Nation-saving

Forget nation-building says Diana West. We should be concentrating on nation-saving ... our own.

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Dangerously myopic

Most papers are running with it, but it is The Times which has it as its lead item – the support of David Miliband for Tony Blair's as yet undeclared candidacy for the position of supreme leader of the European Union (European Council division). According to Miliband, Blair should be made head of a stronger European Union "that would be able to compete with China and the United States on the world stage". The new EU president needed to be someone who "stopped the traffic" in Washington and Beijing and was guaranteed the highest access to world leaders.

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"precisely because of the anticipated Tory reaction, believing – quite wrongly – that a Cameron administration will be "eurosceptic""

That's a correct observation regarding Germany.

The President of the EU is going to want transport which reflects what he/she stands for.
There's really only one possible supplier: http://www.amo-zil.ru/zil_eng/66.html#view

But surely there's a lot to be said for having a dead person as POTEU? Think of the savings on security. He/she could be delivered to conferences overnight by DHL. I'd happy for the horse's arse to get the job on this basis. The sooner the better, in fact. And if Obama needs to speak to someone representing Europe during a crisis, he could be put through to a call centre in Bangalore.

The only competing we'll be doing with the US is how fast we can screw up our economies thanks to eco-Nazis. Competition with China will come down to whether or not our howls of protest will drown out their gleeful laughter as they see us voluntarily emasculating ourselves.

As for Cameron, the only chance he's EVER going to be at playing the role of a real Prime Minister is if he grows a big enough pair to allow us to exercise the right to vote on whether or not to pull out of the EU. If we vote to stay in then we deserve every shovel of shit that is going to get slung our way. If we vote no then we might get our sovereignty and our dignity back. Or, of course, Vaclav Klaus might pull off the impossible and hang on for another few months. That'll put Cameron on the spot, wouldn't it...

But then, if Caligua could appoint his horse as a Senator of ancient Rome, it seems appropriate that we should see a horse's arse appointed as Emperor of the new Rome. If we really want failure, it may as well be spectacular.

Brilliant.

The internal threat we face from Islam is altogether different from the one from the EU. For one, it is a totally alien culture and about as alien it can get, while still remaining on this planet.

I really don't think Camoron could ever grow a big enough pair to give us a free vote on the EU. As for the horses arse bit, I love that one,it sums up B.Liar to a tee. I also think you ought to patent some of these!!

RAENORTH wrote: If we really want failure, it may as well be spectacular.

Its going to be a circus spectacular. Hopefully the bread and wine continue.

In terms of Merkel, I have read and do not know how true this is, that she does not think much of Sarkozy, and as Sarkozy just said no to Blair she perhaps decided that this would be a slap down to Sarko and decided to support Blair.

That NYT reporter who was held by the Taliban noted that the Taleban holding him seemed to be working very closely with Al Queda, as they are devout Sunni Islamics I would take that as largely a given.

I don't know how his lack of respect in terms of the people of Europe will impact the EU, but the infighting will be spectacular to behold as they will always see him as tied to Bush, horses arse indeed, enjoyed that too, I checked my copy of the Twelve Caeser by Suetonius and could not find the bit about appointing his horse to the senate though he was quite mad enough to have done so, he does mentions Caligulas favourite horse was called Incitatus and that Caligula planned to give him a consulship..., so the commission are a load of horse arses!

I think Hagues speach about Blair will come back to haunt him, great speach though it was, had me laughing, but the joke may perhaps be on Dave... and of course a nightmare for the people.

"The new EU president needed to be someone who "stopped the traffic" in Washington and Beijing" - so is the searchon for a Euro Lollipop Lady/Dame de Lucette/Lutscherdame?

If BLiar does get the job, it will be a gift from heaven to sceptics in the UK, as he is utterly detested all across the UK.

To have him lording it over us, along with his hag wife, while filling their bin at our expense yet again, will drive vast numbers of voters into apoplexy and the Anti camp.

As I see it, the very nature of these 2 new EU positions is likely to prove a spectacular own-goal for the EU. There's no one now, & probably won't be anyone for a long time, if ever, who will be able to speak convincingly for the whole EU. They will either be non-entities, individuals with a "past" like Blair whose every past error or controversial position will probably be hurled at him/her at every opportunity (from both EU & non-EU sources), or that rare someone with genuine political clout from a major EU nation who will either be pushing their own countries interests most of the time or alternatively will frequently be accused of it.

I recall how a Chinese student accidentally (No - much more likely it was deliberately, & on instructions from his political superiors) humiliated Blair when he met some Chinese maturish students the day after the news broke of Dr David Kelly's sad & controversial death in 2002. The student, with a very big grin on his face, said: "Why don't your people trust you, Mr Blair". Blair was struck completely dumb by this. Frankly it sounds like he will be a disaster, doesn't it? As George W Bush used to say: Bring it all on!

Watchet

At the moment, in all probability, a referendum on exit from the EU would be lost. The hand of the EU is not yet sufficiently accepted in most people’s minds. We have a few years of serious pain coming up, and this pain needs to be visibly attributed to the EU.

For Cameron, if he had the bottle, this could be the perfect way out his post-Lisbon dilemma . Make token effort on renegotiation. Declare that it is not possible. Hold exit referendum. Which comes out - I dunno – 40:60 in favour of staying in. Boil lanced, subject closed.

After all, this is what the LibDems tried to mutate the potential Lisbon referendum into. And they are hardly anti-EU.

I mentioned the possibility of President Blair to a friend who lives in France and who's quite pro-EU when he thinks about it at all. A president no one's elected and is about the last person most in the UK would want and certainly not him. He shook with rage. The first glimmerings of doubt about the EU. I went on to say that this was one of the problems with the EU, no democratic legitimacy and no chance of getting any as it reacts to democracy like a vampire reacts to a cross and therefore has a huge check and balance excluded, all dangerous.

On one level I'd hate to see President Blair of the EU, on another, I couldn't wish for a better outcome.

The very BIG danger then is that there will be cries for an elected Emperor... the "colleagues" will be only too pleased to oblige, and the trap will snap closed.

Whichever way there are dangers. It depends which you think would cause the most damage, a safe pair of hands like the prime minister of Luxembourg, or the deceitful Blair who has a desire to strut about on the world stage, and possibly, make the EU unpopular by dragging it into all sorts of entanglements to suit his vanity.

Anyway, it's not as if any of us have the slightest say in the matter. We just have to wait and watch it unfold.