I sometimes wonder if Tony Blair’s alleged interest in the Presidency of Europe is really just an attempt to tweak the nose of his many critics – judging by the reaction it’s certainly working. Pro-Europeans are appalled at the prospect because in their eyes Blair isn’t sufficiently enthusiastic and the anti’s are equally appalled for the simple reason that they loathe both the man and the institution. I’m slightly puzzled why the anti lot don’t see the two as fit for each other but I guess it’s the prospect of Tony holding any kind of power over them that drives them into the ‘God no!’ camp. He is, I suspect, loving it.
As a cautious pro-European it’s the reasoning from some on this side of the fence I find slightly troubling and it lends weight to some of the common criticisms levelled at the EU. Writing in the Times last week Édouard Balladur, former Prime Minister of France, suggested two important conditions for the role:
As a cautious pro-European it’s the reasoning from some on this side of the fence I find slightly troubling and it lends weight to some of the common criticisms levelled at the EU. Writing in the Times last week Édouard Balladur, former Prime Minister of France, suggested two important conditions for the role:
“the EU's president must fulfil two conditions in order to carry out the role properly and to be accepted by everyone: first, to come from a country that is completely in step with the EU's forward march and that participates in all its different forms of co-operation; and, secondly, to be determined to build the independence of Europe, notably in the diplomatic and military fields”Look at that first condition (bold) again – ‘come from a country that is completely in step with the EU's forward march’. I’m no swivel-eyed Eurosceptic but doesn’t that kind of get things the wrong way round? Shouldn’t it be the case that whoever holds that post plays a large part in setting the direction (and speed) of the institution’s progress rather than just falling in behind some pre-determined path? The charge often levelled at the EU is that it’s a bureaucrat’s dream – a massive conspiracy perpetrated by the EU’s political elite on the peoples of Europe, something with the air of inevitability about it and that can’t be stopped by anything as crude as democratic opposition. That charge is usually overblown but Balladur’s comments hint at precisely that mindset.
Labels: Politics
3 Comments:
Balladur is almost certainly right in the respect that I doubt that anyone from a country outwith the Euro zone has any chance of gaining the European Presidency.
Well I think you have answered your own dewy eyed optimism there Cas. Its about the end of the coutry except as a coffee table ethnicity.
I `m at a loss to imagine why anyone would want Germans and Poles to make laws you have to follow . Why should I care what they think.I wish them well but I will not be ruled by foreigners
No no no No no
Your usual measured and subtle contribution NM - "I'm at a loss to imagine why anyone would want Germans and Poles to make laws you have to follow. Why should I care what they think".
Quite - being a Scotsman may I add people from Lewes to that list and count on your support as a full-blown seperatist...?
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