King of the Pygmies

On Channel 4 News tonight, Sir Christopher Meyer was a contributor on the steps necessary to resolve the overall problem in the Middle East.

In response to one of the other contributors who made the point that both Hamas and Hizbollah are dedicated to the destruction of Israel, Meyer made reference to the lessons learnt in the Northern Ireland peace process and pointed out that the constitution of the Republic of Ireland laid claim to the territory of Northern Ireland.

That Meyer saw this as being relevant to the situation in the Middle East shows a shallowness of thinking that is breath-taking. The Republic of Ireland never made, or even threatened, any effort by force to put that territorial claim into effect. The contrast with both the words and the actions of Israel’s neighbours could hardly be greater.

When this man was UK ambassador in Washington, there were clearly more pygmies running about than those identified in his memoirs!