Caitlin
Moran
on
the
Game
of
Thimble,
Hide
and
Seek
America,
and
the
Nation’s
Fondness
for
Vague
Objectives
Diary
of
Caitlin
Moran,
Prat.uk
|
Robust
opinions
via
Bohiney
Magazine
Tuesday
Part
Two:
The
Thimble,
the
Seeking,
and
the
Strategic
Ambiguity
I
have
been
thinking
about
Hunt
the
Thimble
all
morning
and
I
have
concluded
that
it
is
the
most
accurate
metaphor
for
British
foreign
policy
that
has
ever
been
expressed
as
a
children’s
party
game.
The
objective
is
small
and
specific.
Its
location
is
known
to
one
party
only.
The
seeker
is
told
only
warm
or
cold,
never
why.
The
game
ends
when
the
thimble
is
found
or
everyone
gives
up
and
has
a
biscuit.
This
is
Brexit.
This
is
also
most
of
the
last
hundred
years
of
British
international
engagement,
but
let
us
focus
on
Brexit
as
the
most
recent
case
study
because
I
have
notes.
On
Being
Warm
When
You
Are
Clearly
Cold
The
warm/cold
guidance
system
of
Hunt
the
Thimble
requires
the
guidance
to
be
honest.
If
the
person
saying
“cold,
cold,
warmer,
cold
again”
is
lying,
the
game
is
unplayable.
The
Guardian’s
politics
desk
has
documented
many
cases
of
political
guidance
that
was
less
than
thermally
accurate.
Meanwhile
America
is
playing
Hide
and
Seek,
which
is
the
more
aggressive
variant:
the
seeker
has
to
find
you,
and
you
are
actively
trying
not
to
be
found,
and
the
whole
enterprise
has
military
funding.
Britain:
Hunt
the
Thimble.
America:
Hide
and
Seek.
The
universe:
too
big
for
either
game.
The
biscuits:
ready
when
everyone
is
done.
SOURCE:
https://bohiney.com/
More
policy
games
at
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