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Excuse the unusual title, but I remember vividly how, early last year, the phrase ‘Godfather’ was used by Orla to describe Ariel Sharon in an obscure early morning BBC TV news report. I don’t think she meant to flatter him by casting him as a genial, responsible volunteer parent.
The point? Well, the latest BBCOnline report on Sharon’s legal position (once a concern, no longer) refers to him in what I consider a related way:
‘The BBC’s Matthew Price in Jerusalem says the decision shows how the prime minister has managed to transform his political position.
A year ago Ariel Sharon was mired in scandal with three corruption cases against him and some who wondered if the cases could possibly end his premiership.
Now, our correspondent says, he appears to be home and dry.’
Perhaps this seems innocuous at first glance, but notice how it makes Sharon’s legal position appear contingent on his political position. If Price knows that Sharon pulled political levers to escape prosecution, he should say so more directly, rather than skulking in this way. Additionally, I think that the expression ‘home and dry’ confirms my view. It suggests not innocence but geting away with it. Fairly scurrilous, after the Orla school of thought I’d say.