Wring (hands) immediately and rinse out later

'It was hostile and illegal activity, by
the US, directed against the EU'

Former taoiseach John Bruton's castigation of Washington in The Irish Times over alleged spying on the European Union is, on the face of it, surprising but also an admission about political news management. 

Bruton is the EU's former ambassador to the US and chair of the Financial Services Body at the IFSC - an organisation which represents the interests of many of the US's biggest finance houses, so it may appear surprising that he would take such a strong line.

During the Iraq War, we were constantly told by the FF-led government that a failure to co-operate with the Washington would offend US corporations and lead to lower levels of Foreign Direct Investment from that quarter.


So it is surprising that someone of his political persuasion  and connectedness should lash out. And it is amazing that someone of his institutionalisation is in effect supporting Snowden - a man who revealed national security secrets.

However, despite the initial appearance, one of the purposes of Bruton's article is to protect commercial interests - which is his job. He says the EU's reaction to Snowden's claims should not be the suspension of EU-US trade negotiations advocated by some MEPs and others.

Bruton writes: "Instead, the EU should adopt a twin-track approach. It should continue with the trade and investment negotiations, as if nothing had happened. But, simultaneously and separately, the EU and its member states should follow the example set by the United States itself in 1980, and take a case in regard to these allegations of breaches of the Vienna Convention, to the International Court of Justice in the Hague."

Seems like a good idea. Despite what idealists might advocate, suspending the negotiations would only be cutting off our nose to spite our face.

But Bruton also reveals a secret about political news management here. He says the issue cannot be, "emoted about in the short term, and then later brushed aside".

Here we see a side to the communications tactics of high-level politicians not normally admitted to. When a difficult political issue excites strong public reaction wring (hands) immediately and rinse out later

And while appearing - in this instance - to decry such an approach, his solution is in effect the adoption of it. How long would it take to investigate and prepare a case and have it heard? A long time is the simple answer.

However, this is where the clash between public demands and diplomatic necessities clash. Bruton could be accused of spin yet at the same time, he is advocating a plausible solution that serves the public interest.