Nicolas Sarkozy saves Gordon Brown from potential clanger
Oops. As EU leaders filed into a press conference at the Elysee Palace, Gordon Brown nearly made one of the oldest and most amusing mistakes in the book.
He kept on chatting as if privately to his fellow European leaders even though he was sitting down at a table where the mikes had been switched on and hooked up to a sound system playing into the ears of about two hundred journalists through interpreters’ headphones.
It is a system which has embarrassed many a world leader. Remember President Bush shouting “Yo Blair!” to the former Prime Minister at a similar event, not realising he was on a live mike?
Well, Mr Brown was lucky. Unaware that the hoards of journalists in front of him were listening through their headsets, he started joking to the French President Nicolas Sarkozy about the fact that the front row of hacks were seated at tables.
“We don’t give our press desks for our press conferences,” he laughed. And he might have gone further, but for Mr Sarkozy who gallantly stepped in to save him. “Be careful,” Mr Sarkozy was heard saying, as he pointed to the mikes to show they were live.
Ah, we can only dream of what we might have learned.
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COMMENTS
Maybe what else ‘We’ ‘give’ the rest of the population of the UK?
Or, more likely, from a secure, well, comfortable, well, financially-assured position, what ‘he’ won’t be giving…
Maybe M. Sarkozy can also try and save him from the consequences of that mindset too.
Obviously Mr Sarkozy has not only his eyes on the mikes. He seems to have his eyes on almost everything. Maybe it was better for him to remember the words of the former French PM Pierre Mendes-France. He once said: “Gouverner, c’est choisir”. What he meant was this: In government politicians have to concentrate on a limited number of really important issues in order to achieve real progress. Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem to be Mr Sarkozy’s political philosophy.
For all his ‘experience’Brown blunders around like a self-regarding goon – what could he possibly have in common with Sarkozy whoonly recently comprehensively trashed Mandelson’s inept handling of the defunct Trade agreement?
Gordon Buffoon.
Man of action, not PR flunky, like the other one, Pinnochio . . ? No Cameroon I think he is called . . .
Cyclops…“….started joking”
The Prime Mentalist IS the joke.
Barren Liar – ‘man of action’? Who – McCavity McDoom? – you are joking too.
What country have you got me living in today Mr Mendacity?
Melissa, this prime ministerial remark is to be treasured as a contibution to the ‘Wit and Wisdom of Gordon Brown’ Chap. 3 – ‘Oh What Larks! Tables and other objects of fun’ (Little Brown, £29.50p, 5pp)
Well Ms Hiazza,are you seriously suggesting that McTurpin is capable of making a joke?Och away and shite.
That was his attempt at casual,like, Britain’s in tatters but see how cool and un-worried am I.
The mans an idiot,wonder if it’s snot his diet.
I’ve dug up root vegetables more capable of humour, and more suitable for high office, than Brown Shorts. King Canute was better than this chump.
DOG’S STICKLER
Sebber, it’s ‘King M’Cnut’, the well-known Norse typing error.
http://www.channel4.com/history/...
President Bush didn’t say “Yo, Blair”. He said “Yeah, Blair”. Listen to it again.
Actually I have it on the very best authority that what Predient Bush actually said was ‘Yogi Bear’, convinced that the cuddly, beaming creature he could see before him, dipping his spoon so greedily into the honey pot, was none other than that loveable cartoon character.
President, doh.
Blair compounded the illusion by replying: ‘Hello Mr Ranger, sir!’
JohnT – the trouble is he was not as smart as de average bear – or even Boo-Boo!!
“Cnut seems to have been a relatively peaceable and wise ruler.”
It sounds like the comparison doesn’t stand up to scrutiny, except as a typo.