had, in fact, telephoned him about it at the time.
asserted
he → hum → time
This was the equivalent of sobbing, ‘but I did tell you, Grandpa’.
asserted
I → sob → you
On the edge of the shot, to the left, sat Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband.
asserted
Miliband → sit → left
The camera just caught him grabbing one of his knees and hugging it towards his chest.
asserted
him → catch → chest
The British delegation continued to squirm while Mr Burnham essayed a rambling justification of his anti-Israel sanctions.
asserted
Burnham → continue → sanctions
Mr Trump did nothing to put his British guest at ease.
asserted
Trump → do → ease
Andy Burnham looked a bag of nerves when meeting Donald Trump at the United Nations building in New York, writes Quentin Letts
Meetings with Trump are never easy.
asserted
Meetings → look → Trump
The old man is an erratic megalomaniac and there is no sure formula for dealing with him.
asserted
man → be → him
His sit-downs with other heads of government – Trump always on the right, his victim on the left – are interesting mainly for what they betray about the character of the visitor.
asserted
they → betray → visitor
He emerged from the encounter much reduced in stature.
asserted
He → emerge → stature
Sir Keir Starmer may have been a nasal oddball, but he coped with the US president a lot better.
uncertain
he → cop → president
Being Prime Minister is a vast and serious duty, much harder than Mr Burnham may have imagined back in 2021 when he tweeted that ‘any UK politician who gave Trump the time of day should be ashamed’.
uncertain
who → imagine → day
To represent your nation abroad – to lead its government and people – you cannot be a croucher.
asserted
you → represent → government
Shrivelling behind others may be okay for municipal functionaries but it is not an option for PMs.
uncertain
it → shrivel → PMs
Nor is striking childish poses on social media.
asserted
striking → strike → media
Heads of government must deal with live scrutiny and find the strength of character to state their country’s interests.
asserted
Heads → deal → interests
The alternative is to assume a poker face and create clever ambiguity.
asserted
alternative → assume → ambiguity
Give or take some flattery and joshing – Mr Burnham did mumble his way through some of that with Mr Trump – there really isn’t another course.
asserted
Burnham → give → Trump
International leadership demands clarity or cunning.
asserted
leadership → demand → clarity
The Kremlin is threatening to expand its war beyond Ukraine into European Nato countries.
asserted
Kremlin → threaten → countries
Russia’s Navy is already causing trouble in waters off Britain.
asserted
Navy → cause → Britain
Argentina is making bellicose noises about the Falklands and is suing energy firms that hold drilling rights in the South Atlantic.
asserted
that → make → Atlantic
China has blacklisted several MPs and been caught spying on British-based Hong Kongers; there are also claims that it has planted agents inside Parliament.
uncertain
it → blacklist → Parliament
Even puny Jamaica and Ghana, both members of the Commonwealth and recipients of British aid, are nakedly on the offensive, outrageously demanding billions of pounds from us in ‘slavery reparations’.
asserted
Jamaica → demand → reparations
As if that lot weren’t enough, Mr Burnham must persuade France to honour promises – for which we have paid a fortune – to stop small boats leaving its beaches for England.
asserted
boats → persuade → England
On the edge of the shot sat Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband.
asserted
Miliband → sit → shot
The British delegation continued to squirm while Mr Burnham essayed a rambling justification of his anti-Israel sanctions
How strong will Andy Burnham be in the face of these assaults?
asserted
Burnham → continue → assaults
Enemies will be trying to gauge the character of the new man in 10 Downing Street.
asserted
Enemies → try → Street
…and 31 more, not listed.
The Aporia
