Spanish minister writes to Blair, the "jerk"

[kskiska]

MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's new Defence Minister Jose Bono, best known abroad for calling Tony Blair a "complete jerk", has written to the prime minister to say it is time to put the comments behind them, a Spanish source says.

But Bono tells Blair in the letter he still feels the same about him, according to a source close to the Castille-La Mancha government he headed until his new appointment.

Bono, a Spanish Socialist party heavyweight, was named defence minister on Saturday by new Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.

Bono made the comment -- "gilipollas integral" in Spanish -- in January in frustration after Blair hosted a meeting at his Downing Street office with conservative Spanish politician Mariano Rajoy, Zapatero's rival.

The private comment to a colleague was picked up by television microphones and broadcast. It received wide publicity in Britain.

more…
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml;?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=4855804

[AZCat]

1. Maybe he wanted to tell him to "stay away from the cans"... n/t

[AngryAmish]

19. heh

[Fenris]

2. "But Bono tells Blair in the letter he still feels the same about him,"

How's that for honesty!

[K8-EEE]

3. Man -- I Love This New Spanish Government!!

They sound like they know what's up!

OLE!

Tony is a gilipollas integral, but GWB is a gilipollas integral GRANDISSIMO!!

[The Zanti Regent]

4. I love it!

Hmmm, I wonder what Sr. Bono thinks of the Chimp????

[Matilda]

5. It's such a breath of fresh air to see a politician who's not afraid

to tell it like it is.

Way to go, Bono.

[w4rma]

6. Hehe quite honest, but they do need to keep good relations with his nation

So, I hope they can patch things up (without capitulating to Blair, of course).

[opihimoimoi]

7. After all these years since Nelson sunk the Spanish Armada

there is still bad blood.

[T_i_B]

8. Er.........hello?

Nelson was around in Napoleon's day, and won the battle of TRAFALGAR.

It was Sir Francis Drake who beat the Armada after his game of bowls. That was some 200 years before Nelson.

[AZCat]

9. Didn't Nelson die at Trafalgar?

Not to be nitpicky, but if that is true I think it is disengenuous to say Nelson won the battle. The British won, Nelson lost.

(just being weird! :))

[T_i_B]

10. Yep, he died.

But he's been a national hero ever since so in that sense he was a victor at Trafalgar. :-)

[HjalmarPoelzig]

12. His final words were

"Kiss me, Hardy."

[Rochambeau]

17. The fleet defeated in Trafalgar was

franco-spanish so it is not completly untrue ;)!
Admiral Villeneuve who was in command of the fleet was a complete jerk and the fleet and its personnal was very bad prepared to combat comparing to the british fleet (mostly Villeneuve's fault) nevertheless the Nelson's victory is a GREAT victory. Even as a french I have a lot of respect for Horatio Nelson for his entire career. What a commander and what a strategist! If only Napoléon had such a commander for the navy, History would have been quite different.... "Si nous sommes maîtres douze heures de la traversée, l'Angleterre a vécu." Napoléon 1er (my self-made translation..."If we can be the masters of the crossing for only twelve hours, England is no more")

[rinsd]

18. The battle plan was Nelson's though.

It was a very daring naval manuvuer at the time and against convention.

I believe he was cut down by a sniper's bullet in the midst of battle.

[opihimoimoi]

11. Sorry , I iz an ole chap an I forget these things, Sir Drake it was?

If I recall there is a statue of him in London? It is on a high pillar. Its been almost 50 years since I seen a ha penny.

[htuttle]

13. Bah!

A giant storm called by a coven of Welsh witches destroyed the Spanish Armada. Drake just got the credit for being in the right place at the right time...


:evilgrin:

[deportivoI]

14. Who Kill Sir Francis Drake?

n/t

[bleedingheart]

15. Diarrhea killed Drake

http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/sir_francis_drake.htm

he died of bloody flux...

[Tansy_Gold]

16. I could live quite contentedly in Spain

Met hubby there 35 years ago this week. We've often talked about going back for a vacation but never had the $$$. It's lookin' better and better all the time. And if * steals another election, Spain is gonna look even better, not just as avacation spot but a more permanent residence.

Tansy Gold, who has many fond memories of Torremolinos and the incredibly low cost of living there -- in 1969.

[0007]

20. Link isn't bring up the story