Modern political leadership: building bridges to … bridges

The blog Irish Savant has had it with the president of Ireland, Mary McCaleese, who has occupied that post for over nine years, traveling around the world giving variations of the same inane “building bridges” speech over and over (see the photo of her at the Irish Savant wearing the standard female professional gear of our time, blazer over a low cut blouse). He writes:

Having noted that every speech, no matter where or to whom, regurgitates exactly the same message, we have, in the interests of saving costs, and getting rid of a few dozen of her speech writers, drawn up our own multi-purpose speech. This will apply in any country, from Pakistan to Paraguay, from Canada to Cameroon, and for any occasion.

Here it is Savant’s all-purpose speech for President McCaleese:

This is a historic day in my life, and a wonderful privilege for me to represent my country before the proud people of Bangawandistan. We Irish have an extraordinarily deep relationship with the people of Bangawandistan. It embraces many stories of heartache and courage, of heroism and achievement. We are privileged to share with you this very special experience, with its vitality and variety and its huge passion for one another’s culture. Today, we thank God for the gift of being connected, of staying connected, different peoples, but really as one.

Our long-standing relationship immensely enriches both peoples. It entertains and uplifts, inspires and provokes. And why not? The sea/mountains/rivers/lakes [choose as appropriate] between us are a bridge, not a barrier, to peoples who share so much. And what do we share? First, a formidable cultural heritage [Note: not suitable for Australia]. Our two peoples share a love for art, poetry, song, dance and literature. We also share a deep love of sport, where participation, not winning, is all.

More notable still is the world-renowned reputation for hospitality and generosity enjoyed by our countries, where strangers become friends, differences are celebrated and cultural curiosity becomes the bridge to shared citizenship – a citizenship which has always been wide open and all embracing. At our core we are sharing peoples. Selfishness has never been our creed.

Commitment to the welfare of each other has fired generations of voluntary organisations and a network of everyday neighborliness which weaves together the caring fabric of our respective countries and has made them a refuge for the hurt and dispossessed of other troubled places. In both countries, over many generations there have been very special sources of inspiration. Outstanding politicians, public servants, voluntary workers, clergy of all denominations (but especially Catholic), teachers and particularly parents have through hard and difficult times worked and sacrificed so that our children – and our children’s children—could blossom to their fullest potential.

So in many ways I see the people of Bangawandistan as a crucial part of our global Irish family. The differences which separate us fade into insignificance as the bond of our common humanity forges friendships as intense as love can make them. Yet, both countries know only too well the cruelty and capriciousness of violent conflict. Who can forget, for instance, the way those black Protestant bastards ran me out of my home in the Six Counties all these years ago? Yet we also have a store of shared happy memories which are the bastion against distrust and enmity—a considerable store of great memories, of triumphs and disappointments, of courage and commitment, of hopes and ambitions.

Both peoples can therefore look with satisfaction at what they have achieved…. Our aspiration as proud nations is to be truly inclusive societies, comfortable with differences of faith, culture, ethnicity and colour: It is to reveal the heart we have and the wide support in our countries for the creation of a society of respected equals, enriched with open-mindedness and joyful curiosity about the “otherness” of others. These are the traits we encourage in our children—and in our children’s children….

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A correspondent to whom I sent the speech, saying I couldn’t stop laughing as I read it, replied:

I agree that speech is brilliant, a gem.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at February 18, 2007 08:28 PM | Send