June 14, 2005
OH, IT'S HELPFUL:
Europe turmoil as treaty collapses (Philip Webster, David Charter and Anthony Browne, 6/14/05, Times of London)
TONY BLAIR and Jacques Chirac are set for an icy Paris showdown today after the Prime Minister accused the French President of living in the past and France lost its fight to save the ill-fated constitutional treaty.As their dispute over Britain’s EU budget rebate and the constitution took relations to their lowest point for years, Mr Blair responded to M Chirac’s refusal to hold a joint press conference with him today by letting it be known that he would stage one on his own at the British Embassy in the French capital.
In a fresh twist last night, Mr Blair was told publicly by Peter Mandelson, his close ally, that he must be prepared to reform the British rebate as part of a deeper rethink about the EU budget.
In an intervention that some ministers described as unhelpful, the EU Trade Commissioner and fervent European pre-empted future negotiations by saying that it was wrong to ask the poorer accession states to pay for any part of the British rebate. He also admonished ministers for their “neo-Thatcherite” tone in dealing with Brussels, and said that it should change when Britain assumes the EU presidency next month if it wanted to make progress.
Mr. Blair could hardly ask for a better political position than having the pro-Euro Left accuse him of being Thatcheresque. Posted by Orrin Judd at June 14, 2005 12:00 AM
Thatcheresque? Orrin, have you seen anyone about those fantasies?
Posted by: Peter B at June 14, 2005 9:42 AMPeter;
OJ isn't (here, at least) claiming that Blair is Thatcheresque, only that the pro-EU Left is accusing him of being so. That claim is strongly supported by the cited article.
All;
There's a simple solution to the rebate problem for the UK: drop out of the EU.
Posted by: Annoying Old Guy at June 14, 2005 10:55 AMAOG:
Blair may or may not be Thatcherite. Thatcheresque he definitely ain't.
Posted by: Peter B at June 14, 2005 11:18 AMThatcher's best result was a rousing 43% of the vote, and that was after she sent the military to maintain their illegal occupation of the Islas Malvinas.
I doubt Blair wants to go that route.
Posted by: bart at June 14, 2005 4:53 PMSpeaking of Thatcher have you read this quote in an article on the Bolton vote in the NYT today?
"As the senators were speaking at the Capitol, the Republican National Committee issued a statement noting that Mr. Bolton had been endorsed by many former cabinet members and American diplomats, and that former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of Britain had expressed support for him, declaring that 'a capacity for straight talking rather than peddling half-truths is a strength and not a disadvantage in diplomacy.'" Dontcha love the old Dame!
Posted by: Genecis at June 14, 2005 5:03 PMSpeaking of Thatcher have you read this quote in an article on the Bolton vote in the NYT today?
"As the senators were speaking at the Capitol, the Republican National Committee issued a statement noting that Mr. Bolton had been endorsed by many former cabinet members and American diplomats, and that former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of Britain had expressed support for him, declaring that 'a capacity for straight talking rather than peddling half-truths is a strength and not a disadvantage in diplomacy.'" Dontcha love the old Dame!
Posted by: Genecis at June 14, 2005 5:04 PM