Merkel and Sarkozy unite to end Blair's European dream
Former prime minister's bid for EU presidency founders as continent's most powerful leaders announce they would prefer candidate from smaller country
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Tony Blair's heavy-handed presidential bid may have foundered on a failure of campaigners to secure the backing of key European leaders Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy
Tony Blair's hopes of becoming the first President of Europe have been dealt a potentially lethal blow by France and Germany. The European Union's two most powerful nations appeared to slam the door on a bid by the former prime minister to become President of the European Council.
At the end of a two-day EU summit in Brussels, Nicolas Sarkozy, the French President, suggested they had a different candidate in mind for the prestigious post about to be created by the Lisbon Treaty.
"The names that first come out of the hat are not necessarily those that are finally chosen," he told journalists. "With Chancellor Merkel, we completely agree that we are going to have the same approach, the same vision and support the same candidate when the time comes. I think it's very important that France and Germany, on a choice that is as important as this one, show their determination to walk hand-in-hand down this road."
The two leaders are believed to have thrashed out a common approach to the job at a private meeting on the eve of the summit.
Mr Sarkozy's comments were particularly wounding as he is a well-known admirer of Mr Blair and two years ago advocated his candidacy. Britain's absence from both the eurozone and the Schengen "open borders" area are thought to have counted against Mr Blair in Paris.
Although the German Chancellor Angela Merkel has remained inscrutable on the issue, EU diplomats believe she is searching for an alternative to the former prime minister. She indicated that she thought the first President of Europe under the Lisbon Treaty should be from a "small" member state – and that does not include the UK.
A vigorous pro-Blair campaign by UK ministers and diplomats appeared to have backfired as a series of nations indicated they wanted someone with a lower profile for the post. They signalled they wanted the successful candidate to concentrate on the EU and its institutions rather than to be a big personality on the world stage.
Even Gordon Brown acknowledged that the chances were not good for Mr Blair, telling his own summit press conference: "I recognise that there are many candidates who may come forward but I do believe that Tony Blair will remain an excellent candidate."
Two solid frontrunners are Luxembourg's Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker and the Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende – both leaders of "small" EU states.
British attention was switching in Brussels to the prospects of David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, landing the other big post created by the Lisbon Treaty.
Mr Miliband again insisted he was "not available" and "not a candidate" for the job of EU High Representative, the equivalent of a foreign minister.
However, diplomats across the EU suggested a British candidate would be ideal for the post. One source told The Independent: "Miliband may be saying 'no', but he's a perfect fit for the job. He would make a good counterpart to a more low-key President."
A source close to Martin Schultz, leader of the Socialist group in the European Parliament, said: "Miliband has a good reputation and his standing is good. He is seen as someone who is pro-European and constructive."
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Comments
Could this mean that he is no longer "bemused"?
How about "electing" the person for the role?
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I guess democracy is too subversive for the EU.
Don't get me wrong, I'm PRO... but there are conditions...
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http://europeanpp.wordpress.com/
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join us
It's not.
Do you really think that the "election" of the US president has regularly elected the best person for the job, or even someone worthy of the job?
Democracy has been called the "tyranny of the majority" you know, and in these numbers of voters has much more to do with money the legitimate persuasion.
Look how disjointed the current UK voter feels from his/her MP, and there are only 70,000 or so voters involved.
and that depends on IF the council want to sideline the president of the commission in these roles.
This whole thing of fearing this "president" .. is a joke .. its being used by right wing nut jobs to scare the British people and its unacceptable.
I am defending the council presidency that the Conservatives and the media are drawing more attention to than it deserves.
They are telling lies, they are scaremongering and they are making fools of the British people. That I find completely unacceptable.
Anyway the title "President" is ludicrous; the job entails chairing four meetings a year and nothing else
Obviously, equality of opportunity or who is the best candidate for the job are irrelevant!
Having said which, Blair is certainly not,/b> the best candidate for the job. The electorate that knows him best, i.e. the British one, would be most unlikely to vote for him!
Just a suggestion. :)
How really stupid do Merkel & Zarkozy believe that the rest of us are?!?!?!!
Can you make the situation any more obvious???? PLEASE!!!!!!!!
Tony Bliar is now hated in all 27 countries of the European Union.
This is not the first time Steve Richards has shown evidence of shaky political judgment. Why is he still in his job?
Perhaps Blair might like to donate some of his ill-gotten millions to putting right the immeasurable misery he has caused in Iraq, rather than trying to impose the same chaos across Europe.
Blair? The man who helped create a major depression by his inadequacy and incompetence in failing to face up to the issues (the only justice being that the UK got it worse than all the others they dragged down with them), the man seen as Bush's poodle who, if EU President would have had the fastest comms system in creation so that he could get instructions from Washington.
No, IMV the interesting bit is which meeja mogul created this story line and for what purpose?
1. Sign the following petition: http://www.stopblair.eu/
2. Contact your MP and MEPs to enlist their support against him, via: http://www.writetothem.com/
3. Contact your friends by e-mail and ask them to do the same.
The sooner Blair gets in front of the judges at The Hague the better as far as I'm concerned.
Yes, the majority of our ignorant voting population (the USA) was hoodwinked by the egregious conniving and disingenuous lies, spewed by radical, sleaze-ball President Obama, during his campaign-but rest assured, if he is unable to permanently change the systemic nature of our Democracy (as he desperately conspires to do), by next November, 2010-he and his cohorts, will be voted out of office in 2003. After less than 9 months of his leadership, his buffoonery was clear. Either he is naive, inexperienced and an imbecile; or he is naive, inexperienced and strongly driven by subversive ulterior-motives, which are too heinous and/or unacceptable to disclose. Today, clear-minded Americans know that he is not an idiot, so we must do whatever is within our power to stop his destructive wrath. On the other hand, it is alarming and shameful to see British subjects, sitting around, rubbing one another on how bad Blair was and would be as EU Chief while, you at the same time, allow his low Marxist, "global warming is in my crotch" successor Gordon Brown, have his way with you.
Yes, the majority of our ignorant voting population (the USA) was hoodwinked by the egregious conniving and disingenuous lies, spewed by radical, sleaze-ball President Obama, during his campaign-but rest assured, if he is unable to permanently change the systemic nature of our Democracy (as he desperately conspires to do), by next November, 2010-he and his cohorts, will be voted out of office in 2003. After less than 9 months of his leadership, his buffoonery was clear. Either he is naive, inexperienced and an imbecile; or he is naive, inexperienced and strongly driven by subversive ulterior-motives, which are too heinous and/or unacceptable to disclose. Today, clear-minded Americans know that he is not an idiot, so we must do whatever is within our power to stop his destructive wrath. On the other hand, it is alarming and shameful to see British subjects, sitting around, rubbing one another on how bad Blair was and would be as EU Chief while, you at the same time, allow his low Marxist, "global warming is in my crotch" successor Gordon Brown, have his way with you.
In stereo, no less.
How refreshing to have intelligent analysis, free from the sort of abusive, ill-educated mouthing-off that characterizes ...
Er...
I'll get me coat.
Time to get GET REAL!!
Best news I've heard in a long time. To think that this vain egotist, war criminal and U.S Toady (always a big hit with the Europeans) and downright traitor would become President of the E.U beggars belief.
The laughable British ''Diplomacy" of Chairman Broon's attempt to browbeat Sarkosy with the 'Get real!' line and Millibands view that Blair "Would Stop Traffic' is absolutely cretinous. Why would the cause of a gridlocked Traffic Jam in a major European city not to mention the security nightmare be a recommendation? Perhaps Milliband had a clouded vision of his great leader in the old open -top Merc with the motor cycle outriders routine- forgetting to re-run those old black and white flics in his mind of President Kennedy in Dallas. After all Blair has made a lot of enemies particularly in the Arab and Muslim world. Oh dear we forgot about that.
However jolly the schardenfreude to see Broown and Bliar get such a richly deserved kicking there lies a more chilling undercurrent to all this. It is yet another reminder that we are governed by a third rate set of idiots who really should not be running a Parish Council. They have such a weak grasp of REALITY that there is no doubt in my mind that its time to GET REAL and FACE FACTS about the situation.
It is obvious to me that under the caveat 'DO AS WE SAY NOT AS WE DO' (Can some nice classics scholar please translate that into Latin for me please? Would look good on the Houses of Parliament coat of arms) Broons inner, inner INNER clique spend their fraudulent expense claims on swinging from the chandeliers : Mary Jane , Billy- Whizz,and Charley, are all their best mates and Th' H . Th' Uppers and Downers, Tranks, Crystal Meths are no strangers either.
THE HARD FACT behind todays other BIG NEWS STORY is that Professor ''Nutty Professor'' Nutt was about to blow the whistle on these nefarious activities, in the spirit of David Kelly and Greg Dyke and that is the REALITY behind his getting the sack!
So remember kids, just say no to drugs!
http://erol-a.deviantart.com/art/Presid
Any dispassionate observer surely must conclude that the whole world government idea is nothing more than another case of a penny-ante megalomaniac's dream of lording it over the entire world.
No amount of maneuvering and manipulating can circumvent the reality that man will not live in support of a system that subverts his own self-interest with some ideological ideal imposed upon him by another strong enough to be immune to it.
Can we now get this vile piece of work in front of a jury please and investigate the cover ups/Inside jobs of 9/11 and 7/7 and the murder of a million and a half Iraqis on a pack of lies.....
Also the signing away of our freedom and democracy to Europe and the police state that the UK now resembles all on LIES.....
You better pray to that God Boney Blair...You are going straight to hell.
What do you see in that Mirror Boney Blair?
You are going to a very dark place one day my man....
And you know why.....
Agreed, his motorcade stops traffic, so did Hitlers, another man who relished starting unjust wars.
He ruled DESPITE, not on behalf of, the UK public.
Him and his woefully inept successor have left the public in a sorry downtrodden state so please don't be surprised if we enjoy watching Brown and Blair as they are picked apart.
They think it's all over........................it IS now.