Lord Botham - Trade Envoy

[Petrus1983]

I’m just not linking the pieces here - we had the UK government decided an ex- cricketer is the right person to be our trade envoy to Australia?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3j3z7j2zdeo

[anonymous-user]

Looks like a good move. The Aussies loved beefy and his have a go attitude. Presumably there will be other people experienced in negotiating trade deals and his presence will largely be about publicity, promoting the U.K. and general entertainment.

[Countdown]

It's pure PR spin. I doubt Botham knows much if anything about international trade, tariffs, imports/exports, balance of payments or WTO rules but it's a useful distraction from the constantly running conveyor belt of fkups.

[Randy Winkman]

He likes shooting things which means he provides some value to the government in the Telegraph's pages.

[APontus]

Botham Nov 2020: I “will be at Westminster more often when we get back to normal, especially when they are debating something I know about – like sport or the countryside. Not much point if it’s a trade deal with Japan”

...

[juice]

He's basically going to flog them a load of foot massagers..

[bitchstewie]

I thought it was a practical joke at first. It really is getting harder to tell these days.

Liz Truss appoints Rastamouse as trade envoy to the Caribbean

[valiant]

Exporting beef to Aus.

Brexit win?

[Petrus1983]

I’m guessing you get lots of free first class flights to Australia if you’re the Australian envoy - handy when you own a vineyard out there then!

[Wills2]

bhstewie said:

I thought it was a practical joke at first. It really is getting harder to tell these days.

Liz Truss appoints Rastamouse as trade envoy to the Caribbean

That's funny, made me chuckle.

[CzechItOut]

Is it any more ridiculous than appointing an ex-cricketer to a role where he is expected to scrutinise government regulations and legislation?

[horseshoecrab]

Just a bullst dead cat story to shift the news agenda off Raab as it has emerged that he refused to get one of 15 flights that could have brought him back from his holiday sooner.

[Matt80M]

Remember when he was "hacked" and tweeted a revolting picture of his twig and berries to the world?

What a prat.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

Pros: He knows more about international trade than Liz Truss
Cons: He knows next to nothing about international trade.

[Zoon]

Petrus1983 said:

I’m guessing you get lots of free first class flights to Australia if you’re the Australian envoy - handy when you own a vineyard out there then!

His daughter is the sales rep for them

[GetCarter]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

Pros: He knows more about international trade than Liz Truss
Cons: He knows next to nothing about international trade.

Next to nothing is a bit of an exaggeration methinks. He knows nothing. He's famous and a massive Brexiteer. A sure fit.

[Crosby99]

It's a bit of an embarrassment isn't it?
Sometimes the UK shoots itself in the foot by not being serious...

[nikaiyo2]

Crosby99 said:

It's a bit of an embarrassment isn't it?
Sometimes the UK shoots itself in the foot by not being serious...

Why?

Seems perfectly reasonable to me, someone with a profile, I would imagine having Botham "hosting" a dinner, having a bit of chat with the gathered business types would be quite well received. I could imagine a fair few Ozzy senior management types being happy enough to go to a dinner hosted by him.

Is that not what a trade envoy does, opens channels and facilitates negotiation by those who understand the detail?

[55palfers]

You never see any of these sorts of jobs advertised do you?

[GetCarter]

55palfers said:

You never see any of these sorts of jobs advertised do you?

Jobs for the boys. (No change there). Only difference is, the boys these days have to be the Brexit boys.