Bahrain’s internal coup, UK Ambassador, Iain Lindsay out of his depth

Bahrain’s internal coup, Iain Lindsay out of his depth
Dr Mike Diboll – 23 February, 2012

Two items from today’s English language propaganda sheet the Gulf Daily News. The first is today’s front page story, about spending cuts in Bahrain:

Gulf Daily Article

Unelected Khalifa Al Khalifa, at 41 years in office the world’s longest-serving prime minister, apparently “issued directives to downsize official delegations for events which do not require high-level participation”. The high-level meeting also “discussed Bahrain’s financial policies and the current fiscal situation” and “stressed the necessary to engage radical structural reforms….”

Not perhaps the most riveting story. However, I’m wondering exactly what public spending the PM might have his eye on. I suspect this spells the beginning of the end for the EDB, 2030, and the range of structures parallel to the official Bahrain state which the Crown Prince tried to erect to see through his reform agenda. Of course, nothing will can be seen to have failed or been wound down, I’m sure the 2030 institutions will continue to live on in the shadowland of websites, logos, and PR. But this is, I suspect, their death-knell as effective institutions. Ditto Gulf Air, which is disliked for sectarian reasons.

Thus, the hardliners’ internal coup against reform continues, a coup the beginning of which I witnessed during 2010. Who’s there too stop it? Certainly not Our Man in Manama Iain Lindsay, who seems to have confused his role as Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Bahrain with that of regime PR man. Lindsay’s eyes aren’t on the internal coup that’s currently doing so much harm to Bahrain, but on the regime’s fantasy coup, you know, Bahrain-is-not-part-of-the-Arab-Spring-it’s-all-an-Iranian-backed-coup-against-a-pro-Western-ally. Yawn…: …more