Reporting News and Opinions
When Prime Minister Andy Burnham called for a cross-party "consensus" on social care, you could practically hear the collective sigh of relief from Westminster’s pundit class. “Ah, marvelous,” they purred. “The grown-ups are finally taking their seats.”
The flight from London had arrived. I was waiting for the Chief Judge of Kwara state. An elderly man wheezed past me imperiously like he owned Ottawa Airport. Like he personally appointed the Mayor of Ottawa. The unmistakable trade mark of the Nigerian. I was going to hail him and ask if he was my guest.
The prosecution says he cannot be trusted because he once faced disciplinary proceedings in another jurisdiction decades ago. Yet even if every fact of that matter is accepted, the question before this court remains simple: what relevance does an event from more than twenty years ago have to allegations made today?
Donald Trump’s return to the White House marked the triumph of image over expertise. Cabinet positions increasingly resembled casting decisions. Loyalty became more important than experience. Television skills became more valuable than administrative competence.
But wars are not graded like Olympic gymnastics. There are no medals for technical execution if the end result leaves your opponent intact, emboldened, or—worse—adapted.
