Viva El Presidente?
It's always nice when a blatant piece of Blair puffery appears in the pages of the Guardian - even people like us, veteran watchers of a proven liar who surrounds himself with professional con artists, often struggle to understand what's going on in what passes for Tony's mind. 'Some Blair allies' planting stories bigging him up as EU President 'if it comes with real powers to intervene in defence and trade affairs' allows us to see the truth - naked lust for unaccountable power and weapons. Which is, of course, what we'd concluded anyway, but it's nice to have another data point on the graph.
Really though, this should be a non-starter. Germany will be opposed*, while Sarkozeon Bonaparte in France will be well up for it, which on its own should put the British public right off. We don't like Europe, we don't like the French and we certainly don't like Tony Blair. Combine the three and John Bull should get the raspberry out. The Sun, of course, will suddenly discover a love of all things European at this point, doubtless pushing Tony as Our Man, telling those soft foreigners a few home truths, but the Sun ain't what it was, recently dropping below the 3m copies mark for the first time since 1974. Ironically, the otherwise ghastly Daily Mail, which is faring rather better, will oppose 'President Blair' on every possible level, since they hate Blair and Europe and foreigners.
[More at Chick Yog]
* It is, however, a trifle worrying that the Germans are apparently pushing an Austrian to be President of Europe. Will they ever learn?
The thought of this baby
The thought of this baby killer becoming president of anything turns my bowels to liquid. He will be trying to dragoon the otherwise fairly sensible :-) EU into invading and occupying any country the US decides. They now have him bought AND PAID FOR. Incidentally, if he is the pres of the EU, would it give him immunity from prosecution for war crimes?
How can we let him know HE IS NOT ACCEPTABLE TO US IN THE UK?
You shouldn't worry too much
You shouldn't worry too much about the new office of "permanent" President (actually, two and a half years, renewable once) of the EU and, therefore, whether it's going to be Tony Blair or not.
Firstly, the idea is an old one : Giscard (then President of France) was hawking it around in the late 1970s as you can read in Roy Jenkins's Brussels diaries and he finally got the chance to put the idea into effect when he chaired the Constitutional Convention which is the forerunner, if you will, of the present Lisbon Treaty. A lot of Member States were not very keen on the idea, but, as these negotiations often go, accepted it in the end without real fuss. That they did so is probably due to the Treaty wording that defines his role (pretty vague) and the fact that they can work to limit his powers once the Union starts drafting the "Rules of Procedure" for the European Council which the Presdent is supposed to chair.
Don't forget that this guy will only be a figure-head, or at worst an "urger" and "progress chaser". Legislation will continue to be adopted by Council and Parliament according to Treaty procedures. Foreign policy will continue in most cases to be governed by unanimity and in any event there will be the new "Foreign Minister" (not named as such any more) to provide a counter-balance.
Finally, not convinced that Blair will get it, all the more so as this appointment will be part of a package with a number of others.