Let us pull ourselves together and hear it for good manners. Courtesy is the cement of democracy, the discipline of open debate. It enables strong government to remain at peace with dissent. A state visit is supposedly a marriage of pageantry and good manners. Let us keep it that way.Jenkins goes on to trace the roots and meaning of the ‘special relationship’ and he celebrates the ties that bind our two nations. At the same time, he criticizes the Bush visit and makes clear his opposition to US action in Iraq. I don’t share his views but I think it’s admirable that he’s able to express them in such a civilized fashion.
Unlike Harold Pinter, whose loutish senility is evident in this personal message to the president, published in yesterday's Guardian.
Dear President Bush,Charming.
I'm sure you'll be having a nice little tea party with your fellow war criminal, Tony Blair. Please wash the cucumber sandwiches down with a glass of blood, with my compliments.
