Hague is an administrative revolutionary, not the second Canning

charles hercock

He has lost his edge.His recent radio broadcasts have been lacklustre.Let us get back to the old fire in belly Will Hague.Then the new allies will queue to be entertained

Austin Barry

".. aid is expression of British citizens’ generosity .."

No, it's an expression of politicians' misguided largesse with our money....

Cuffleyburgers

I imagine that successful foreign policy is not like driving a dodgem and rather more a question of relatively subtle tweaking of emphasis.

For instance there is no point to my mind in going to Brussels with all guns blazing and swinging handbags. There needs to absolute firmness though when the foreign johnnies mess around with our sovereignty and our city.

Hague and Cameron are still being floppy - no need for raised voices, as largest or second largest net contributor carry a big stick - they must not be afraid to threaten to wield it or indeed actually to wield it.

Hugh Downman

Admittedly I say this as a Labour voter, but I do wonder when the penny will drop and Conservatives will come to recognise the very ordinary talent that is William Hague (after-dinner speaking apart).

I am still amazed that he was allowed to run such an ill-judged campaign at the 2001 election. The issue is not whether one believes we should have gone into the Euro - actually he was probably right about that - but that he focused the whole election on a narrow bid to 'save the pound', union jacks and all, when time and again voters at general elections have shown they are little concerned with Europe. General elections are a political party's (& esp opposition's) great moment to seize the country's mood and I always feel that Hague squandered his opportunity cheaply by

More recently, the furore over Lord Ashcroft's tax status reminded me of Hague's disastrous term as Tory leader. Given the continuing questions about Lord Ashcroft's status throughout the 2000s, how on earth can William Hague not have checked up on him? Surely he (or at least someone senior in the party) must have felt it was their duty to be informed about the facts of his tax status - if for no other reason than that (though it didn't turn out this way) the facts might've provided them with a better means of rebutting the constant media questions, given that the Tories' non-answers were only fuelling speculation about the situation.

perdix

I thought it interesting that Lord Malloch-Brown who worked for Gordon at the FCO said on Newsnight that Hague said nothing that D Milliband had not said. Yet DM called Hague's speech rubbish!

Bill Rees

Why does Hague have a reputation as a heavyweight?
What has he ever said or done that was noteworthy?
His leadership of the Tories was embarrassing, other than sometimes when he was facing Blair in PMQ, and even then he rarely beat Blair to the punch.
He looks to me like a politician who has been over-promoted.

In2minds

Hague said - "European alliances would rest on co-operation not coercion".

But will anyone believe him?

TomTom

Hugh Downman you make very valid points. Hague is totally overrated. He is a man too close to the smell of money and I was astounded that Blair did not give him some honour for the 2001 Election. It was an insult to Conservative activists and Hague has had a long run with modest talents; his politics got him the McKinsey INSEAD Scholarship; and his politics saw McKInsey assign him as a SpAD to Geoffrey Howe while on McKinsey payroll.

Naomi Muse

Don't forget he only started tweeting just before the election, so he's a bit out of date.

Clear as Mud

I think something has happened in the Hague inner life at some point in the last few years. For some time he has looked and sounded like someone whose balls are in someone elses vice.

paulg

That was a good speech that laid out a strategic vision of Britains role in the world.

It identified what are strengths are and identified how we can maximise them.

Britain can play an active and full role in shaping the modern world and our values are the values that humanity needs if it is ever to progress. We should never be ashamed of them.

This is where politicians need to be on the front foot as the clowns who inhabit the FCO won't have a clue on seizing the initiative and pressing home the advantage.

Fortune favours the brave and we must look outwards to a world that still remember the British as friends.

Rush-is-Right

"His eloquence escaped him and he sounded like David Miliband - earnest, conscientious and often unintelligible."

That's because it was written by the same FCO functionary that wrote Millipede's.

Jez

He uses elder statesman like eloquence whilst polishing this turd.

Well done William.