Salvu Felice Pace
President Blair? No thank you
Some sections of the British Press have already crowned Tony Blair as Europe’s President following the emphatic endorsement of the Lisbon Treaty by the Irish electorate. While many believe that most of this spin is purely just that, others see no other European of equal stature as Mr Blair who could possibly fit this new position to be created by the Lisbon Treaty.
But the lobby against Mr Blair being nominated as Europe’s first President is getting organised as I write. Here is a man who carries with him an enormous amount of baggage, some of which will haunt him for the rest of his public and private life.
The most obvious hurdle that he will need to jump over is the hostility still felt by many European leaders and politicians of all hues about Britain’s involvement in the Iraq war. Mr Blair himself resisted public pressure for the setting up of a comprehensive inquiry into the conduct of the Iraq war. But Prime Minister Gordon Brown had to give in and today Sir John Chilcot is presiding over this inquiry which started its work last July and is looking into all the aspects of the war in Iraq. Although at first it was believed that the inquiry will not apportion blame, later, Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Milliband pronounced that the inquiry will be free “to praise or blame whoever it likes”.
As Mr Blair is a major actor and witness in this inquiry it would be rather unseemly for the President of Europe to be embroiled in the aftermath of the inquiry which is expected to publish its final report late in 2010.
One other stumbling block for Mr Blair’s appointment as President of Europe is his lack of leadership on the whole question of Britain’s role in the EU. While verbally he always proclaimed that Britain was in the heart of Europe, his actions didn’t match his words.
He never acted decisively into gearing up the UK economy to reach the Maastricht criteria hence leading Britain towards adopting the euro as its currency. Political expedience won the day and Britain today is further away from getting anywhere near becoming a member of the eurozone, both economically and politically. To have a President of Europe whose country of origin is outside the eurozone (and the Schenghen area) would be a gross injustice on the countries that worked so hard to achieve economic convergence in order to be allowed to adopt the euro as their currency.
Although Mr Blair has been accepted into the Catholic Church, many politicians and ordinary citizens across Europe remain sceptical about his personal commitment to his Church’s doctrine. Since becoming an MP, Mr Blair had voted consistently with the pro-abortion lobby, despite claiming that he personally opposed abortion.
His party in government enshrined into law euthanasia by default, by allowing the denial of appropriate treatment and basic care, such as food and fluids, from non-dying patients. He has also declared his personal support for destructive stem cell research on cloned human embryos and has endorsed the abortion-inducing morning-after pill among teenagers. While all these issues would create no problem at all in many European capitals, I can’t see Ireland, Poland and Malta not taking into account Mr Blair’s record of voting regarding abortion.
There is still a lot of anger among Christians in the UK that he spent his time during his Premiership marginalising Christianity, to the extent that many well-established Church welfare institutions, particularly in the fields of fostering and adoption, had to close their doors because of his legislation regarding the acceptability of gay couples to foster and adopt.
Add to all this Mr Blair’s lacklustre performance as Quartet Special Envoy for peace in the Middle East and I hope that readers would come to the same conclusion I have reached that he would be more of a liability than an asset should he be crowned as Europe’s first President.
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Bill Khan
Oct 9th 2009, 17:55
Frank Said, it will be the very honourable elected members who will approve the appointment of Mr. Blair as the president of Europe. Recently Mr. Barrosso was re-elected as president without any any opposition. The super state will be no different to the election of officers in the old soviet union. Infact the centralization of all power in Brussels is no diiferent to the old soviet style of government that we fought hard to dismantle.
You and i may not like Mr. Blair but the group in power deciding the fate of europe is about to reward him precisely for his very participation in the iraq war. And as far as the honourable elected people are concerned, they will only be elected if the group wants them. Those who are not favourable are usually weeded out immediately through hounding by the media owned by trusted members e.g Rupert Murdoch. Lets sit back and relax and witness the birth of the super state. It will have all the power we shall have none left.
Frank Said
Oct 8th 2009, 23:39
Bill Khan it's true that today we have a Super State called Brussels but at least it is composed and administered by Honourables who are democratically elected by the citizens of its member states not imposed by the office in London and the members of what you call Super State share its wealth as well as its burdens not as used to happen during the colonial times with which you seem to be proud of. Finally you may wish to know that I am the last man who wishes Mr. Blair as the of President of EU. Together with Mr. George Bush he should be prosecuted for their deliberate bloody blunders they both committed in the Iraqi War.
Bill Khan
Oct 8th 2009, 19:08
Frank Said, i only wish things were as staright forward as were in the colonial days.
Those days when the natives all across the world were directed , instructed and ruled from a colonial office in London through their local slecetd chiefs or appointed Viceroys.
Today the European are the natives and ruled from a place called Brussel. The organisers of the super state are more powerful than the inhabitants of the colonial office.
Any how it is now not too far off that we all will see the coronation of Tony Blair as President of the Super State. And he is a master at convincing people or right and wrong on any issue.
Frank Said
Oct 8th 2009, 00:05
Bill Khan's comments are reminiscent of colonial times when the Royal Crown ruled and imposed on its colonies and its subjects.
Bill Khan
Oct 7th 2009, 18:00
Like or not Mr. Blair will soon become President Blair. That is the will of the Bilderberg Group. Whether he is a good catholic is of little concern when the Bilderberg group members who own vast area of the media. They can (Rupert Murdoch among them) can whip up support for any Tom , Dick or Harry. Mr. Blair was invited by the Bilderberg group in 1993 when he was just an ordinary MP in the opposition. Thanks to the Group and ofcourse the support through the Sun Newspaper (owned by Rupert Murdcoh), Mr. Blair by 1997 was no more an ordinary MP but a proper PM.
Issues like Euthanesia, abortions are the agenda of the 'European Super state' any way. The Europeasn super state as some predict is all set to eradicate the power and sovereignty of individual states in any case. By the Bilderberg's first agenda when it met for the first time in 1954 was to create a European super state.
The people of European Union have no choice but to sit back relax and accept the inevitable Presidenty Blair. The matter is going to be decided by leaders of each country as per instructions.
A. Muscat
Oct 7th 2009, 15:56
Will Saddam’s wraith pursue Tony’s lucrative (4 Millions euros) Job?
I believe the first EU president should have strong pro-EU and global credentials. Unfortunately Mr. Blair scores low on both levels.
In Europe: Mr. Blair failed miserably to get Britain closer to EU.
Outside Europe:Iraq war was a grubby little war started by grubby little men. This based-on-lies war poured petrol on the flames and they will burn for generations.
Was it worth the high prices we paid and will continue to pay? Yes, but only if you are Tony Blair or his bank manager.
Mr. Blair, as the Quartet Special Envoy for peace in the Middle East couldn’t improve the situation one inch farther. In fact thousands of the victims of the victims of the holocausts have been killed and injured in Gaza when Israel turned Gaza from a big prison into an abattoir few months ago.
I think both George and Tony couldn’t be trusted and they should face trial for war crimes. Both of them left two unfinished wars that lead USA economy to recession and the entire world at the edge of bankruptcy.
Angus Mac Kinnon
Oct 7th 2009, 14:48
Salvu Felice Pace has summarised it exceptionally well, in my opinion. How often have we seen is our history rogues and villains elevated to important and strategic positions where they have progressed from being nuisance to dangerous category? Unfortunately it is something we seem to have a propensity for. Given the bad judgement and decisions of Tony Blair, and the deleterious impact of his cosy relationship with Bush who was an even more dangerous individual, in my view, that he should be in charge of a corner shop, let alone a powerful world figure, beggars belief. Not for no reason is he referred to as Tony Bliar in the UK.
The only part of Mr. Pace's presentation with which I disagree is where he states "... carries with him an enormous amount of baggage, some of which will haunt him for the rest of his public and private life." I do not believe Tony Blair has the honesty, integrity or conscience that would allow him to be haunted for the rest of his life.
Under no circumstances should this man be elected President of the Eurpoean Union, but I am afraid he will, just wait and see.
Albert Spiteri
Oct 7th 2009, 13:18
Salvu Felice Pace says NO to Blair as EU's president. As always, Savlu is right and correct! Blaire's record of accomplishment only includes 10 years UK premiere and 24 years Member of Parliament. ON THE DAY HE RESIGNED AS PRIME MINISTER Blaire was appointed official Envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East on behalf of the United Nations, the European Union, the United States, and Russia. In Felice Pace's very objective opinion, Blaire's performance here was lack-lustre because he failed to deliver the most elusive of all grails, the Palestine-Israel peace.
As Labour's new leader Blaire led his party to a landslide victory in 1997, handed over control of interest rates to the Bank of England, introduced the minimum wage, signed the Belfast Agreement; and established the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly, etc etc and etc.
In May/2008 Blair launched his "Tony Blair-Faith-Foundation" and in June/2009 launched the "Faith-and-Globalization-Initiative" with USA Yale University, UK Durham University and the National University of Singapore, with the purpose of delivering a postgraduate programme in partnership with the Foundation. Catholic credentials? NAAAA!
Maybe Salvu Felice Pace would prefer man-about-town Berlusconi as EU president?
mike turner
Oct 7th 2009, 13:16
President BLIAR ?, that be a disaster for the world, not just Europe
Nigel Lawrence
Oct 7th 2009, 11:51
May ALL the Gods prevent Bliar from getting the presidents post. He managed to ruin the UK with his daft ideas. Please, DON'T let him loose with the EU.
Besides that, correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that the qualifications of becoming EU pres. is that the potential candidate has to belong to a member state which is both in Schengen and the Eurozone. That disqualifies Bliar strait away. Perhaps the democratic republic of EU will re-write the rules to get what THEY want.
Jason Spiteri
Oct 7th 2009, 11:44
This article omits the one major, real reason why Europe should never have Blair as its first President - his deception of the British public on the very constitution that creates the post he covets.
Blair promised Britain a referendum on the consititution, but baulked the minute the no votes in holland and france came in. Since then the constitution changed its name and 8% of its text, and he saw fit to declare it a different creature that did not deserve for his promise to be kept, as did his successor, Brown.