Years ago Michael Frayn wrote Noises Off, an especially hilarious farce in which the audience views a play as if they are sitting in the wings, seeing what goes on backstage. Looking at yesterday's Oval Office meeting, I felt as if I was watching the 21st century revamped version of Noises Off, played this time as tragedy, not farce.
As a result, while lots of people have been focussing ever since on what was said during yesterday's meeting, I've been stuck one degree back from the substance of the conversation/discussion/ disagreement/unedifying spectacle/whatever-you-want-to-call-it. The question that has obsessed me - and continues to do so - is why the meeting was held in public, under the media's gaze.
I vaguely remember reports of Biden having a blazing row with Zelensky at some point - but the news of that was only available because it was leaked; there were no pictures or film of the occasion. Who had the bright idea of conducting delicate international negotiations under a blaze of lights, with cameras recording everything? In what possible way was that ever going to be helpful?
I am truly baffled.
We will probably never know for sure Zoe, but the clever money is on the whole sorry tableau being set-up and stage-managed by the hosts - or their 'people'. Designed, of course, to make the only real man in the room look as small as possible and, fortunately, failing.
ReplyDeleteI'm not much of a conspiracy theorist. I only know this was a surprising and, I would say, misguided way to conduct things.
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