Tuesday
(0)If only I got all my wishes fulfilled as fast as this one. Last Thursday I wished for a good internal row within the EU as the most satisfying (and possibly most entertaining) way to their demise.
And voilà, Tony Blair has been banned from a summit between Britain and France as a result of a 'heated discussion' with Jacques Chirac at the European summit in Brussels last week. Blair was furious at a deal made behind his back by Chirac and Schroeder and announced on the eve of the talks. The deal would leave payments to French farmers untouched until 2013 as part of the EU's controversial Common Agricultural Policy, aka the benchmark of the EU's stupidity and fiscal mis-management.
Blair managed to push through his own plan for regular reviews of payments, but the 'vigorous exchange' culminated in the French leader saying to the British one:
"You have been very rude and I have never been spoken to like this."
This would all be jolly good fun apart from the fact that it means that the attitude of the EU federalists is so arrogant, despotic and obvious that they managed to upset someone as wet as Tony Blair. And that does scare me a bit.
Peter Hain, the former Europe minister made Welsh Secretary last week denied the row was being exaggerated by Downing Street to cover up the fact that Mr Blair had been outmanoeuvred by France and Germany. Of course, nothing gives news a ring of truth more than an official denial...
So, Jacques Chirac has "never been spoken to like that before". Oh, I think he has. I seem to remember some summit way back when things got similarly heated between him, Mitterand on one side and Margaret Thatcher on the other.
Shortly afterwards (I think) she delivered her famous Bruges Speech.
Way to go Tony!
Posted by Patrick Crozier at October 29, 2002 05:01 PM
I wouldn't commend Tony just yet! See the last paragraph...
Posted by Adriana at October 29, 2002 05:07 PM
I do not understand warum dis is such a bik surprise to die Britannisher leute. After all, ve have had our augen on dis grun und pleasant islander for ze decades yetzt. Ze sooner zat you accept diesem ausgezeichnet bureaucracy zat ve have imposed at ze continent, ze sooner ve call all get to ze ozzer business of securing die hegemony of Broossels und ze socialization of alle die public services.
Ze traum vill come troo...
Posted by Emlich Johann at October 29, 2002 05:18 PM
"How dare you undercut my underhanded deal I made with the Boche".
Blair should send the Piranha brothers around to talk to Chirac: "Nice Eiffel Tower you got there, Colonel. Be a shame if it got broken."
Have Blair ask Chirac how much he spent. When he asks spent on what. Say, "On the speedbumps on the Meuse to slow down the Panzers."
Posted by Peter Schiavo at October 29, 2002 09:49 PM
Tony may well have had a temper tantrum and No. 10 spins it so he looks like Margaret but his actual achievements were zero at this summit.
On the day, Michael Meacher tried to defend the indefensible on Any Questions very badly and that was the govt's initial response: it's European, so it must be good.
Funny how this story comes out on the same day and overshadows the draft constitution, as proposed by the self-aggrandising Giscard D'Estaing.
Posted by Philip Chaston at October 29, 2002 11:23 PM
The whole EU affair is nothing but an exchange under which the French sell their honor, and the Germans buy from the French some respectability, after the WW2 atrocities, and are accepted back into civilization. The payoff is called CAP - which is essentially a bribe the Germans pay the French. Now - how could someone expect the French to renounce that ? What would be the point of the whole EU without it ?
Posted by Jacob at October 29, 2002 11:25 PM
I believe it is time to form a union called "The Dollar Democracies," incorporating great Britan, the United States, Canada less Quebec, and Mexico if they behave themselves. Europe can then go their own murky way without dragging their betters along.
Posted by Walter E. Wallis at October 29, 2002 11:41 PM
Walter E. Wallis: Last time I looked, GB could remain a free and independent monarchy of three nations and two tribes. If, no, when we get out of the EU, independence and sovereignty will have been achieved. You can have a free trade agreement, but nothing more.
After all, you can't have a Poundstretcher in a Dollar democracy.
Posted by Philip Chaston at October 30, 2002 07:46 AM
Wasn't that Bismark: "Never believe anything until it has been officially denied"?
Posted by David Gillies at October 30, 2002 04:39 PM
Hey Chiraq, you can't see it but I am holding up two fingers in your direction! The cancelation of that worthless meeting has to be a good thing. There is no point discussing anything with these buggers. It is like being allowed to talk to the bloke stearing the Titanic but being told you can discuss anything you like except course changes and icebergs.
Posted by molly at November 1, 2002 01:07 PM
