Gaddafi's speech: Provocative and colourful
Perhaps Gordon Brown didn't have to worry.
Colonel Gaddafi's speech was certainly provocative. It was predictably colourful. It was unsurprisingly rambling.
However, it was, in essence, a passionate plea for the rights of smaller nations and an attack on the dominance of the UN by the big nuclear states.
Gaddafi dubbed the UN Security Council "the terror council" whereas the General Assembly was, he claimed, the parliament of the world whose views were simply ignored and over-ridden. The 190 nations were, he said, like those who headed to Hyde Park Corner to deliver a speech and then disappeared having been ignored.
Gaddafi's worst diplomatic crime (so far - he's been going 50 minutes already) has been to praise President Obama as a "son of Africa" and a "great thing" which will delight Obama's enemies at a time when they will have been provoked by his promise to work with the United Nations, to cut the US nuclear arsenal, to pressurise Israel and to combat climate change.
Comment number 1.
At 23rd Sep 2009, StrongholdBarricades wrote:Can we have the full transcript Nick so we can make our own minds up?
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Comment number 2.
At 23rd Sep 2009, sircomespect wrote:Oh I still think Gordon Brown should worry - I don't think many of us will forget in a hurry how he sold out the people of this country.
Maybe he could get a job next year as Gaddafi's tent erector. He certainly knows how to pull strings to get what he wants.
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Comment number 3.
At 23rd Sep 2009, ghostofsichuan wrote:Other than state-sponsored terrorism, he is a small player in a big world. I guess after the terrorist for oil trade he is feeling important. Someone had to provide the entertainment to attract the media. Best to just ignore him.
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Comment number 4.
At 23rd Sep 2009, excellentcatblogger wrote:Calling Obama "a son of Africa" will endear him to elements of the Republican party in the US who have been trying to prove exactly that, as Presidents must be born in the USA.
Nick, any comment on the Glorious Leader's performance on the Simon Mayo show on radio 5dead? A couple of times even Mayo gasped at some of the responses - at the end it was back to the now discredited labour investments vs Tory cuts jibes. It was like a really bad PMQ's session.
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