Over at The Independent, Ed Davey writes about the possibility of Tony Blair becoming the EU’s President:
It’s a long-standing gripe of pro-Europeans that historically Britain has played a poor hand in Europe. Too often disdainful, disengaged or domestically divided, Labour and the Tories have sold the country short. For different reasons, their posturing over Blair’s presidential ambitions is in danger of throwing away another golden opportunity for Britain.
Labour’s push for Blair is wrong on two counts. Firstly, he is simply too soiled for export. His disastrous decision to side with President Bush over the invasion of Iraq was horribly divisive in Europe. All those wounds will be re-opened when Blair faces the Chilcott inquiry into the Iraq war. The vast majority of Europeans who opposed the war will no doubt watch those hearings in bafflement if this man becomes a senior European figure again.
You can read Ed Davey’s full piece here.
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7 Comments
Given the poll on Blair is such a clear No, how about having a poll on pro-European Brits instead.
Perhaps Shirley Williams might consider the role? Or, Paddy Ashdown? There are plenty of wise and diplomatic senior LibDems who’d be far better than choices from the list of the usual suspects.
How about having a poll where the public gets a direct vote for whichever has-been is being put up for it.
How about we have a poll on whether we want a president at all.
Oops, sorry, I forgot. We’re not allowed one.
Iainm: We have a President already. So the vote would have to be on the narrow issue of “should the President have a term of 6 months or 30.” No-one is going to put that to a referendum. If you really want a referendum, let’s have one on the only issue that can be answered sensibly: in or out?
The change in the Lisbon Treaty extends the period of office of the President from six months (with six either side as incoming and outgoing President) to 30 months. Also, at the moment you get to do the job by rota not whether you are any good!)
‘In or out’ is fine by me.
It is interesting to see how the EU members stands for Blair’s participation.
Tony Blair, is just, well, Tony Blair.
So much front.