Making Plans For Nigel

Donald Trump offered his latest pick for a top diplomatic post, but it wasn't an American one.  He suggested that United Kingdom Independence Party leader Nigel Farage - who champion the British departure form the European Union and campaigned for Trump in the presidential election - be appointed the British ambassador to the United States.  

Except for one thing - Farage has no diplomatic experiences whatsoever. His only qualification for the job, apparently, is that he knows and likes Donald Trump.

American Presidents of both parties have a tradition of choosing cronies and campaign contributors for ambassadorial posts, and sometimes even actors - Shirley Temple as Nixon's and Ford's ambassador to Ghana, John Gavin as Reagan's ambassador to Mexico - so from Trump's perspective, it makes sense for the British to appoint Farage.  But unlike us silly and stupid Americans, the British - and the people of other European countries - tend to appoint seasoned career diplomats for such posts.  And Her Majesty's Government has made it clear that Kim Darroch, the current British ambassador to the United States, is staying in that post.

I'm sure Donald Trump will say that if the British want Kim Darroch to stay in Washington, he'll be fine with that and hopes to have a good relationship with her.  Then he'll find out that Kim Darroch is a man.  Kim is, in fact, his middle name.  His first name is . . . Nigel.

I think ambassadorial posts to the United States are going to be the short straw picked by foreign diplomats who would have preferred Canberra.