The special relationship and Downing Street
From the Telegraph:
One British diplomat said: "'Special relationship' is just not a term we use any more. It is seen as a bit old hat and parochial. That feeling has grown considerably since Brown took over... A second British official said that the term "special relationship" has been branded unhelpful because it "creates expectations by the public and the press" that cannot be met. He said: "People ask: 'Well, what do we get for it?'" That issue has been particularly sensitive following criticism of Tony Blair for failing to win more favours from George W Bush in exchange for supporting the Iraq War.None of this should come as a surprise, given the way American diplomacy has gone off the rails. I just hope the blowhards in the comments section of Centre Right aren't typical of US public opinion. (Sadly, they are fairly representative of the conservative blogosphere.) As one puts it:
This is inevitable, since Britain is more America's enemy than friend. Britain is filled with jihadi nutcases and lunatics, who plan to attack America from Britain. Britain is a post-Christian, pre-Sharia country that is in transition to being ruled by Muslims.[Photo: Cate Gillon/Getty images]