David Cameron has issued an impassioned paean to Britain's achievements after a Russian official reportedly dismissed it as a "small island" whose views could be ignored.
In a lavishly patriotic riposte at the end of the G20 summit in St Petersburg, the Prime Minister said the UK had not only helped abolish slavery and settle the Second World War, but "invented most of the things worth inventing".
The comments, initially delivered verbally to reporters before being posted online, were immediately compared to a scene from hit film Love Actually, in which Hugh Grant's prime minister interrupts the US president to say: "We may be a small country but we're a great one, too."
Downing Street demanded "clarification" from the Kremlin after a spokesman was reported to have dismissed the UK as "just a small island, no-one pays any attention to them".
Mr Cameron noted that Mr Putin's chief spokesman Dmitry Peskov had denied making the remark. But he went on: "Britain may be a small island, but I would challenge anyone to find a country with a prouder history, a bigger heart or greater resilience.
"Britain is an island that has helped to clear the European continent of fascism - and was resolute in doing that throughout World War Two. Britain is an island that helped to abolish slavery, that has invented most of the things worth inventing, including every sport currently played around the world, that still today is responsible for art, literature and music that delights the entire world.
"We are very proud of everything we do as a small island - a small island that has the sixth-largest economy, the fourth best-funded military, some of the most effective diplomats, the proudest history, one of the best records for art and literature and contribution to philosophy and world civilisation.
"For the people who live in Northern Ireland, I should say we are not just an island, we are a collection of islands. I don't want anyone in Shetland or Orkney to feel left out by this. I'm thinking of setting this to music..."
Nothing in politics is straight forward and nothing illustrates this more than what can be seen here.
ReplyDeleteThere doesn't seem to be a black or white decision to be made over Libya and it appears that Putin, a master tactician, has won centre stage. Ever mindful that which paper you read one gets an unbalanced view, I found this article interesting.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/12/world/europe/as-obama-pauses-action-putin-takes-center-stage.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20130912
I think of of the points that it highlights is "From the start of the war two and a half years ago, Russia has been Syria’s strongest backer, using its veto repeatedly to block any meaningful action at the Security Council. While Russia has ties to the country dating to the Soviet era, including its only naval base left outside of the former Soviet republics, Mr. Putin’s primary goal is not preserving Mr. Assad’s government — despite arms sales that account for billions of dollars — as much as thwarting what he considers to be unbridled American power to topple governments it opposes.