How fitting. The unelected, unaccountable Minister for Europe, Lady Glenys Kinnock, has today thrown her weight behind Tony Blair becoming the unelected, unaccountable new EU President.
According to PA, she told the European Parliament in Strasbourg today:
"The UK Government is supporting Tony Blair's candidature for President of the Council (of EU governments)".
Asked if the prospect of being Europe's president had been discussed with Mr Blair, she said: "It is the Government's position. I am sure they would not do that without asking him."
It shows a blatent disregard for the Irish for the Government to be talking about grabbing the cushy new jobs in the Lisbon Treaty, before it has even been ratified. But this is also a reminder to the Irish, as they prepare to vote again, that the creation of a new EU President will substantially diminish the influence of smaller countries in Europe.
Under the existing system, each EU country gets to chair the EU and set the agenda for six months at a time. That is no small matter for a small country whose politicians tend not to secure the higher profile jobs in the other EU institutions.
It means that the democratically elected prime ministers and presidents of each country are able to be EU President on a rotating basis. Nobody is pretending that this system is ideal. But it seems a damn sight fairer and more democratic than simply handing the post, complete with enormous new salary, perks, pension and prestige for two and a half years at a time to an ex-leader who has fallen from grace in his or her own country, as will be case under Lisbon.
Nobody even knows what this uber-President is actually going to do, given the total ambiguity of the Lisbon Treaty. How will his role differ from the super new EU Foreign Minister's?
The Swedish EU Presidency have today had a novel idea. According to PA, the Presidency "has suggested drawing up a proper job description - and then seeing which available political figure best fits the bill."
A job description??! Radical!
This just proves that the idea for a President is mostly about giving the EU a symbolic, political figurehead to help propel its wild dreams about becoming a world superpower. Otherwise why has noone ever bothered with the details?
Tony Blair may well be well respected around the world, and a weighty character for meetings with Putin and Obama. But he is also yesterday's news - he has no democratic mandate at all - and neither will any of the other contenders for the post.
Not only that, but according to a Populus poll for the Times in May, 63% of British voters don't want Blair to be EU President. So Glenys Kinnock is completely out of touch with the British people - quelle surprise.
30 comments:
The presidency question brings to mind how an alternative EU could have a completely different democratic set up with greater local state powers.
Comparisons with the United States usually gives the response "Europe is not the United States!",
"No more power to Brussels!"
Actually, national sovereignity guarantees can be maintained precisely because the European Union already is like the United States.
Democracy by Population = The House of Representatives = The European Parliament
Democracy by State = The Senate = The Council of Ministers
A European Government based on the European Parliament would not only be more democratic,
it would be structurally more effective than the Commission system:
Clearer departmental organization than the Commissioners/Directorates-General set up,
A European President, - unlike current presidency ideas - elected by popular vote, with whatever executive or symbolic power, might seem a good idea to make citizens throughout Europe feel more part of a European identity.
However, all nations would put forward their own candidates, and a candidate from a large nation could be expected to win, alienating citizens of smaller countries....
On the other hand, national politicians are not always popular, and in the USA surprisingly often smaller state candidates seem to win, though of course it is a more homogenous federal arrangement.
Turning to the Prime Minister scenario, a Conservative or Socialist bloc in the European Parliament might well have compromise leaders, or leaders on merit, also from smaller countries, who could become Head of Government.
For more, see
http://www.ceolas.net/#eu1x
onwards
The very thought of Blair and his patronising bleating voice coming back in the media is plain hideous! Encourage all your Irish friends to vote NO to Lisbon2 and prevent such a dreadful prospect!
NO TO LISBON MEANS NO TO LISBON!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=38059363467&ref=mf
Actually I think giving Blair the job might be the best option available. Is there a better catalyst for British withdrawal than having the most loathed PM the UK has seen in quite a while, as its full time president?
No, I think we can all agree that the winning party in the next European elections will be UKIP with the rest trailing behind with their non-policies on the EU.
Blair let El Gordo McSnotty run our economy for 10 years. Nuff said.
NO TO BLAIR,I NEVER WANT TO SEE OR HEAR OF HIM AGAIN. UK/
Blair is ready to board the Gravy Train. Do we really want a person who took us to war in the Middle East to now head Europe?????? I think not, let all peoples of Europe
vote for who WE want for President
Ireland doesnt want the Treaty in the same way that most Europeans DONT want the Treaty - The only reason the politicians want it its ito suck the life out of the inhabitants of Europe for their own personal benefit, similar to a the way that a significant number of UK Members of Parliament did with their expense claims! The majority of the UK population DONT want Blair to have the European Presidency role - He (and his wife Cherie) are the most loathed PM couple ever (even more than Neil and Glenys Kinnock !!!!) He was never part of the Civil Service, only part of the SLEF SERVICE culture that he and Neil have bred for their OWN self importance and benefit. Leaches the lot of them. If you dont believe me, hold a referendum and ASK THE PEOPLE and give them a FREE vote without trying to brainwash or threaten them (Oh yes, that will be what is happening with Ireland then!!) What a novel idea to ask the people who these people claim to represent!
The thought of Blair creaming off more money from the ordinary people that he has a total disregard for and with him his wife who no doubt would like the "First Lady(?) of Europe" title makes me as a 70 year old appreciate the "three score years and ten"
Letting Tony Blair loose in Europe as a President is like letting a Wolf mind the sheep, he jumped ship when he saw all of his master plans started crumbling into dust, the peoples of Britain had just about had enough of him and his lies, and he saw that there was going to be a massive recession and gave Brown the green light to run Britain, what happened to a vote by the people of britain to accept this? not a sign as Blair was in such a hurry to get out before the recession landed on our doorstep,he wanted to look good for all of his future scheming and if he was the captain of the ship at this moment in time his 'bright' smile would certainly have been dulled.
Please Please don't give him the chance to wreck britain once again we were promised a vote on the EU and there is still no sign of that, this man is not to be trusted ever, our children will be paying the price for most of their lives a debt which was not of our making.
KEEP HIM OUT
Europe is where failed national politicians go (Kinnock) to join the gravy train.
Blair wants to be President of Europe because he and his wife has massive egos, and love the gravy train. I wouldn't put it past Blair that he's done another deal with Brown that if he gets the Persidency of Europe,he will get Brown a nice cushy job in Europe when he gets hopefully kicked out in a years time.
The No campaign in Ireland should use this statement about Blair, to show the Irish what kind of politician that Europe wants as it's 'leader', all spin and no substance.
Just say No to the Lisbon Treaty and say No the Blair.
Let me guess. When Blair is appointed EU President he becomes immune from prosecution for war crimes. No country can give itself the right to breach international law, whatever the opinion of its Attorney General.
The issue was never allowed to come before a British court. An RAF officer accused of disobeying a lawful order was not allowed to present his case.
Let us hope that the Irish are fully alert to the disaster that will befall them if they vote yes to the Lisbon Treaty.
I was hoping Mr Blair had faded into obscurity. We don't need his kind being President of Europe. Surely he wouldn't have the guts to accept the position knowing the shambolic outcome of his reign as Prime Minister of this country. Remember the phrase "things can only get better"? Well, we're still waiting!
to all voters in ireland. please stop this gravy train (for a few ) we in england despite promises have been denied a chance to have a vote. we are now governed by a prime minister who was not elected. a europe minister who was not elected . and other non elected so called ministers .and mr blair making a come back with a mouthwatering salary. the sooner the uk wakes up to what is going on the better. and we can once and for all leave the eu or eec or whatever it is called these days.
Sounds like a good enough slogan to me from alan J:
'Just say No to the Lisbon Treaty and say No to Blair.'
Think we should all adopt it!
I hope that David Cameron gets to see the comments here, it will enforce that we do have an opinion and we do care about our country.
After what Blair and Brown have done to what was "Great Britain" we need the next government to give us the votes which we deserve, and not to vote for us to suit themselves, far too much borrowing has made our children deep in debt for all of their lives, this is not fair as they will be expected to repay debts that this government has caused.
We do need a vote on the EU as this will effect our country for a very long time, and WE should be allowed our say on this,everyone I know feels let down by Labour as they only plan for themselves and not for this country, the sooner they go the better we will all feel.We just cannot afford them any longer and the debt still keeps rising.
Blair. The perfect Leader for a band of fiddlers.
How can anybody possibly disagree with any of the above comments. The whole thing is totally undemocratic. We have a virtual dictatorship in this country and we're now heading for a European dictatorship--- with Tony Blair as the dictator. The man ought to be behind bars for what he has done.
Also can anybody tell me how a cost of £44 million per day, to be part of it, can be justified. Surely it would be better spent getting this country out of debt rather than feathering the nests of people like the Kinnocks and the Blairs!
Hell mend him Because hell is where he ought to be. My skin crawled when a recent photo showed him enjoying his life to the full. Showing hin with a superscilious grin on his face days after more of soldiers had been killed in Afghanastan. Has the man no shame? He ought to hang his head in shame not only for sending our boys to fight a bogus war in Iraq but also in his complicity in the state he and Gordon Brown left this country in when he left office. The only thing that would make me say yes to see him as president would be the thought that he would be a target for assassination.
Blair is a liar and a cheat. He led us into an illegal war and was the overseer of the British economic meltdown. For me he is useless and would not encourage me to support Europe
Tony Blair is a war criminal and he should be be tried in the Hague for his illegal war and for the murder of probably 750,000 innocent Iraq's, for which he is personally responsible.
Bliar for EU President? This must be a sick joke.
ALL the previous comments have said it all..theres nothing left for me to say except that I am in total accord with their views and comments.Talk about "jobs for the boyos" indeed! Cronyism at its very worst...Excuse me while I puke.
If the European Parliament was fully
elected, then more people may be happy to support them. Until the Auditors sign off the books, after 14 years of not doing so, that should sent warning bells to every man,woman, & child in every country that are members.Ireland bewear of false promises.
The first comment by Panta Rei, an EU supporter, suggests she/he needs to understand that in a democracy, the future plans are presented to the people by those who wish to put them into practice.Voting only for inidividuals with different coloured rosettes is a mediaevel peasant standard of democracy. We may as well bring back our old aristocacy. At least they might have some fondness for us.
At one time Tony Blair stated that Britain needed to leave the E.U. when the Conservatives in power at the time, appeared in favour. His opinion then took a completely opposite view. Why? Well a cartoon printed in the Democracy Movement's
magazine, back in the late 90s,showed him climbing up to a throne as the new E.U. president. At the time I thought the picture was maybe going over the top in cynicism. Apparently not.
Well said everyone except the first one by Panta Rei who is obviously deep in the snout trough. No to Lisbon No to Blair and No to Federal Europe Dictatorship. The Soviet European Union is "shambling towards Jerusalem trying to get born" The quicker we get out of this disasterous mess the better.
Blair should be on trial at the Hague, never mind standing for President of Europe.
It makes me feel quite ill to imagine Blair back on our screens patronising us with his myth of problem solving with no policy - this time for the whole of Europe!
And what a huge clothes budget for Cherie?
Please Ireland - blow him and this illegal Treaty of Lisbon out of the water and do it again with your good common sense - vote NO, NO. AND NO AGAIN!
B.M.
How disgraceful that the EU is trying to bribe Ireland into voting yes to the Lisbon treaty next referndum...or should it be they are blackmailing this tiny country into doing what the EUrostocracy demands.....Disgusting.....and even more disgusting that Glenys Kinnock should be supporting Bliar into being even Jim the Lavatory Attendant, never mind the EU President......but then you have to laugh at our appalling pamntomime of government which has been out of tune with the electorate for so lon. The only thing it is efficient at is believing it has a right to taxpayers money as a means of boosting a bank account, and flaunting the law of fraud which applies to everyone else in this country........except MP's......and now of course Euro MP's couldnt' give a stuff about democracy as long as they can hang onto power any corrupt way but lose.........
Bet next election they'll be asking......why isn't anyone voting at the EU elections.....yeah why??????
I am outraged,but perhaps it is a poisonous chalice which Brown wants him to drink from? I am once again considering leaving the Labour party....Blair was and remains a self-important preacher wit only one policy to his credit, Ireland. He will not be successful in Europe unless making a greater mess of things is counted as such.
I wonder how many Irish voters would vote for Tony Blair to be their leader
Down with the EU and down with Bliar!
Lets all get out of Europe and start trading and interacting with each other like we used to. We do not need a European Stasi-State to make that work.
If the EU continues to exist European countries WILL wake up one day on Animal Farm.
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