A motto often quoted by hardened journalists is “never let the facts get in the way of a good story”…usually as a warning to callow enthusiastic young pups tempted to exaggerate.
But politicians rush in where journalists fear to tread. No one more enthusiastic than Alex Salmond, the First Minister of Scotland who told an amazed audience that no less a person than Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations had written to him asking to be allowed to come to Scotland to make a speech in honour of the poet Robert Burns as part of the Scottish Executive’s tourism campaign, called Homecoming.
Beaming with pride, Mr Salmond said “It’s a sign, a symbol, of the power of Robert Burns that the former Secretary-General of the United Nations actually writes to offer a lecture as a contribution to our Year of Homecoming.” But none of it was true. Kofi Annan actually wrote regretting that he would not be able to come to Scotland for the Homecoming celebrations, but would be giving a speech in Scotland on the economy later in the year and was looking forward to that. The First Minister was happy to seize on the phrase “I would like to travel to Scotland to deliver a speech later in the year” as hard evidence that the great man was an ardent fan of Burn’s broad Scots poetry.
Anyway it’s hardly a diplomatic blunder is it? After all, Kofi Anan’s office merely issued a statement to the media saying: ““There has been some misinformation and Mr Annan would appreciate a correction. We are irritated by this.” Jings!
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