Tony Blair is facing louder criticism than anticipated in his bid to become the EU’s first president. Support for the former British prime minister appears to be waning in Berlin and Paris as resistance builds elsewhere in Europe. Is Blair losing his chance to become the man to call in Brussels?
London’s bid to promote Tony Blair as a candidate to become the first ever President of the European Union is being met with unexpectedly vocal opposition in a number of European capital cities.
The person serving as EU president will effectively be the international face of the 27 member countries and would lead regular summits of state and government leaders. The creation of the post is contingent on the ratification of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty, the watered-down successor document to the failed European constitution. Rejected by Irish voters last year, the issue is expected to be put up for another vote in a second referendum on Oct. 2.
The office of the EU president will replace the current tradition of the rotating presidency, which sees a different member state taking over summit organizing responsibilities every six months. The presidency as it stands today gives each EU member state a chance to shine in the spotlight, and some aren’t pleased at the idea that a master of self-promotion like Blair might steal that limelight for himself.
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Mr Blair. please just go away and enjoy your retirement. You have done your fair share to screw up your own country. Leave the rest of Europe and the world alone. They don’t need your help. They can screw things up just fine by themselves.
mid island mike
I can’t picture anyone wanting Blair for boss after what he did to Britain. The man is a walking disaster.
Blair didn’t seem so awful in his early years but his later years were frightful… and his replacement takes “awful” to unprecedented depths and Brownie isn’t done yet!!
Brownie, as mac finely pointed out, is a disaster. He is the poster boy for what could happen here if Taliban Jack was ever given the reins of power. I shudder to think.