No Room for the Vice - A Country Inn, a Senator, and a Staff That Stands Its Ground

There are moments when world politics is not decided in conference centers or at summits, but between a beer tap and a fireplace. Charlbury, Oxfordshire, a place where usually the fiercest battles are fought between “bitter” and “lager,” has in recent days experienced a drama that even Shakespeare could not have staged more sharply.

JD Vance, vice president and the walking embodiment of America’s political division, wanted to dine at the venerable “The Bull” - an inn whose ivy-covered walls have eased the tears of more than one failed Tory. But this time it was different: the staff announced they would rather collectively stay home than serve even a pint to the guest from overseas. A gentle yet unmistakable form of resistance - and perhaps the most charming cancellation of a reservation table in the history of diplomacy.

Outside on the street, between signs, drums, and a banner branding Vance as a “war criminal,” about a hundred people danced under the motto “Dance Against Vance.” A protest that smelled less of water cannons and batons, and more of tea, humor, and the quiet pleasure in knowing that even a powerful man sometimes finds himself in front of a closed door. In the end, Vance was left with no choice but to dine elsewhere - and “The Bull” with the honor of being, for one evening, the safest place in Europe. The moral of this story? In a world where heads of state send tanks across borders, a “No, Sir” from the kitchen of an English country inn can carry more weight than it may seem at first glance.

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