Venkat Raman
Auckland, March 6, 2025
Sorry, our dear friend Phil, we never thought your diplomatic career would end abruptly.
We hear that Foreign Minister Winston Peters was furious over your remarks at a meeting held at the Chatham House in London yesterday (March 6, 2025) at which many other dignitaries including India’s External Affairs Minister were also present.
We saw a video which showed Finland’s Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen answering questions after she outlined her approach to European security entitled, ‘Keeping the peace on NATO’s longest border with Russia.’
“Take it from us: whatever happens in this war, Russia will remain a long-term strategic threat to Euro-Atlantic security. Rather than encourage, we need to keep it at bay,” she said.
Concluding her speech, Ms Valtonen quoted former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the late Sir Winston Churchill: ‘To each, there comes a moment; when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a special thing, unique to them and their talents,’ and quipped, “This is Europe’s moment. We must rise to it.”
A remark in indiscretion
Thereafter, Mr Goff, said, “I was re-reading Churchill’s speech to the House of Commons in 1938 after the Munich Agreement, and he turned to Chamberlain, he said, ‘You had the choice between war and dishonour. You chose dishonour, yet you will have war.’ “President Trump has restored the bust of Churchill to the Oval Office. But do you think he really understands history?”
Ms Valtonen responded by saying, “I will limit myself to saying that in this time I did it myself; I quoted Sir Winston Churchill and I think he has made very timeless remarks.”
Mr Peters was aghast at Mr Goff’s remarks and acted swiftly to remove him from the post of High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. He followed up his decision with a directive to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Secretary and Chief Executive Bede Corry to hasten the transition process and ensure Mr Goff’s return.
A tough decision
Mr Peters described Mr Goff’s public comments about the US President were ‘untenable,’ and that he would taken a similar decision (of dismissing the Head of Mission) if such comments were about Germany, France, Tonga or Samoa.
He agreed that it was one of the most difficult decisions that he had to make in his career.
“I have worked with Phil Goff, I have known him a long time, I have worked in government with him. It is just a seriously disappointing decision one has had to make. He had a very specific diplomatic role and did not meet the government’s expectations. When you are in that position, you represent the government and the policies of the day. You are not able to think freely, you are the face of New Zealand. It is not the way you behave as the front face of a country, diplomatically,”
Mr Peters said.
Thin Excuse says Clark
Former Prime Minister Helen Clark under whose government Mr Goff worked held the portfolios of Foreign Affairs, Trade, Justice, Defence and Justice, thought that it was a ‘very thin excuse to sack a highly respected former Foreign Minister from his post as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. I have been at Munich Security Conference recently where many drew parallels between Munich 1938 and US actions now,” she said.
Labour Party Leader Chris Hipkins said that Mr Goff did go off the mark but believed that Mr Peters had the right to decide if the remarks warranted his withdrawal from the post.
Mr Goff took charge as the High Commissioner to the United Kingdom in January 2023 and his three-year tenure would have ended in December this year.
Chatham House Rules
On another note, it was surprising that Chatham House proceedings were in the public domain.
The cherished Chatham House Rule is: “When a meeting, or part thereof, is held under the Chatham House Rule, participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed.
