Bahrain Propaganda 101: The Countess of Wessex, a New PR Firm, and a Former British Ambassador (Whitaker)

Countess of Wessex and Prince Edward with King Hamad, 21 DecemberBrian Whitaker offers the latest in our regular series of the Bahraini regime's "information", put out by American and British public-relations firms:

This week, another PR company working for the Bahrain government emerged in Britain: Big Tent Communications, run by David Cracknell, former political editor of the Sunday Times.

Following the news that the Countess of Wessex had accepted lavish gifts of jewellery from Bahrain's royal family, The Guardian published an article on its website looking at the long and cosy relationship between Britain and the despotic regime in Bahrain. Cracknell then contacted The Guardian, describing himself as "an adviser" to the government of Bahrain and saying that it had asked him to request a right of reply.

Cracknell offered an article presenting "the counterview" of Bahrain. But the "counterview" he proposed would not come from some Bahraini spokesperson; it would come from Sir Harold "Hooky" Walker, a former British ambassador. This unwittingly reaffirmed the point made in the original article – that relations between Britain and the Bahrain regime are too close for comfort.

"Hooky" Walker's article hasn't appeared on The Guardian's website, but it would not have been the first time that he has spoken up for the Bahrain regime in his role as a former British ambassador.

Last September he wrote an article for The Independent newspaper saying that "ethical considerations should pervade the purpose and conduct of Britain’s foreign policy" and citing Bahrain as an example of the dilemmas this can cause:

"Representing democratic values, we of course want to see the observance of human rights and progress towards democratic institutions. At the same time, it is almost invariably counter-productive for us to hector, cajole or publicly lecture friendly governments about their internal arrangements."

He continued that "one-sided reporting" of fatalities had increased the "sense of insecurity" among the Sunni minority that rules Bahrain. Because of the religious divide, democracy based on one-person-one-vote would be "highly problematic" in Bahrain, leading to "the tyranny of the majority".

Walker concluded by saying Bahrain should respect the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, "but the Declaration does not require them to adopt a particular form of government. Nor does one need a megaphone to convey advice to a long-standing friend."

And finally, he reminded readers of what appears to be the over-riding "ethical" principle as far as Britain is concerned:

"Our relations with the Gulf states are of the greatest importance strategically and economically. With economic power shifting to the East, we should be careful not to overlook that even old friends have choices in an evolving world order. Successful diplomacy means looking beyond the news cycle to take a long-term view both of the past – recognising Britain’s valuable legacy in Bahrain – and of our strategic interests in the future."

Last month, Walker was quoted by the official Bahrain News Agency as praising the regime's investigation into its own human rights abuses. Last February, during the protests on Pearl Roundabout in Bahrain, he told Sky News that the regime had been judged harshly: "The King introduced a whole raft of reforms 10 years ago, there was a national charter put to a referendum and it passed. He's done a lot."

Walker did suggest there was scope for reform in Bahrain – but on the terms favoured by the regime:

"One avenue is to progress along the lines that (the king) has already started on. The Bahrain authorities have offered talks so I very much hope that the reasonable people amongst the opposition will take up that offer."