Jeremy Vine guest points out blunders in Barack Obama speech
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Former American president Barack Obama has been criticised after mistakenly calling Scotland the “Emerald Isles” and quoting William Shakespeare as “the Bard” during his COP26 speech. The slamming by Jeremy Vine’s Scottish co-host Storm Huntley came after President Obama made the blunders during his climate speech as he urged activists to “do a little more listening”.
In a video clip from the speech shown on Jeremy Vine on Five, Barack Obama could be heard saying: “Since we’re in the Emerald Isles here let me quote ‘the Bard’.
“William Shakespeare – ‘what wound’ he writes ‘did ever heal but by degrees’.”
Jeremy Vine then commented: “Right we lost track there but Storm tell us what was wrong with that.”
Storm Huntley said: “Obama, Obama…Emerald Isles is obviously Ireland, not Scotland.
“So that was his first gaffe.
“I could forgive him that because you know, it’s Barack Obama.
“Then he goes on to say the Bard – Shakespeare.
“Well no no Monsieur. The bard in Scotland is Robbie Burns, is that right?”
Jeremy Vine said: “So if he said ‘let me quote Shakespeare’ he might have got away with that.”
Ms Huntley said: “That would be fine yeah.”
Mr Vine continued: “But if you say the Bard and then you quote the wrong Bard, you get in trouble.”
Ms Huntley added: “In Scotland.”
Mr Obama also sought to assure world leaders that the United States was indeed back at the negotiating table as a credible partner.
“I recognize that we are living in a moment when international cooperation has atrophied – in part because of the pandemic, in part because of the rise of nationalism and tribal impulses around the world, in part because of a lack of leadership on America’s part for four years” under former U.S.
President Donald Trump, who weakened climate protections.
Earlier Monday, Obama appeared on a panel with leaders from island nations vulnerable to climate-fueled sea level rise.
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