Ian Bloody Botham

[Undercoverinwurzelland]

What do you say to the question I asked Ninian Opinion above?

In the government's own words "use their skills, experience, and market knowledge to help UK businesses find new export and investment opportunities and promote UK trade in their allocated market."

[Elwood Blues]

In the government's own words "use their skills, experience, and market knowledge to help UK businesses find new export and investment opportunities and promote UK trade in their allocated market."

As a matter of interest where did you see that?

I was working off the quote

"They support the drive for economic growth by building on the UK’s existing relations with these markets and maximising bilateral trade, thereby generating real and long term benefits for the UK."

taken from

https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/trade-envoys

BY my quote (and what I have understood in the past) they are basically salesmen using their contacts (and in Bothams' case certainly his celebrity status albeit some years ago).

I would wonder if many of the 36 Trade envoys actually meet the full specification that you found as the are all parliamentarians not business people ( though they may of course be both).

The heading of one Independent story is rather ludicrous where Sean O'Grady their Associate Editor says

"Ian Botham might be a fine cricketer. But a trade negotiator? I think not"

I think not either. A trade envoy is not a negotiator. If they were appointing Ian Botham as a Trade Negotiator that would be ludicrous

As David Henig a former Government Trade negotiator and Director of the UK Trade Policy Project says

"Lots of attention to the announcement of Ian Botham as trade envoy to Australia.

Undeserved attention either way - these are quite minor roles which may help or hinder UK Government or business efforts at the margins, but are not central."

Personally I am pretty indifferent to his appointment. Don't think its worth the fuss being made though.