Blair for President? 'Not necessarily a good idea,' says his former adviser
And polls throughout Europe – and 38,000 petition signatories – agree. Jane Merrick reports on the gathering momentum to stop the former PM
Digg
del.icio.us
Facebook
Reddit
Google
Stumble Upon
Fark
Newsvine
YahooBuzz
Bebo
Twitter
Independent Minds
enlarge
Tony Blair's former chief adviser on the EU has misgivings about the ex-prime minister becoming President of Europe, as the campaign to overturn his bid gathers pace.
Sir Stephen Wall – one of the key architects of the post of EU president – said a high-profile figure such as Mr Blair was "not necessarily a very good idea" and cast doubt on his ability to build consensus among EU leaders. A figure from a smaller state would send a "unifying signal", he added.
The surprise intervention came amid growing signs that a President Blair would not be welcomed by ordinary citizens of Europe, despite their leaders showing support.
Research by The Independent on Sunday suggests a democratic discrepancy between voters and national leaders – who wield the votes for the new president. The findings are supported by a European-wide petition to stop Mr Blair taking the post, which comes with a string of perks. Nearly 38,000 people have signed the petition, yet he remains a favourite with bookmakers and with a growing number of EU leaders.
After the IoS asked readers' opinions last week, hundreds responded – and those saying No to Mr Blair outnumbered Yes by 20 to 1. His role in the Iraq war was the main complaint. As the process for choosing a European Council president draws to a close later this year, Mr Blair is expected to appear before the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq war.
Comments from readers and petitioners suggest that Mr Blair appears to have misjudged the public anger that still exists over Iraq. Last night sources close to the former prime minister claimed he remained focused on his job as Middle East envoy and was "really enjoying his new life".
The EU president, a role created by the Lisbon Treaty, will be decided before the end of this year, with only Vaclav Klaus, the Czech president, yet to ratify the charter. Despite voters' opposition, EU leaders appear to be inching towards acclamation of Mr Blair at a meeting in Brussels in December. Yet Sir Stephen, who criticised Mr Blair over Iraq, said in an interview with the journal European Voice that the ex-PM would not be suitable if the post was designed for consensus-building in the 27-nation bloc.
Sir Stephen was the UK's permanent representative to the EU between 1995 and 2000, before working as Mr Blair's European adviser until 2004. During his time at No 10, Sir Stephen helped devise the posts of president and European foreign affairs representative.
Asked about the possibility of a high-profile figure such as Mr Blair as president, Sir Stephen said: "[That] is not necessarily a very good idea."
On whether he thought the first president should be from a smaller member state, he said: "I think that it would help a lot as a signal. As a unifying signal, it should be thought about." He added that the disadvantage of appointing such a personality was that they would be "trampling on what should be done by the high representative".
He said if Mr Blair were appointed "you do have someone who is seen as someone who counts and can articulate his vision". But he added: "The powers are very constrained. If the president of the United States did phone a President Tony Blair to ask for something, then Blair could only respond that he would 'consult 27 governments and see what we can do'."
Some 18,845 Britons have signed the petition. The rest are made up of 2,882 Belgians, 2,777 French, 1,538 Austrians, 1,417 from Spain and 1,409 from Germany. Others are from the Netherlands, Portugal, Greece, Italy and Ireland.
A poll last week found 47 per cent of Britons were opposed to Mr Blair, with 35 per cent in favour. But Gordon Brown has backed him for the job, and leaders in Spain, Italy and Denmark are said to be in favour. France's Nicolas Sarkozy has, so far, been indecisive.
Meanwhile, the Czech president, Vaclav Klaus, in an interview yesterday, suggested he was softening his hardline opposition to signing the treaty. He told the newspaper Lidove Noviny that despite his continued opposition, it was too late to stop it.
Additional reporting by Paul Bignell and Rachel Shields
The alternative front-runners
Jan Peter Balkenende 4/1: Current Dutch PM, a Christian Democrat once described as a 'petit bourgeois Harry Potter'
Jean-Claude Juncker 5/1: Prime Minister of Luxembourg, author of the Maastricht Treaty and therefore creator of the euro
Paavo Lipponen 6/1: Former PM of Finland, a social democrat who supported the Iraq war but is not a toxic figure in Europe
Mary Robinson 8/1: Former president of Ireland and UN human rights chief whose odds at Ladbrokes shortened yesterday
View all comments that have been posted about this article.
Offensive or abusive comments will be removed and your IP logged and may be used to prevent further submission. In submitting a comment to the site, you agree to be bound by the Independent Minds Terms of Service.
- Print Article
- Email Article
-
Click here for copyright permissions
Copyright 2009 Independent News and Media Limited
Comments
Non-Eurozone country
UK might secede under the Tories
President Blair seems pretty implausible from here.
Needs must.
.
It depends on what the objective is. You can either be sensible, like the leaders of the Benelux and put a block on any British candidate (Euro/Schengen deficient country) or you could appoint someone who will be widely contested by the European people from the very beginning, leading to further calls of reform.
.
This is politics, not ethics. If you work for the Commission or the European Parliament, your long term strategy would be better served by Blair. People would protest, they would say it's not fair nor democratic, the next Constitutional revision would almost certainly have to make the role an elected role and, in the long run, it would help erode the power of the Council (the nation-states) versus the power of the supra-national institutions. Blair is also a face everybody knows, so people would get used to having a European President AND people would know who the President is. You give this idiot the job for two years and you earn yourself a deeper sense of European Identity, in practical terms.
.
The sensible option would be to elect a President of unblemished reputation whose name is hard to remember, spell or pronounce, an unknown person from a Eurozone country that would diligently chair the meetings and probably stick to the task, rather than strut around the World making speeches and trying to pally up to Obama as the President of something even bigger. This so called "sensible option" would create a situation where Barroso, the President and the Foreign affairs guy would all be the faces of European leadership, the nation-states would retain the lion's share of decision making and the European people (many of them) would not know who their own President is.
.
Interesting to see what happens..
It is such a pity we can't have a General Election right now, a Cameron led Government and the Lisbon Treaty not full ratified would be all such fun. We do indeed live in interesting times.
We in Britain are all war criminals in our complicity in her actions, for not speaking out against this despot, and the system which affords her the power to declare war and appoint her own choice of prime minister (no, we didn't elect Blair, we elected new labour - it was Liz who gets to choose the prime minister, and the monarchy DO excercise that power, having rejected the people's choice of PM's in the past)
My Iraqi mate Walid Sharif once said "I object to the yanks exporting their version of 'barrel gun democracy' to our country, but what makes me really sick is the Brits's version, with their unelected head of state. In terms of checks & balances, what's the difference between the Queen & Saddam Hussein?"
What the hell, if we keep the Queen for England, lets have Blair for EU President.
It would be a disgrace if he were ever to exert his baleful influence on the political stage again.
President Bliar won't be paying much attention to the wishes of europe and europeans if he gets the job. One can't help but feel that Prez Bliar would have two major tasks on his agenda aside from the usual jostling to get his snout as deep as possible in to the euro trough.
One half of Bliar's role would be devoted to concentrating as much power as possible into the control of president. The other half of Bliar's time would be spent using his newly acquired and possibly unconstitutional powers to ensuring US got what it wanted aheacd of anything europe may desire.
I can't help but wonder why this nasty little man is so desperate to keep hanging on to power. Sure some of it will be to ensure there is no meaningful war crimes investigation into the england leaderships' involvement in the deception about WMD.
I wonder if the other is to also ensure there is no more wide ranging enquiry into US recruitment of Oxbridge undergrads to be agents of influence for the US.
The Bliar isn't alone amongst oxbridge graduates from non top drawer families that appear to be more interested in aiding and abetting washington DC than they are caring about their own countrymen and women.
"and 38,000 petition signatories"
Really, I would have thought it would have numbered in the tens of millions!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=1
Actually, looking at the list it's mostly pretty dire. How about Paavo Lipponen, eh? Water-polo playing possible former Stasi and KGB, now an "advisor" for Russian gas interests. Hmmmm....
However, my choice is Mary Robinson, a tireless campaigner for human rights. Just maybe she would be the right person to give the EU a bit of moral backbone. Or maybe I'm just deluding myself.
I am utterly appauled at the prospect to Blair becoming EU president
I, like MILLIONS of others, took exception to the lies, cover-ups and underling to the USA that appears to have gone on leading up to and after the Iraq war. Playing the EU for dummies as a stooge of American greed.
Do not underestimate the strength of feeling the public has underlined by a massive cut in Labours majority.
I am outraged that such an unsavoury character with the blood of tens of thousands of innocents on his hands can even be considered for such a position.
This man lead our country into war based on lies and deciet.
A man who took the priveleges of the highest of office of our country only to show his contempt for it and its people by turning his back on Britain by resigning from parliament to work for the Americans as a (irony of ironies) Middle East Peace Envoy. And now he wants to be President of the EU?
What short memories we have. Not me.
Is there an online petition some place that people can register their dissapproval? If so, then pleas can you let us all know.
Thanks
But they failed: what Sir Stephen says is actually in expliit form in the Lisbon Treaty; the job description is one to lead Council meetings, and the EU's representation abroad is to be done without hindering the High Representative.
Even among the supposed supporters mentioned in the article, I am surprised to find Spain -- from everything I read, I'd assume the opposite.
There is Finland, too, which presumably won't issue an opinion on Blair because they have a candidate of their own in Lipponen. Whom I am also surprised to be called a supporter of the Iraq war without qualifications. Lipponen certainly did not support the Iraq War in public, but a political opponent who succeeded him as Finnish PM claimed that he did so in a confidential meeting with Bush. Making that claim based on leaked documents eventually cost her her job, while Lipponen's side maintained that Finland underlined its position that there should be no invasion without UN SC authorisation even in that meeting.
the middle east. There is nothing this man
has achieved or ever will. The man is,of course
only in it ,for the money. Now he wants to get
hold of euros as well as pounds and dollars.
He has proven to be non capable politician ,but
gifted in marketing himself, like some pop star.
Perhaps england be better off with Mr Beckham
for peace envoy to the world. After all the job
seems to be about looks and marketing