Congrats Keir Starmer

I was just thinking how Macron frequently uses soft power and symbolic gestures to foster goodwill with British prime ministers. Maybe in the hope of extracting more money from them, like the £661 given to him by Starmer for border security, for example. Or all the costs of the Bayeux Tapestry relocation paid for.

I wonder what the hugging and smiles for Andy Burnham will lead to.

£661 million, that is!

MartavTaurus

I admire Macron for many reasons.
Yet in the news today, there he is embracing and back slapping Andy Burnham just like, ^ a very reliable and friendly partner^, exactly as he did with Keir Starmer.
Now, I know the French are a tactile nation, but it gets a bit tiresome. How do we know who really is a friend or otherwise?

It’s called diplomacy I believe…

I've always thought a handshake sufficed myself. Personal embraces between leaders are presumably all about the optics, but a bit weird if you've never met the person before.
Just my opinion.

MartavTaurus

I was just thinking how Macron frequently uses soft power and symbolic gestures to foster goodwill with British prime ministers. Maybe in the hope of extracting more money from them, like the £661 given to him by Starmer for border security, for example. Or all the costs of the Bayeux Tapestry relocation paid for.

I wonder what the hugging and smiles for Andy Burnham will lead to.

Wouldn’t it be great if Burnham had the balls to stand up to Macron and say Starmer might have been happy to throw millions at France to sort out the migrant crisis but he’s a new broom and that will stop!

Well no, it would be disastrous if he did that, obviously. He is not a fool, neither is Macron, and excellent progress is being made on bringing migration under control. We must and will stay tight with France.