This Writer would not have chosen Zayn Malik or John Oliver to save Britain’s image abroad. Adele? Maybe. Who would YOU choose? [Composite: Getty Images.]

The Graun suggests media stars like Zayn Malik, John Oliver (who?) and Adele. I’d probably support Adele for the team.

But we need a politician to counter the malign right-wing influence of the men named above. I’d suggest Angela Rayner, who has been kicking up a storm as shadow education secretary.

I certainly would not allow JK Rowling to represent the UK on the international stage. Some of her recent outbursts on Twitter have been embarrassments; betrayals of her own background. But who, from the world of literature, could we choose to replace her?

Who would be your choices?

As the presidential election moved from debate to debacle, Americans flocked to Twitter to apologise to the world for Donald Trump.

It wasn’t long, however, before the UK was apologising back to the US about Nigel Farage.

Farage appeared in the spin room following the debate to praise Trump’s performance. Likening Trump to a silverback gorilla, Farage said: “He looked like a big gorilla prowling the set. He is that big alpha male – that’s who he is.” At the end of this soliloquy, a bewildered reporter inquired, “Sir, can I just ask: what are you doing here?”

The short answer to this is: continuing the damage. If Trump is a gorilla, then Farage is, as memorably described by the actor Christoph Waltz, “the head rat leaving the sinking ship”.
Having “liberated” Britain, Farage was quick to remove himself from the actual work of Brexiting. Rather, he headed over to the US to continue inspiring popular revolt alongside Trump.

Farage has become something of a rock star to conservative Americans… Farage has an international platform; his animal analogies were written up by a number of American outlets, including Time, CNN, the Chicago Tribune and Newsweek.

This reflects back on Britain. It doesn’t just say to America: this is what Nigel Farage thinks. It says, to some degree: this is what the UK thinks.

how does Britain wrest back control of its international image? What’s needed, I think, is a squad of Brexit-busters. Celebrities who actually represent modern Britain and are tasked with working together to counterbalance malevolent forces such as Farage.

Source: How to stop Nigel Farage being the face of Britain in the US | Arwa Mahdawi | Opinion | The Guardian

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