Sheesh, champions of free speech in Australia suddenly change their tune when the speech contains criticism of Trump. How about trying to figure out what happened instead of getting upset?
What the ambassador said in strict confidence is the same as what many former White House staff say - Tillerson, Bannon, Kelly etc. And others. The message is generally that the administration is dysfunctional, incompetent and riven by infighting, but don't underestimate Trump's ability to hold on to power and get the upper hand in negotiations. It's a common view from political insiders, and there's no use getting personally offended or emotional about it just because you love Trump. Toughen up.
For me, the contents of the message are unexpected. The important context is the change of leadership in the UK. Is it a power play by a Boris Johnson supporter, for instance, to get a more Trump-friendly character as UK ambassador? In his resignation message though, Darroch indicated that it was an internal leak from the Washington embassy, not from Whitehall.
That, in conjunction with watercooled's link, makes me think it is personal. Rather than nefarious political manoeuvring, it seems that Darroch may be an arsehole to work with so someone dropped him in it. The leak is probably just catty, small minded revenge by a disgruntled colleague.
