Vote 'Yes' for President Tony Blair?

moondogspot

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/blair-steps-up-fight-to-be-crowned-first-president-of--eu-1662928.html

Tony Blair has emerged as the leading candidate to become the first permanent president of the European Union after Gordon Brown gave his grudging blessing to the plan. The former prime minister has stepped up his campaign for the job, which he wants to use to build a bridge between Europe and the new Obama administration.


His return to the global stage would be a shock to his critics over the Iraq war and dismay many in Europe.

But The Independent on Sunday has learnt that Mr Brown has accepted that his old rival should be in pole position for the appointment, on the basis that Britain needs to have a key figure in the architecture of the "new world order".

Tony Blair for president of the EU? Do we want someone like him speaking for us on the World

Stage? ....I know I don't. What's your opinions?

Edit : View free-man's post below for more articles

moondogspot

moondogspot wrote: »

I know I don't. What's your opinions?

Why dont you start by giving your opinions instead of copying and pasting articles ad nauseum?

ei.sdraob

moondogspot wrote:

blah blah blah ... "new world order"

conspiracy theories forum is this way

turgon

Damn right, there should be no President of the European Council because Tony Blair may get it!!

Now, lets get rid of the Office of Taosieach in Ireland because Brian Cowen made a bad job. Lets get rid of the Dail because I dont agree with whos been elected. I don't really like Mary McAleese so we will chop the office of President of Ireland as well.

Dinner

moondogspot wrote: »

Tony Blair for president of Europe?

There's no such thing as 'President of Europe' either before or after Lisbon, why did you call it that?

Do you know the actual name of the position that you are talking about and the duties that the person who holds that position has?

PopeBuckfastXVI

Old news report is old.

free-man

Here's some newer articles for you so

Blair's EU presidency hopes under threat as Irish backing for treaty slumps
- The Guardian

Election Success revives talk of Barroso and Blair 'Dream Team' in Brussels
- The Times

And some articles by main stream media during the summer:

Could Tony Blair Become the first EU President?
- UK Independent

Brown Backs Blair as First EU President
- Financial Times

Tony Blair is our man for EU President
- The Guardian

Needless to say, I believe it would be a huge setback for Europe to have Tony Blair involved in any way.

Scofflaw

free-man wrote: »

Here's some newer articles for you so

Blair's EU presidency hopes under threat as Irish backing for treaty slumps
- The Guardian

Election Success revives talk of Barroso and Blair 'Dream Team' in Brussels
- The Times

And some articles by main stream media during the summer:

Could Tony Blair Become the first EU President?
- UK Independent

Brown Backs Blair as First EU President
- Financial Times

Tony Blair is our man for EU President
- The Guardian

Needless to say, I believe it would be a huge setback for Europe to have Tony Blair involved in any way.

Funny, though, how it's just the British who appear to believe that Tony Blair would be a shoo-in...

amused,
Scofflaw

free-man

Scofflaw wrote: »

Funny, though, how it's just the British who appear to believe that Tony Blair would be a shoo-in...

amused,
Scofflaw

It seems the Aussies are at it too:

Tony Blair backed for Eu Presidency
The Age (Australia)

(amused)

Scofflaw

free-man wrote: »

It seems the Aussies are at it too:

Tony Blair backed for Eu Presidency
The Age (Australia)

(amused)

Not really - their article is more a comment on the fact that the UK is pushing it:

DOWNING Street has been forced to admit that it is backing Tony Blair to be president of the European Union.

...

Downing Street was then forced to admit that it would back Mr Blair.

A senior Labour MP who is close to Mr Blair said: "Tony wants it. He still loves being close to the action." One stumbling block could now be a growing reluctance on behalf of some European leaders to support Mr Blair.

Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, is believed to be lukewarm on the idea.

But others, including French President Nicolas Sarkozy, see Mr Blair as an international statesman who can help boost the EU's presence on the world stage.

Baroness Kinnock added: "Blair is seen by many as someone who has the strength of character, the stature."

And by many others, of course, he isn't.

cordially,
Scofflaw

free-man

Scofflaw wrote: »

Not really - their article is more a comment on the fact that the UK is pushing it:

Of course it is, but when someone is being so pedantic in the face of so much coverage than it had to be pointed out.

The Yes side seem to refuse to admit that there's even a possibility of it.

Would you disgree with that?

free-man

Scofflaw wrote: »

Funny, though, how it's just the British who appear to believe that Tony Blair would be a shoo-in...

Of course the British have a right to be concerned seeing as he lied about going to war, presented falsified evidence and caused huge casualties.

If I were British Press i'd be watching this story carefully too.

View

Scofflaw wrote: »

Funny, though, how it's just the British who appear to believe that Tony Blair would be a shoo-in...

amused,
Scofflaw

Wasn't there a time not so long ago when Bertie Ahern was being presented as a shoo-in in our own media?

I can't figure out though which would play better with the electorate - "Vote Yes to bring back Bertie" or "Vote No to keep Bertie out"

Scofflaw

free-man wrote: »

Of course it is, but when someone is being so pedantic in the face of so much coverage than it had to be pointed out.

Thus activating the pedantry again - the "so much coverage" wasn't the issue, but the claim that he was regarded anywhere but the UK as the likely option.

free-man wrote: »

The Yes side seem to refuse to admit that there's even a possibility of it.

Would you disgree with that?

Of course there's a possibility of it - the UK government is clearly going to propose him as their candidate. Not that you apparently need me in order to have your own debate...

cordially,
Scofflaw

marco_polo

free-man wrote: »

Of course it is, but when someone is being so pedantic in the face of so much coverage than it had to be pointed out.

The Yes side seem to refuse to admit that there's even a possibility of it.

Would you disgree with that?

Have you considered that since you are searching for english language based articles that it may be distorting the results slightly?

Of course it is possible he could become President of the Council, he was before and the world did not end.

free-man

Scofflaw wrote: »

Thus activating the pedantry again - the "so much coverage" wasn't the issue, but the claim that he was regarded anywhere but the UK as the likely option.

Interesting.. If I referred you to a blog you'd tell me to refer you to a main stream media source.

If I referred you to an article in say The Daily Telegraph, you'd laugh at the source as being tabloid euroskepticism

When I refer you to multiple establishment newspapers you say its a UK only issue.

I really should take up a career in PR, the pay must be excellent.

Scofflaw wrote: »

Of course there's a possibility of it - the UK government is clearly going to propose him as their candidate. Not that you apparently need me in order to have your own debate...

I don't think its unfounded to say there's quite a large possibility of it happening, especially with Barroso as his #1 fan.

marco_polo

free-man wrote: »

Interesting.. If I referred you to a blog you'd tell me to refer you to a main stream media source.

If I referred you to an article in say The Daily Telegraph, you'd laugh at the source as being tabloid euroskepticism

When I refer you to multiple establishment newspapers you say its a UK only issue.

I really should take up a career in PR, the pay must be excellent.



I don't think its unfounded to say there's quite a large possibility of it happening, especially with Barroso as his #1 fan.

Barroso is the President of the Commission and therefore has absolutely no input at any stage of the nomination of, or vote for, the President of the EU Council. It is a nice story though.

free-man

marco_polo wrote: »

Barroso is the President of the Commission and therefore has absolutely no input at any stage of the nomination of, or vote for, the President of the EU Council. It is a nice story though.

Ah so he's no influence whatever? Right so.

marco_polo

free-man wrote: »

Ah so he's no influence whatever? Right so.

Exactly. Not in council matters.

free-man

marco_polo wrote: »

Exactly. Not in council matters.

I doubt it but you'll insist either way.

waitinforatrain

OK that's it, I've decided no for sure on that basis.

marco_polo

free-man wrote: »

I doubt it but you'll insist either way.

I think the onus is on you to prove that the Commission President inflluences the European Council. It would be grossly be overstepping the boundaries of his position which the EU Heads of State would not stand for.

marco_polo

waitinforatrain wrote: »

OK that's it, I've decided no for sure on that basis.

That is the mission of this thread accomplished then.

marco_polo

With Germany and France against him he will have a tough time.

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/blair-no-more-a-favourite-to-become-eu-president_100216891.html

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who was originally Blair’s key backer, is said to have “changed his mind”.

The new favourite is Spain’s charismatic socialist former prime minister Felipe Gonzales, The Sunday Telegraph reports.

http://euobserver.com/9/26091
Nicolas Sarkozy has withdrawn his backing of Tony Blair to become the first president of the European Union, senior sources have told the BBC.

The French president is understood to have changed his mind after meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

It is thought he feels EU opposition to the former UK prime minister is too strong because he backed the Iraq war.

The president will be chosen by leaders of EU member states. The post was created under the new EU reform treaty.

The sources close to the president also indicated that Mr Sarkozy felt Mr Blair was not right for the role because Britain has failed to adopt the European single currency and the Schengen zone of passport-free travel.

Instead, the sources say the top job could go to the current president of the commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, or the prime minister of Luxembourg, Jean-Claude Juncker.

BBC Europe editor Mark Mardell however said the British government has a distaste for Mr Juncker, who is seen as far too keen on more European integration, and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown would probably do what he could to prevent him being elected.

He added that some of the smart money was moving to the Danish Prime Minister Anders Rasmussen.

The new president is to chair EU summits, take on some of the functions of the current presidency of the Council of the European Union – held on a rotating six-month basis by EU heads of government – and represent the EU on common foreign and security policy.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/felipe-gonzalez-takes-on-blair-for-eu-presidency-1728005.html

Mr Gonzalez is a heavyweight with a gift for connecting with people, but – Spain being a middle-ranking EU member – presents no threat to the pecking order. Thus French support remains firm: "M. Sarkozy is in favour of Mr Gonzalez's candidature once the Lisbon Treaty is passed," Mr Gonzalez's spokesman, Joaquin Tajar, said.

"Sarkozy floated Tony Blair's candidacy and didn't get much response, so he decided to look elsewhere," Mr Tajar said. "But for the moment he wouldn't stand, we can discard the possibility for now. There are no proposals, just soundings, the situation is very fluid," he added.

free-man

marco_polo wrote: »

I think the onus is on you to prove that the Commission President inflluences the European Council. It would be grossly be overstepping the boundaries of his position which the EU Heads of State would not stand for.

I agree it will be impossible to prove in the next 2 days. We'll just have to wait and see.

johnwillnot

Dinner wrote: »

There's no such thing as 'President of Europe' either before or after Lisbon, why did you call it that?

Do you know the actual name of the position that you are talking about and the duties that the person who holds that position has?

Here is an excerpt from the Daily Mail:

One of the most controversial aspects of the Treaty is the creation of an unelected EU President - a post which former Prime Minister Tony Blair is in the front-running for.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1194242/EU-leaders-reach-deal-Lisbon-Treaty-Sarkozy-accuses-Brown-caving-Brussels-power-grab.html#ixzz0ScVz5yQL

namloc1980

johnwillnot wrote: »

Here is an excerpt from the Daily Mail:

One of the most controversial aspects of the Treaty is the creation of an unelected EU President - a post which former Prime Minister Tony Blair is in the front-running for.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1194242/EU-leaders-reach-deal-Lisbon-Treaty-Sarkozy-accuses-Brown-caving-Brussels-power-grab.html#ixzz0ScVz5yQL

Daily Mail makes sensationalist claim shocker!! :eek:

The position is actually President of the European Council which has been in existence for decades - Bertie Ahern was President of the European Council a few years ago. What Lisbon does is increase the term of the President of the European Council from 6 months to 2.5 years and also the President of the European Council will no longer be a member state Head of Government but someone ELECTED by the 27 Heads of State. Nothing else about the role of President of the European Council changes under Lisbon.

Nowhere in the Treaty is the term 'EU President' used.

8-10

Is there a thread where everyone was complaining about Blair being President of the European Council back in 2005 when he actually did hold the position?

Is your opposition to him taking the role again anything to do with his performance the first time?

I'll concede he's a candidate but I could think of worse. Remember the position holds no executive, legislative or voting power.

free-man

namloc1980 wrote: »

Daily Mail makes sensationalist claim shocker!! :eek:

Go back and read my previous posts on the coverage.

In case you missed it, its not just the daily mail but the Financial Times, The Guardian and The Independent.

They're all tabloid papers though... right?

namloc1980

free-man wrote: »

Go back and read my previous posts on the coverage.

In case you missed it, its not just the daily mail but the Financial Times, The Guardian and The Independent.

They're all tabloid papers though... right?

Just because the media claim something it doesn't make it so. Do you believe that Lisbon brings about the role of a EU President based on the content of those newspaper reports? Have you actually looked at the Treaty itself?? Nowhere in the entire text of the Treaty is there a reference to a EU President unless you can prove otherwise.

All UK papers by the way.

johnwillnot

johnwillnot wrote: »

Again, this is the yes side trying to pick holes in my post and distort the facts, I am well aware that wikipedia is open for error as it is a human generated wiki. Also, I am not worried about what they call the post, the purpose of the post. How do explain the following Interview with Yves Gazzo, Head of the European Commission's delegation in France - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlgCAfuOFp8 - The last time I checked, the French government are on the yes side. Are you calling him a liar also? If you listen to this interview, half way through he states that after the treaty is ratified, they can begin to implement what is in the treaty and NOMINATE an EU president, possibly in early January.

How do you explain the following articles in the Independant The Economist Here is another article from the Independant
Here is an excerpt from it ''The post would be created, possibly as early as next January, if the Lisbon Treaty is ratified. The biggest remaining hurdle is a second referendum in Ireland in October, but opinion polls suggest people will vote Yes this time.''

In summary is Tony Blair the man for the job? I think not and it is one of the reasons I am voting NO to Lisbon.

I not just the media who is talking about this, Yves Gazzo, Head of the European Commission's delegation in France talks about it in this interview - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlgCAfuOFp8

Are you say he is wrong also?