Outstanding national and personal role models

Dear Tony

For us all, it must be about self-examination, self-criticism, giving credit where credit is due, making friends instead of enemies, walking in the other person's shoes and setting a fine example in our personal behaviour.  And exemplary behaviour at work, especially for the politicians and civil servants in the FCO and the MOD.  More people like Katharine Gun and Clive Ponting.

Above all, trying more successfully to achieve, especially in our foreign policy, that the ends never justify the means and trying for much, much less hypocrisy.  We need many more honourable people like Robin Cook, Lord Hunt and John Denham in 2003.  And, the "122 Labour backbenchers, all of whom voted for a motion saying the case for war on Iraq was "not proven." " (Guardian)  Plus the two civil servants, years apart, who resigned on principle (the woman over Iraq) - Clive Ponting and Katharine Gun.

Gun was the British intelligence whistleblower in 2003 who revealed how the US/UK were planning to use underhand methods to ensure that the UN Security Council voted for the attack on Iraq.

Ponting sent a document to Labour MP, Tam Dalyell

The Nolan Principles and the Sermon on the Mount are also good starting points for a more professional and competent foreign policy!​

 How the Nolan Principles are applied by the WMCA

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Tim