A Big Beast Too Far

There's something that has never really made sense regarding Tony Blair's para-campaign to be the President of the Council because surely Tony Blair knows that people like Tony Blair do not get appointed to European chairmanships. These chairmanships are technocratic in nature and this new role of the President of the Council demands a technocrat, surely. That, of course, does not preclude heads or former heads of government but it equally does certainly preclude high-profile international figures, and especially high-profile controversial figures.

The media seem to have got themselves into a terrible miscommunication and misunderstanding in their reporting of the role of the President of the Council. The role is to replace the current rotating Council Presidency, which switches every six-months between the member governments, and thereby create a chairman of the Council. Such a chairman would have no particular influence over the Commission other than in his capacity to engage in inter-institutional dialogue, similarly with the Parliament. And yet, if one were to read some of the media reports one would think the role demands an Obama be found from somewhere within the 600 million population of Europe. That is not the case.

I also found Miliband's concept of the Council President as breathtakingly naive. The very last thing European member governments want is someone who stops traffic. The member governments want someone who can chair their meetings, for their meetings is where it is at when we look at Europe (Independence in Europe, anyone?), and they want someone who can effectively communicate agreed positions to Europe's other institutions and to the US, Asia, and International Organisations. In other words, Europe does not want someone in which the message will be lost in the speaker.

Perhaps, even more strange than Miliband's version of the role of the President, is his rather little-Brit style in which he posits his support for Blair as some nationalistic exercise, that, because Blair is British then support should be forthcoming. A sort of Team GB for Europe, even if arms have to be twisted to make it reality, a reality it should be, and any questioning would be unpatriotic.

Moreover, the Tories adopting their typical insularity is as absurd as Labour. We know for a fact that Merkel and Sarkozy look upon the actions of Cameron with some misgiving. The Tories' twisting and shaking in the wind of Lisbon is very strange. Those in the Conservative party who have some difficulties with the idea of Europe impinging upon the laws and social life of their Great Britain have sort of missed the boat. Maastricht was the 'Treaty too far' in Thatcher's words and Lisbon is nothing compared to what was signed up to in Maastricht.

I'm pro-Europe and would like nothing more than an independent Scotland in a democratic confederation of Europe. Tony Blair will not be the President of the Council because the role really requires a chairman and the smart money will be on Juncker, in my opinion. Tony Blair is a Big Beast too far, thankfully.