Ancient & modern
John Prescott probably thought he was being immensely clever and original in finding an excuse to spend a couple of weeks in the Caribbean doing almost nothing at the tax-payers' considerable expense. But, as usual, his behaviour is typical of people like him Aristophanes parodies the sort beautifully in his comedy Achamians (425 BO. The little farmer Dikaiopolis has come to the people's Assembly determined to do all he can to get a peace agreement with Sparta to end the war that had started six years earlier. Instead, he has to endure endless irrelevancies, the first of which is the reception of a delegation reporting back from Persia. In they come, dressed in the latest Persian gear (Persia was famous for its fashions), explaining that they had set out 11 years ago, on double expenses, and had had a most dreadful time, being escorted in luxury carriages, forced to drink unmixed wine from gold and glass goblets (glass was a great rarity in Greece at the time), and being entertained in extravagant style throughout. Naturally they try to convince the Assembly that they have achieved a great deal, but Dikaiopolis reveals them for the frauds they are. And so it goes on. No one is the slightest bit interested in the real problem of the war.
But this is parody. In the ancient world, there was no class of official empowered to Prescott about in this way: the business of state was far too important for that. Embassies were sanctioned, and their (minimal) expenses determined, by the people's Assembly in Athens and the Senate in Rome. Understanding the value of experience in these matters, they tended to hand-pick people with proven track records in the country to which they were being sent. They were given a specific mandate, though if they did not fulfil it, they could be punished. For all that, election as an envoy was a great public distinction. It was a matter of pride to be selected to serve in this way. It was not a junket either. The state offered a basic subsistence allowance, but would certainly not pay for an ambassador's retinue.
It is a matter of public humiliation that the government acquiesced in allowing someone like Prescott to 'represent' us abroad. Surely even Gordon Brown cannot have another like him waiting in the wings?
Peter Jones
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