Catherine Ashton, the Hideous Baroness of Upholland

When I label Catherine Ashton "hideous", I am not referring to her appearance; beauty, or the lack thereof, is in the eyes of the beholder. Rather, in my opinion Ashton is "hideous" insofar as she is shocking to the moral sense.

The obscure Ashton was appointed first High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union (EU) on 19 November 2009. Ashton’s position as high representative for foreign affairs was created under the Lisbon treaty, which was intended to improve the mechanisms of the EU. Ashton will begin with a staff of 5,000 in 130 countries and command an annual salary of £270,000. The morning after her EU appointment, the modest Ashton told BBC Radio 4's Today program:

"Over the next few months and years I aim to show that I am the best person for the job."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/nov/20/cathy-ashton-eu-foreign-job

Ashton's qualifications? She is almost entirely lacking in foreign affairs experience. A former chairwoman of the Health Authority in Hertfordshire, she has never held elected office. Ashton has a BSc degree in sociology and has a life-sized Dalek (a fictional race of extraterrestrial mutants from the British science fiction television series "Doctor Who") in her sitting room.

Quite apart from what decorates her sitting room, what might be hiding in her closet? Questions have arisen over her role as national treasurer in the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (no mention of this position in her EU profile), which is suspected of having received funding from the Soviet Union. It has also been reported:

"Britain's new EU foreign policy chief Baroness Ashton enjoyed a relationship with a hard-line communist who boasted close links to some of Britain’s most militant union leaders."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1233545/Baroness-Ashton-communist-lover-riddle-Moscow-gold.html

Needless to say, her selection to head EU security policy is most peculiar.

Response from the UK? From The Sunday Times:

"The plotting and bungles that led to an obscure British bureaucrat heading the EU’s foreign service were even greater than first thought."

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article6927033.ece

From Nile Gardiner writing for The Telegraph:

"I’m sure you could find 22-year old interns in the House of Commons who are far more knowledgeable on foreign policy than Baroness Ashton. She has a grand total of one year working in the international arena, as European Commissioner in Trade. Nor has she ever held elected office and is massively unqualified. . . . Ashton’s meteoric rise to power in Brussels is a damning indictment of the fundamentally undemocratic political process within the EU, and its utter contempt for public opinion.

. . . .

This may well be the most ridiculous appointment in EU history, but it will fortunately help set back European ambitions to be a major actor on the world stage."

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/nilegardiner/100017357/baroness-ashton-as-eu-foreign-minister-%e2%80%93-is-this-the-most-ridiculous-appointment-in-the-history-of-the-european-union/

This past week, in her maiden speech as EU Foreign Minister, Ashton did not "disappoint". Notwithstanding all the hotspots in the world, all the places, e.g., Darfur, where genocide is occurring, all the brutal human rights violations, e.g., "honor killings" against women, throughout the Muslim world, Ashton chose to lambaste Israel. She decried Israeli "occupation", demanded that Israel immediately lift its blockade on the Gaza Strip, and censured the West Bank separation fence.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1135787.html

A pity that Ashton did not visit Israel first before opening her crooked mouth. I favor a two-state solution, I believe in returning the West Bank to the Palestinians with land swaps, but I'm also aware of the danger of allowing Hamas, Iran's proxy, to bring more accurate missiles with greater range into Gaza and of the need for the separation fence, which has proven invaluable in preventing suicide bombings in Israel.

Suicide bombings? I still remember hearing the explosions and seeing the burned out frames of passenger buses in Tel Aviv. I still remember the attacks less than five miles away in any direction from my home and worrying if my children had been harmed. I still remember the sight of a suicide bombing at the entrance to a shopping center in nearby Netanya, whose horror is better left undescribed.

The security fence? Take a drive on Highway 6 and you will see it: only 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the Mediterannean coast. Who is being fenced in?

Although Ashton may have irreparably damaged the EU's relationship with tiny Israel, I am certain that fanatic Muslims, extreme leftists and neo-Nazis throughout Europe rejoiced at her words.