Blair gives a straight answer to a straight question - have it framed..
His Imperial Toniness has been interviewed by Le Monde, and here is the historic exchange:
LM: "Would you be interested in becoming the president of the European Union in the future?"
TB: "No, no, absolutely not, thank you. That is not in my plans".
However, he is at his slippery mendacious worst elsewhere:
"Those who want us to join the single currency know that we have not done so for economic, not political reasons".
On Euroscepticism: "There will always be sceptics. Public opinion is influenced by the media, and there is not a lot I can do about it". Whatever became of his reckoning that it falls to a politician every generation to make the case for Europe, or words to that effect?
"After all, the Conservatives have fought two elections on a very eurosceptic platform and they lost"
"Barroso has given back the Commission its dynamism and credibility". Given back? Erm....
And the Constitution?
No referendum: "If it is not a constitutional treaty altering the fundamental relations between Europe and the Member States, we do not need a referendum. We will approve it in parliament...as was the case, for example, with the treaty of Amsterdam".
Asked about the attitude of the next president of France to the British position: "That's his or her business. I will not say anything more as it would not be good to meddle in French politics". Zapatero, take note.
Asked about Brown's stance on Europe, with the Would Be Lord Protector referred to as his 'probable successor', Blair does not nuance matters by taking issue with the probability of the same. Ho ho.
LM: "Would you be interested in becoming the president of the European Union in the future?"
TB: "No, no, absolutely not, thank you. That is not in my plans".
However, he is at his slippery mendacious worst elsewhere:
"Those who want us to join the single currency know that we have not done so for economic, not political reasons".
On Euroscepticism: "There will always be sceptics. Public opinion is influenced by the media, and there is not a lot I can do about it". Whatever became of his reckoning that it falls to a politician every generation to make the case for Europe, or words to that effect?
"After all, the Conservatives have fought two elections on a very eurosceptic platform and they lost"
"Barroso has given back the Commission its dynamism and credibility". Given back? Erm....
And the Constitution?
No referendum: "If it is not a constitutional treaty altering the fundamental relations between Europe and the Member States, we do not need a referendum. We will approve it in parliament...as was the case, for example, with the treaty of Amsterdam".
Asked about the attitude of the next president of France to the British position: "That's his or her business. I will not say anything more as it would not be good to meddle in French politics". Zapatero, take note.
Asked about Brown's stance on Europe, with the Would Be Lord Protector referred to as his 'probable successor', Blair does not nuance matters by taking issue with the probability of the same. Ho ho.
Labels: EU fun and games, Mr Tony
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TB: "No, no, absolutely not, thank you. That is not in my plans".
So he's in talks to get this sinecure, then.
At least it will get Tone and the Goodyear Blimp out of London and property prices'll start going up again.
Yes, I agree with Verity here - it certainly seems that way.
But to the question
"would you have been interested in being the president of the European Union before common sense took over and threw out the referendum and you blew all your credibility in Europe by going to war in Iraq?"
he was strangely silent
Nice one, Mens Sana!
Thank for drawing our attention to this one, C.
"Slippery mendacious worst" neatly sums it up.
Blair's words are credible only if one ignores completely the yawning gap between our national interest, and the actual economic and political realities of our relationship with the EU (or "Europe" as both seemed to term it).
Blair seems to have learnt nothing in his ten years, and in that respect he appears quite like Heath and Major. One of the appealing things about Maggie is that her experience of realities actually changed her views: much more humble, in fact, than Blair who in his own mind was never wrong and is still the repository of all truth and wisdom.
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