Author Archive: Bill Black

Edinburgh Discussion

I would like to relay what was probably the funniest moment of the evening during the discussion in Edinburgh. It was during the question period after the opening remarks.

A questioner asked where to get information beyond the mainstream media if someone wanted to be deeply informed. I explained that I get much good information from blogs and there are blogs on both sides of the aisle that I would recommend.

I said, “My favorite blogger is Andrew Sullivan who is interesting because he’s a gay Republican Catholic who is head over heels for Obama.”

Sir Christopher leaned into his microphone and said deadpan in a stage whisper, “So to speak…”

The audience erupted and I turned red.

Inside Sarah Palin’s Brain

Click on the picture to enlarge it and take the time to follow the whole chart. Hilarious.

Thanks to Aden Renkie.

Edinburgh Discusion of the American Elections

A discussion on the U.S. Presidential debate, hosted by the Fleishman Hillard Edinburgh office, was held last Wednesday evening in the stunning Signet Library in Parliament Square in Edinburgh. It was a lively affair due mostly to Sir Christopher Meyer, former British Ambassador to the United States and a member of the International Advisory Board. His witty observations and telling anecdotes delighted the crowd. I did my part as the American politico, assuring the audience that Fleishman Hillard was completely non-partisan, in case my personal Obama sympathies peeked through.

The panel was chaired by The Right Honorable George Reid, a very proper Scotsman right out of central casting. You can hear him at the beginning of the video. A fascinating man who served in the Scottish National Parliament, among many, many other things.

My favorite question noted that many Americans were unschooled in international affairs, even though the entire world had such heavy stakes in this election. “We feel like we’re on a roller coaster, run by the Americans, and they don’t even know we’re aboard!”

Thank you to Michael Stanton-Geddes, budding cinematographer and currently serving in the FH Brussels office, for the following brief snatches from the event. It’s about 5 minutes long.

Edinburgh Castle

I’m about to hop a plane, so I don’t have time to elaborate, but here’s a little slide show of my visit to Ediburgh Castle. Details to follow.

Not Like Those Americans!

Conservative Party Leader David Cameron made brief unscheduled remarks to the conference today to comment on the financial situation. Very moderate tone, even statesmanlike. But, twice during the speech he vowed not to be like those Americans with all their partisan wrangling.

There I sat in the audience slumped in my chair with head bowed in shame, an real life example of bad political behavior.

Change!

Well, whaddya know? Change is the mantra here, too. Except they have a “plan” for change.

I went to a so-called “fringe” event today where a panel discussed what policies needed to go into a conservative “manifesto” for the next election. Funny how political debates with British accents sound so elevated. Still, the discussion confirmed what we know, which is that the British Conservatives are more like American moderate Republicans. I think our mainstream Republicans would be considered religious kooks over here.

Opus Restaurant

I had a delightful dinner at Opus Restaurant in Birmingham. It was clearly the hot spot for the evening. I was joined by Ben Thornton and Scott Dodsworth from the FH London office. At the next table was Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, who gave a firey speech a the convention earlier in the day. He mocked Gordon Brown over his economic policies, which are showing the same signs as the banking collapse in the U.S.

The conversation at our table was lively. We concluded that Western civilization is doomed. Time to learn Mandarin.

At The British Conservative Conference

I’m blogging from inside the Annual British Conservative Conference. Conservatives here are very different from American conservatives. The best evidence is that there are booths for the British Humanist Society and the British Secular Society, both commited to advance the cause of non-religious people in England. Such booths at a Republican meeting in the U.S. would probably invite prayer vigils for the souls of the damned individuals working at them.

In fairness, you wouldn’t see such booths at a Democratic meeting either. Here in Europe, the Enlightenment goes on, much to the frustration of Pope Benedict.

Birmingham, England

I have just arrived in Birmingham, England for the Conservative Party Conference. Here’s a shot from my hotel, the Radisson. Guess what? They are going through exactly the same financial crisis we are facing, except that here it’s the conservatives attacking labour in the same way Democrats are attacking Republicans in the U.S.

My driver here was a big Labour supporter from Nigeria. He had the convention on the radio and we were listening to a speech by the shadow chancellor of the exchequer, George Osborne, and was shouting at it. “The Tories are heartless!!” he shouted.

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