Australia a Tier 2 Nation, As Are Canada, Russia and Mexico According to the Foreign Office

The United Kingdom Foreign Office has circulated a confidential paper relegating Australia, Canada, and Russia, [how much of the world's landmass is that, 50%? Natural resources, 60%? ed.] to second division status countries at the G20 summit.

Issued to some PR agencies, it says that the UK should focus lobbying efforts on 11 “high-priority states” such as the US, France, China, India and Saudia Arabia. (Evening Standard)

Some of the world's biggest economies are given a “Tier 2” status although a Foreign Office spokesman insisted the list was “absolutely not a firm hierarchy of the most important states for our political relations”. [which is fortunate as we now have no political relations with them at all, and we can add Mexico to the list, ed.]

“High priority” nations had been targeted for lobbying on the basis of the health of their media, civil society, non-governmental organisations and sovereign wealth funds. [well, yes, both Saudi Arabia and China have, how shall we put this?, distinctive media and civil societies, though the word 'health' is not the first to arise in any free association, ed.]

William Hague stated : “The downgrading of some participants before they have even set foot in London sends completely the wrong message.” [under-egging the pudding there Bill, ed.]

Update

The Herald reports that Turkey is on the B-list as well. [Does the Foreign Office have maps? ed.]