Bernard Woolley, Sir Humphrey Appleby and others in “A Victory for Democracy”

Bernard Woolley

What if the Prime Minister insists we help them?

Sir Humphrey Appleby

Then we follow the four-stage strategy.

Bernard Woolley

What's that?

Standard Foreign Office response in a time of crisis.

In stage one we say nothing is going to happen.

Sir Humphrey Appleby

Stage two, we say something may be about to happen, but we should do nothing about it.

In stage three, we say that maybe we should do something about it, but there's nothing we *can* do.

Sir Humphrey Appleby

Stage four, we say maybe there was something we could have done, but it's too late now.