February 18, 2005

WHILE CHURCHILL SPINS IN HIS GRAVE:

All British embassies face closure (Paul Sims, 2/18/05, Evening Standard)

Britain, along with other EU countries, will close all its 153 embassies around the world under the new EU constitution, Spain's prime minister has predicted.

Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero revealed the radical move ahead of his country's referendum on the new EU constitution at the weekend.

Speaking about the federal ambitions, which will lead to a single European foreign service, he said: "We will undoubtedly see European embassies with a European foreign service." He said that approving the Constitution - Spain is the first country to hold a referendum - would lend credibility to a common European policy.

"We will have a single European voice within Nato." His comments will fuel fears that the Government will have to follow the European line even if it disagrees with Germany or France as it did over Iraq.

Shadow foreign secretary Michael Ancram said : "Spain's prime minister has made clear what Tony Blair has denied - that the EU constitution is all about handing vast new powers to Brussels."


Kind of late for the Brits to realize they lost WWII, but hopefully not too late.

Posted by Orrin Judd at February 18, 2005 8:43 PM
Comments

So if George Bush decided to annex Barcelona, then Zapatero would wait for instructions from Brussels? Not very likely.

But if Putin invaded.....

Posted by: ratbert at February 19, 2005 9:39 AM

Why isn't Zapatero keeping this quiet until after the votes? Does he seriously think that this kind of announcement will make the adoption of the EU Constitution more likely?

Posted by: Annoying Old Guy at February 19, 2005 12:40 PM

Zapatero should at least have the decency to wear a clown suit when making such statements. At some point, intelligent Catalan nationalists are going to have to throw up their hands, torpedo the coalition and force new elections. Zapatero, an accidental PM at best, cannot be back in well-merited obscurity quickly enough. Not ready for prime time? He's not ready for 3AM on Cartoon Central.

Posted by: Bart at February 19, 2005 12:52 PM

If they are going to have a common foreign policy, then shouldn't there be just one EU ambassador to the UN, instead of the several dozen we have now, including veto powers UK and France? So why is Germany so determined to become a permanent security council member? Or is this just another case of permitting an Evil Empire to have multiple representation through its The Ukraine and Byelorussia?

Posted by: Raoul Ortega at February 19, 2005 1:53 PM

I think the UK refferendum on the EU is going to be loads of fun. It is clear that the press hates the EU and will slag it at every opportunity. The question is what will the margin be.

Posted by: Robert Schwartz at February 19, 2005 6:04 PM
« THE bOOKLESS VS THE BOOKLESS (via Ed Driscoll): | Main | PLENTY OF BLAME TO SPREAD AROUND: »