In the adjacent post we can view Melanie Philllips speaking recently on Sky News Australia’s The Outiders. At her Substack site, Phillips draws attention to a story in Britain’s Telegraph reporting a celebration that we might otherwise have missed. Phillips introduces the story:
Shortly before the war, just weeks after the Iranian regime massacred thousands of its own people protesting at its tyranny — with the streets of Tehran reportedly running red with the blood of those who were ruthlessly gunned down by the regime’s security goons — staff of Britain’s Foreign Office actually attended a party at the Iranian embassy in London to celebrate the revolution that had brought these monsters to power in 1979.
She then quotes the Telegraph story:
As smartly dressed guests, including UK civil servants, gathered at the London event, embassy officials hailed Iran’s “remarkable accomplishments” in spite of “unjust” Western sanctions. Video footage shows attendees standing in silence for a rendition of Iran’s national anthem…
Seyed Ali Mousavi, Iran’s ambassador to the UK, gave a speech praising the Iranian regime and attacking Western sanctions on Tehran. “For nearly half a century, Iran has faced relentless pressure; from the eight-year imposed war and severe sanctions to acts of sabotage and terrorism,” he said.“Nevertheless, by relying on domestic capabilities, national cohesion and empowered human resources, it has achieved significant progress.”…
A large banner can be seen adorned with pictures of Ali Khamenei, the former Iranian supreme leader who was later killed by US-Israeli strikes, and Ruhollah Khomeini, his predecessor…The attendance of Foreign Office staff at the embassy event, as well as unnamed “representatives” from the UK Parliament, was hailed by Iranian state media. It is not known how many government officials took part.
News of the party prompted a column by Edmund Fitton-Brown (pictured in the thumbnail photo on the home page), a former UK ambassador to Yemen and who was a British diplomat from 1984 to 2017. Fitton-Brown’s column is published below the Telegraph story “Islamist ideology rife within Civil Service, says ex-ambassador.” Phillips quotes Fitton-Brown’s Telegraph column as well:
That officials thought it appropriate to celebrate the Iranian Islamic revolution speaks volumes about the strange topsy-turvy morality of the Foreign Office, an institution increasingly unsure who Britain’s friends and enemies actually are…
Israel is treated with a forensic level of scrutiny that few other states receive, while the behaviour of its adversaries is frequently contextualised, rationalised, excused or ignored. Take the long list of recently retired senior Foreign Office signatories to a letter last year, calling for the immediate recognition of a Palestinian state, in the face of strenuous US objections. Or the official advice blowing hot and cold over Britain’s involvement in the current conflict with Iran…
Two decades on from Blair/Bush, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that another factor has grown in importance: Islamist entryism not just in the Foreign Office but also throughout the Civil Service and a range of other professions. We have seen a steady reframing of debates, including in the sphere of national security. Allies portrayed as the problem, adversaries become misunderstood actors with legitimate grievances. Hate marches for Hamas and the Houthis show that inversion in society and the Civil Service reflects society. Over time, that inversion produces exactly the kind of misjudgment we saw this week.
The Islamic Republic has been waging undeclared war on the West for nearly 47 years, promoting a “Death to America” message that applies equally to the Little Satan, the UK. Iran still refuses to withdraw the fatwa against Salman Rushdie, issued by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989 and reaffirmed repeatedly since. That decree called for the murder of a British citizen for the crime of writing a novel – and very nearly killed him in 2022. Until it is formally rescinded, the idea that relations with Tehran can ever be described as friendly is fanciful. A government that still sanctions the killing of writers should not expect to party with British officials…
It is mystifying that Sir Keir Starmer, having promised in opposition to proscribe the IRGC, still hasn’t done it, even after the EU has. We have had many recent terror plots in the UK, often against Jewish targets, and often sponsored by Iran. Who exactly needs to get killed before we take decisive action?
Foreign policy begins with moral clarity. If we cannot even decide whether celebrating the birth of the Islamic Republic is appropriate for British officials, then it is little wonder that our position in the Middle East increasingly resembles that of a country sitting nervously on the fence, hoping the conflict will pass us by while our influence quietly ebbs away.
Phillips herself comments: “This rare lifting of the curtain to reveal the moral squalor of Britain’s foreign policy establishment, civil service and wider society that is destroying the UK’s position in the world makes Fitton-Brown’s article exceptionally important. Apart from an item on GB News, however, no other media outlet has yet seen fit even to mention it.”
