Blairs fading EU Presidential hopes

[elbows]

I see that the press are reporting that Blairs chances of becoming the EU president are fading. Oh what a shame

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8333192.stm

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/oct/29/tony-blair-european-council-presidency

To be honest Ive never been convinced he was a cert for that job, and wondered if it wasnt just overhyped by the British press trying to put a UK-centric spin on the whole presidential issue?

Its amusing to read that one of the reasons his hopes fade is that a centre-right politician is likely to get the job, as if Blair was not of the right, but I assume its to do with European political groupings where technically he would be part of the socialist block.

Nice to see some of the quotes from people suggesting his chances are low because of his links to Bush & war.

I wonder if Blair not becoming the president will make the EU issue any easier for the Tories to handle, I guess it might help them not to self-destruct over Europe a bit, but on the otherhand someone with a foreign name will get the job, and there is a suggestion that the socialists/left will be looking to get one of their own into the high representative for foreign affairs role in exchange for backing a right-wing president. Milibands name is being touted but again I dont know if this is Brit bias in our press or a likely outcome, and again the idea he is a socialist is a tad hard to swallow.

Of course Id prefer it if we had some say in selecting the president but I suppose there is a danger we'd have to get Wogan on commentary due to the risk of eurovision-like voting along national lines.

Anybody know much about the other candidates?

 

[butchersapron]

Might as least see an end to Berlusconi's utterly shameless, i support you you keep me out of jail approach -although he'll probably move onto the next favourite.

 

[London_Calling]

Bit daft to say who you don't want without knowing the other candidates. Yes, they could be even worse.

Though not likely.

 

[goldenecitrone]

Apparently Blair's chances faded shortly after Gordon Brown declared his full support. Does everything Gordon touches turn to shite?

 

[Hocus Eye.]

There is one possibly worse person then Blair and that would be Peter Meddlesome whom I think is the one behind Brown pushing for Blair to get the job.

Mandelson had after all been 'Our Man in Brussels' for a long time. Mandelson the king-maker already has Blair owing him a lot and it would suit him to have Blair his puppet in such a nominally high position through Mandelson's machinations behind the scene.

I am not sure why Brown wants Blair as the new Napoleon, it can't do Brown's government any good. Or has Brown already given up on winning the next UK election and just aiming to discomfit the incoming Tory government who will hate Blair being President.

I am hopeful that the rest of the European ministers will stick to their objection to Blair based on his support for Bush and his part in the Iraq war.

 

[butchersapron]

That's not their objection!

 

[gabi]

Well done europe... looks like they're gonna install Jean-Claude Juncker - Luxembourg's prime minister. That'll get their attention across the atlantic!

 

[nick h.]

Good to see that Blair has still got a bit of pariah status from the war. Shame it doesn't dent his £10m per annum earnings though.

 

[19sixtysix]

Well done europe... looks like they're gonna install Jean-Claude Juncker - Luxembourg's prime minister. That'll get their attention across the atlantic!

Well if across the Atlantic only understand Europe if we install a bloody war mongering bastard as president I say fuck them. I will be glad if the first president is not a war hungry murderer.

 

[gabi]

Well if across the Atlantic only understand Europe if we install a bloody war mongering bastard as president I say fuck them. I will be glad if the first president is not a war hungry murderer.

Heard of pragmatism? Nope, thought not.

Like it or not, Blair's a political superstar. That influence can only further Europe's interests. I highly doubt Luxembourg's PM will have the same effect. Happy to be proven wrong however.

 

[elbows]

That's not their objection!

Its one of the stated objections, how much it has to do with the reality is another matter:

Austrian Chancellor Werner Fayman, who will be one of the three on the panel, expressed doubts about Mr Blair's prospects.
Mr Fayman said: "My personal opinion is that the candidate ... should have an especially good relationship with (President Barack) Obama and not stand for a good working relationship with Bush."

 

[elbows]

Bit daft to say who you don't want without knowing the other candidates. Yes, they could be even worse.

Though not likely.

Yeah they could be worse, but at least I dont know how bad they are, but with Blair I've long been sick of his baggage and style so for me any other candidate really is preferable. Better the devil you dont know in this case.

 

[butchersapron]

Its one of the stated objections, how much it has to do with the reality is another matter:

Very little. It's just playing to the gallery. The real reasons are totally tied up with achieving their own domestic and EU wide own (austerity, privatisation, flexibility etc). Blair's unpopularity on the ground due to his association with Bush and the Iraq war etc might make achieving those aims that little bit harder, but they've not turned against him out of disgust at his past policies. It's because he might be an obstacle to themsuccesfully following similar policies - domestically anyway.

 

[elbows]

Very little. It's just playing to the gallery. The real reasons are totally tied up with achieving their own domestic and EU wide own (austerity, privatisation, flexibility etc). Blair's unpopularity on the ground due to his association with Bush and the Iraq war etc might make achieving those aims that little bit harder, but they've not turned against him out of disgust at his past policies. It's because he might be an obstacle to themsuccesfully following similar policies - domestically anyway.

Yeah I agree it isnt about disgust, but I reckon they are quite sensitive to how well the EU will work with the USA in future and I think the USA wants no reminders of the Bush era, heck they tried to pretend Bush didnt exist long before he was out of office and he's since become an unperson.

 

[CyberRose]

It's not an "EU President" it's the President of the Council. The media have been extremely irresponsible, unprofessional and misleading in the reporting of this issue. The post already exists but now it rotates every six months between each member state. The change is to provide consistency and direction for the EU, but the President (and current presidency) has no actual powers other than to chair meetings of the Council (altho that will obviously bring considerable influence). Basically, it will be the equivalent to the President of the Commission (currently Jose Barosso).

 

[elbows]

It's not an "EU President" it's the President of the Council. The media have been extremely irresponsible, unprofessional and misleading in the reporting of this issue. The post already exists but now it rotates every six months between each member state. The change is to provide consistency and direction for the EU, but the President (and current presidency) has no actual powers other than to chair meetings of the Council (altho that will obviously bring considerable influence). Basically, it will be the equivalent to the President of the Commission (currently Jose Barosso).

Well you have a point there, although I think this sloppiness extends well beyond the media, to politicians with an axe to grind over the EU, and indeed it is commonly referred to as the EU presidency, a trend that goes back far further than the Lisbon changes.

The President of the Commission will still have more power than the president of the council as far as I can tell?

Whilst we are on the subject of sloppiness of reporting on European matters, how come the Council of Europe hardly ever get a mention? I know this is a European as opposed to EU thing, and maybe it has no teeth, but how come its so far off the radar?

 

[elbows]

Oh I found something funny about the council of Europe.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/5126852.stm

Tony Blair has recently recorded a rather odd interview with the comedian Eddie Izzard, which has been released as a podcast on the Downing Street website. When Eddie Izzard remarks that there's something called the Council of Europe and something called the European Council, Mr Blair, using his "I've been told to be nice to you" voice says: "The one you need to worry about is the European Council because that is where the leaders turn up." He adds sarcastically: "It is not that the Council of Europe is not immensely important..."

Is it the Council of Europe that came up with the European Human Rights stuff and did the investigation of War On Terror Torture?

 

[taffboy gwyrdd]

It's not an "EU President" it's the President of the Council. The media have been extremely irresponsible, unprofessional and misleading in the reporting of this issue. The post already exists but now it rotates every six months between each member state. The change is to provide consistency and direction for the EU, but the President (and current presidency) has no actual powers other than to chair meetings of the Council (altho that will obviously bring considerable influence). Basically, it will be the equivalent to the President of the Commission (currently Jose Barosso).

It's all part of the EU doublespeak. Everyone refers to "the president" and then says "oh no, it's not a real president...you just dont understand", then back to "president this" and "president that" as s/he is paraded and feted around the world.

A president-who-isnt-a-president to go with a constitution-that-isn't-a-constitution.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

It's a shame for Tone. Would have been interesting to see how the next Tory government deals with him being el presidente. My guess is that they'd smash the role in to obscurity.

But surely this is going to happen whichever former PM gets the job?

They should give it to me, I'm fucking great at spunking money.

 

[CyberRose]

It's all part of the EU doublespeak.

No it's all part of, as you correctly point out, people who don't understand...

 

[CyberRose]

Whilst we are on the subject of sloppiness of reporting on European matters, how come the Council of Europe hardly ever get a mention? I know this is a European as opposed to EU thing, and maybe it has no teeth, but how come its so far off the radar?

As you point out, the Council of Europe does the European Court of Human Rights so probably gets mentioned more than you think (altho most people think this court is part of the EU, rather than CoE)

 

[trevhagl]

Bit daft to say who you don't want without knowing the other candidates. Yes, they could be even worse.

Though not likely.

how many other murderers are up for election?

 

[Nylock]

Whether the role has any actual powers or not, it would be a fucking disgrace if blair took the presidency. The man should be fucking indicted not elected to political office again. I'm glad his hopes are fading -i wouldn't trust him to ride a fucking bike in a straight line. His past behaviour over iraq has shown that he has the backbone of a jellyfish and the moral compass of a cockroach.

He can go fuck himself

 

[trevhagl]

Whether the role has any actual powers or not, it would be a fucking disgrace if blair took the presidency. The man should be fucking indicted not elected to political office again. I'm glad his hopes are fading -i wouldn't trust him to ride a fucking bike in a straight line. His past behaviour over iraq has shown that he has the backbone of a jellyfish and the moral compass of a cockroach.

He can go fuck himself