Seeking an audience with the Pope

Rod Liddle’s right, Steven Mulvain should not be sacked for his limp attempt at humour. You know, Benedict branded condoms and the like. (Maybe endorsing the age of consent with a brand called ‘XVIs’ might have worked better. I don’t know.)

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Alec Marsh

What critics get wrong about Zulu

However, there is a possibility that Mulvain’s email was part of an FO ‘brainstorm’. This raises questions about the section of the FO concerned and the hypocrisy often engendered by political correctness. James Macintyre is ‘reliably’ informed by a senior Whitehall figure that:

‘This was not written as a joke. It was meant to be a serious brainstorming by various people designed for a meeting. I know it is hard to believe but it is serious.’

If Macintyre’s source is accurate then the Foreign Office is an extraordinary organisation.