Farage for UK Ambassador to USA??

[newcastle]

Nigel Farage would be 'great' UK ambassador to US, says Donald Trump

President-elect causes diplomatic upset with call for ally and Brexit campaigner to get key role, putting Theresa May in a difficult position

How difficult is it to say "Get lost!"

UK government must ‘mend fences’ with Donald Trump, says Nigel Farage

Well....Trump is the man for fences....walls even. But will he be prepared to pay?

US president-elect Donald Trump has suggested that Nigel Farage, controversial leader of the United Kingdom Independence party, should be the UK’s ambassador to the US.

“Many people would like to see @Nigel_Farage represent Great Britain as their Ambassador to the United States,” Trump tweeted on Monday evening. “He would do a great job!”

Many? Like whom....apart from Mrs Farage?


Farage, a member of the European parliament and on-again-off-again leader of Ukip for a decade, recently suggested he could launch an eighth bid to become an MP. Seven previous attempts were unsuccessful.

Just unlucky then?

It is unprecedented for an incoming US president to ask a world leader to appoint an opposing party leader as ambassador, and the statement puts British prime minister Theresa May in a difficult position.

The role of UK ambassador to the US is among the most prestigious in the diplomatic service. Sir Kim Darroch, formerly the UK’s national security adviser and permanent representative to the European Union (EU), took over the role in January this year.

Farage has no diplomatic experience but worked hard to align himself with Trump during the course of the US election campaign.

It'll take his dentist months to clean the sh*t stains off his tongue

Trump took to comparing his campaign to that behind the successful call for the UK to leave the EU, often mentioning Farage at his rallies and referring to himself as “Mr Brexit”.

The two met again recently at Trump Tower in New York, and Farage tweeted a picture of the two of them, adding: “It was a great honour to spend time with [Trump]. He was relaxed and full of good ideas. I’m confident he will be a good president.”

At the meeting, Farage spoke to the new president-elect about putting the bust of Winston Churchill back in the Oval Office, while Trump encouraged Farage to oppose wind farms, which he felt marred the views from his Scottish golf courses.

What about re-opening a few coal mines while you're at it

Andy Whigmore, a communications officer for one of the groups campaigning to leave the EU who was at the meeting alongside Farage, told the Daily Express: “We covered a lot of ground during the hour-long meeting we had.

“But one thing Mr Trump kept returning to was the issue of wind farms. He is a complete Anglophile and also absolutely adores Scotland, which he thinks is one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

“But he is dismayed that his beloved Scotland has become over-run with ugly wind farms, which he believes are a blight on the stunning landscape.”

Farage is expecting an invitation to Trump’s inauguration in January, sources have told the Guardian, which increases pressure on May to give him a role in UK-US diplomatic relations.

The British prime minister is already on the back foot after Farage claimed Trump’s team had raised concerns with him in their meeting about hostile comments made by Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary, and May’s joint chiefs of staff about his campaign.

Farage was the first foreign politician to meet Trump after his shock win and offered to act as a go-between for the British government and the US – a suggestion knocked back swiftly by Downing Street, which insisted there was no need for a “third party” in the so-called special relationship.

The Ukip leader reacted with fury, telling LBC radio that “ghastly little apparatchiks” were determined to exclude him.

“It just goes to show they are not really interested in the country or the national interest, they are more concerned about petty party politics and trying to keep me out of everything,” he said.

They're just being sensible, Nigel. But there's a job going as tea-wallah in No. 10 if you're that desperate.

“If you think of America in terms of a business and think of them as a client we want to do business with, what would you do? You would use the person who has the connections.

We have quite few to choose from. Send in your CV and we'll think about it

“Nobody in this administration in the UK has any connections with the Trump team at all, and yet they are prepared on behalf of the country to cut off their noses to spite their faces.”

When you look at the Trump team, I'd say having no connection with them was a plus point. What a bunch of weirdos!

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... nald-trump


Mmmmmm......I don't think so Nigel

America might be keen to put someone with no political experience in the White House.

We Brits have rather different requirements

[Mad Dilys]

To quote the commentator on BBC this morning when asked his opinion on how Downing Street regarded the idea of Nigel Farage representing the UK in America: -

"As the appointment is in the gift of Downing Street and not Mr Trump, they have basically said No, underlined it, put it in bold and put it in a telex with an exclamation mark at the end. That is effectively the sentiments of them. They say there is no vacancy, there is an excellent Ambassador for the UK in Washington already and they are absolutely adamant that he is not going to get this job."

Disclaimer - I'm not responsible for the grammar of the above quote.

[Who2]

Like them or hate them Trump is going to be President, so get used to it.
If he wants Farage, then it sounds like a clever move to appoint Farage.

If we want that so-called 'special relationship to continue, then shut it and eat humble pie.

Similar to the Brexit debacle, powerful men are trying to derail it but, the ministers over in Europe will probably just turn round and say
'You voted for it now 'p*ss-off. (Why should they stop 'ripping us off now ?)
Very spiteful those European Politicians, don't forget that....

[newcastle]

It sounds as if Trump doesn't actually know the role of an ambassador. Perhaps that's no surprise

They are not appointed simply at the behest of the foreign country in question.

Our US ambassador is the mouthpiece for our foreign policy, insofar as it concerns the US, and an earpiece as far as the US is concerned, so we're hardly likely to appoint someone so at loggerheads with our current government!

The role also requires a degree of "diplomacy" and it would be a bad idea to give the job to someone who can't open his mouth without inserting a foot into it.

If Trump was making the suggestion as a joke, it has fallen flat.

If he was serious...then it's both impertinent and a diplomatic gaffe . Probably the first of many.

[Horus]

If he was serious...then it's both impertinent and a diplomatic gaffe

A bit like Obama sticking his oar into the Brexit debate then?

[Dusak]

And now that the life imprisonment term imposed by the Egyptian courts has been lifted against former President Morsi, Trump could offer him the job looking after Arab affairs. Just to show the world that he isn't bias against Muslims.

[newcastle]

If he was serious...then it's both impertinent and a diplomatic gaffe

A bit like Obama sticking his oar into the Brexit debate then?

In a way....yes.

It's generally unwise to say anything sensitive ahead of another country's impending referendum/election. You're bound to upset one side or the other.

But you can see why Obama would have strong views, from the US perspective, on the decision about to be taken by UK.

Why Trump should think Farage would make a good UK Ambassador to USA is more puzzling

Surely he could find his new best friend a suitable position such as :

- Consultant on immigration ( he'll have something to say on a nation with over 40 million immigrants)
- Consultant on dealing with the muslim/terrorist 'threat'
- Consultant on how to fix advantageous trade deals with anyone & everyone ( simple ...according to our Nigel)

[newcastle]

And now that the life imprisonment term imposed by the Egyptian courts has been lifted against former President Morsi, Trump could offer him the job looking after Arab affairs. Just to show the world that he isn't bias against Muslims.

A retrial has been ordered on some of the charges against Morsi.

But he's still facing 20+ years on several others on which his conviction stands.

He isn't going to be available any time soon

[carrie]

There's a saying here in Egypt.. you are known by the company you keep...Donald and Nigel are good company for each other.
They can form their own little mutual admiration society.

[Dusak]

Pity that Zooropa seems to have gone West, he would, I quite certain, have an interesting slant on such a partnership.

[HEPZIBAH]

There's a saying here in Egypt.. you are known by the company you keep...Donald and Nigel are good company for each other.
They can form their own little mutual admiration society.

Whether they would be good company for the rest of the world is another matter!

[newcastle]

Farage is an irrelevance, particularly as far as America is concerned.

He's had his fifteen minutes of fame and can be left to fade into obscurity.

Trump - and I still find this difficult to say - is beginning to grow on me. There are signs that the gruesome rhetoric of his campaign, ruthlessly inflated by a largely antagonistic media, may not translate to his actions when in power.

It's early days but I see encouraging signs in some of the appointments made to his team. Although Obama seemed a nice enough guy, he always struck me as a bit 'wishy-washy' with regards to getting things done.

That seems likely to change!

[Zooropa]

Sorry that im late to the party on this.

The OP Is sadly, but predictably, depressing, given the poster it gives me no pleasure to realise its just another, hateful, sad and dellusional post by a Remoaner who isnt prepared to accept the leave vote and is engaging in identity politics playing the man not the ball and is also engaged in extreme virtue signalling.

Unfortunately, and i say again, given the poster it gives me no pleasure in stating at least as far as im concerned, i find Newcastle increasingly irrelevant on this issue because of his inability to remain objective.

Whether Newcastle and the rest of the wets like it or not its actually quite useful to have a person in this job who the president likes, and what is more, Farage is extremely popular in America even if Newcastle doesn't like him.

A previous Tory government would have done whats right over and above any personal feelings, you would have thought May would have liked Farage given he is the only reason shes in number ten, go figure.

Personally i like Farage because he got rid of a socialist in Tory clothing by forcing Cameron out.

When Newcastle talks about "we Brits" he presumes to speak for 60 million people, of course thats not arrogant is it?

Personally i had no dog in the fight in the US election, both candidates for different reasons were unsuitable in my view but as Trump got the gig it strikes me as sensible to put a man in this role who is liked.

If the current guy is doing such a good job then how come the current president was prepared to put its longest and strongest ally at the "back of the line" when it comes to a trade deal?

Good diplomacy from our guy that was, not.

[Horus]

I tend to agree with what you are saying, certainly in the past few years we have not had an American president who has shown much interest in the UK and his interference in the UK referendum was purely in his own self interest and that of America. So to dismiss Nigel Farage, a businessman who has the ear of the next American President is plain stupid. He certainly had the ability to choose the right horse in the race and gave him his own support even when Trump was the underdog. Anyone who has been in business and especially if that business relies on contacts to get you in with a chance to quote in the first place will have had to deal with and even take out to lunch people they do not really like. It is called using your contacts and it is the way business gets done both here and all over the world, contacts and people in position can and do help you out when you ask them to or at least put you in a favourable position and to me Farage has such a relationship with Trump. Trump is a businessman and he knows when he owes someone a favour and as the Brexit negotiations begin he could well persuade Trump to announce some sort of trade deal with the USA that would help our negotiating position with the EU, so it would be foolish to dismiss him.

Trump may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but we deal with some pretty unsavoury characters as it is and a good few reside in the Middle East, no one can deny that with Farage you get what you see and unlike most politicians he has not changed his tune over the years. I would rather sit in a pub having a pint with him than any of the other public school educated career politicians that I can think of. Everyone is prepared to discuss the Scottish referendum result and use it as reason to debate it further quoting 4 million voters, yet a similar number of votes were cast for UKIP in the last election, but their views are dismissed as irrelevant, Scottish voters get fifty MP’s in parliament and UKIP get one. The irony is that the remoaners will say “yes but we don’t have proportional representation, we have first past the post” that is until we have a referendum then they want the views of the minority to be given more prominence than would have happened had it been a general election.

[newcastle]

Farage certainly does have his own take on things....although this is not, perhaps, what you want from a post representing the position of the UK government.

I thought he was all for "getting our country back"?

Allowing a foreign country to have a say in the choice of ambassador seems an odd way of going about it.

All very academic.

Probably a day on which Trump was fishing for controversial tweets

P.S. can we have Hilary Clinton as US ambassador to UK?

[Horus]

Remember Newcastle that it would not be the first time that sort request was made from an American President and if I remeber correctly it was Harold Wilson who granted it?

[newcastle]

I don't know whom you're referring to but it was presumably a name acceptable to the PM.

Only an egotist/fantasist of the dimensions of Trump would seriously think Farage would be acceptable.

Just another mischievous aside as likely as not. He may have been thinking of the US tendency to give ambassadorial postions as prizes to campaign supporters and fund-raisers

[Horus]

He may have been thinking of the US tendency to give ambassadorial postions as prizes to campaign supporters and fund-raisers

Not unlike the way they fiil our House of Lords then

[newcastle]

Quite.

Actually, I'd have no objection to Farage being appointed as ambassador to somewhere innocuous.

Saudi Arabia springs to mind.

[Horus]

I don't know whom you're referring to but it was presumably a name acceptable to the PM

His name was David Ormsby-Gore (later Lord Harlech) who had been a close family friend of JFK’s from the time when his father Joseph Kennedy was U.S. ambassador in London in the late Thirties.
As a Tory MP and junior Foreign Office Minister under Anthony Eden in the Fifties, Ormsby-Gore kept his friendships with JFK and his wife Jackie and brother Bobby in good repair throughout the 1960 election campaign, a bit like our Nigel then

Shortly after Kennedy’s victory over Nixon one of his earliest diplomatic moves was to ask Prime Minister Harold Macmillan (via the back channel of their mutual relative by marriage the Duchess of Devonshire) if Ormsby-Gore could be made British ambassador to Washington, this request was granted. The appointment was an immense success and Ormsby-Gore became almost a resident in the White House, a family friend with access far beyond the reach of an official diplomat.

So there you are, it pays to have friends in high places and we should not scoff at the idea of an American president making such a request, it has all happened before.