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Deep in the bowels of the Southern Europe Department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, a junior member of staff has been asked to start thinking about themes and possible visits for the visit of the Pope. remember: this visit is a State Visit and not (just) a pastoral visit by the Pope to British Catholics.
Once upon a time, this would have produced a series of considered options which would have found their way to the Department Head; he would have selected the most promising, and a submission would flow up the system until it reached the Secretary of State in a final form for him to approve.
What has happened here is that some junior members of staff have been daring (challenging, ironic, post-modern) and after a brainstorming session one has put up the sort of puerile tripe you might get from a sixth-form revue in a progressive Comprehensive, and this has been leaked.
This isn't about the Pope's visit at all, and the Ambassador to the Holy See's apology will put an end to the diplomatic difficulties.
The question is what this says about the judgement of those being recruited as the next generation of British diplomats and what it says about FCO's recruitment priorities.
Have a look here at the list of Foreign Secretaries since the Foreign and Commonwealth Office was established in 1968, and see if you can work out when the rot might have set in.
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2 comments:
8 April 1976
Slight lull thereafter, then it gets really nasty after 1997.
Why is there picture of the deputy head boy of a minor public school (probably captain of the 'Top Of The Form' Quiz Team) at the bottom?
Tell you what TTony
Would that twere a closer hit.
I mean, Were it a spoof on the sorter public "catholic" as ends up as deputy director or similar of institutions with "catholic" in the name, it'd have a bit of bite.
Flashback
Twas a compliment to rank-and file catholics that we shoulda bin mocked in MOnty Python
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-L3JMk7C1A&feature=related
Because every sperm IS sacred -the majority for unitive purposes in the sacrament of marriage, and tis 4 god to decide which goes where-
And in my yuf I heard -MANY TIMES- justabt word for word the protestant speech at the end.
Only they left out the 50%prison population catholic.
I'd be proud - tho persecution hurts- to be thusly mocked anew.
How was it in Dmascus?
"You must be oner these joes rabbitting on about the gibbetted guy with the grease all over ha! ha! hA!"
"¡Right on,You wanna call me christian? Well, so I am y a mucha Honra!"
Coulda been like that? Or was it just nonchristians using a polite monicker?
I mean, How can they mock us bitingly today, how can you mock
a loader cumfy softies that get "concerned" abt things like cruelty in thirdworld fishfarms?
irrelevant ps:
M.python set cathoics in Yorkshire, no skin off my nose but obviously intended to annoy someone or other?
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