European Union Forums

[Terry]

Europe is now considering the matter of introducing a unique form of government in Europe, with one single president. If the decision is adopted in the favour of the initiative, the most probable expected EU president is considered to be Tony Blair.
We can vote pro or against the initiative here
http://www.whodoicall.eu/en/

[Andrewz]

Tony Blair is competent enough to take this position. However, I solidly doubt that every EU member would agree to have one common president. This is causing anxieties. I mean one person can not decide for the entire European Union.

[M.Helen]

Tony Blair is competent enough to take this position. However, I solidly doubt that every EU member would agree to have one common president. This is causing anxieties. I mean one person can not decide for the entire European Union.

hmm... why not? In USA it seems to be possible for already a couple of centuries. Every state has a leader (governor) while every governor is subordinated to the president.

[Terry]

USA is too much different from the EU. US states have one common language - English, while Europe has more than 20 of it. Different languages means different cultures.

[Faw_Peter]

Tony Blair was known as having almost the same interest with former US president G.W. Bush. So, America got rid of their trouble, and now Europe wants "this trouble's friend" to rule it? I don't know if it's a good idea.

[Benn]

Blair was probably the best prime minister of the UK. He is a great politician, with a lot of experience, an intelligent and decent man.

[Faw_Peter]

I don't quite see how the process of the EU president election is going to take place. Will the EU citizens vote independently for the candidate they want, or, will the EU parliamentary parties choose the president?

[M.Helen]

I don't quite see how the process of the EU president election is going to take place. Will the EU citizens vote independently for the candidate they want, or, will the EU parliamentary parties choose the president?

He's obviously not going to be elected directly by EU citizens. Most likely is that the European Parliamentary will name candidates and will vote for them. Europe is too large for making it possible that each citizen votes.

[Steven]

Nicolas Sarkozy and Gordon Brown have already endorsed Tony Blair for taking the position of EU president. This support is a decisive one, as these are Europe's core leaders

[Tsp]

Blair was probably the best prime minister of the UK. He is a great politician, with a lot of experience, an intelligent and decent man.

What total nonsense . Blair was one of the worst UK PM,s in living memory, who lowered Uk standards with his grovelling attitute to the US and his stupid decisions especially ivolving the UK in the US war in Iraq which led to warcrimes and innocent civilians dying in the UK. He may be intelligent, so what millions and millions of people are intelligent in some way and he also is an emotional salesman, but his policies and attitudes are deplorable and submissive and he is a Bad Leader for a Government, and an even worse choice as a president for the EU

[Big_Becka]

Thanks Tsp (and Sorry, Andrewz and Benn!) - I'll refer you to my opinions on Tony Blair here:
eu-issues/united-states-of-europe-t2676.html

It is interesting that people here (Moldovans?) have a high opinion of Tony Blair. Does this mean he gets good press in other countries? I think that most of the things Tony Blair has been up to probably didn't get advertised overseas.

Gordon Brown has to endorse Tony Blair, because they have been friends for many years and are both leaders of "New Labour." I am surprised at Nicholas Sarkozy though.

An EU president should be someone universally known, who would be capable of understanding the many cultures and interests in the EU. I can't really think of such a person...

I have been impressed by Angela Merkel... perhaps she could be a candidate? She has been president of the European Council. As an East German, perhaps she will win respect from both the east and west?

[Faw_Peter]

well, it's not by chance that Europe chose namely him as a candidate for the EU president position. True, the thing I disliked about him is his position against Iraq, in rest, I think UK citizens are simply blind to acknowledge the progress achieved during his mandate.

[Big_Becka]

Britain appears to have made progress if you look at statistics, but most of this progress is artificial - the underlying social problems have not been tackled, and in some cases are worse than before.

I think that the cutbacks in our education system, the loss of personal freedom and rights, and the war in Iraq are too high a price to have paid for this "progress." I am afraid we face some dark times ahead.

[Big_Becka]

A little more about Blair and the EU!
http://www.stopblair.eu/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree ... ntnonmerci

[Nathan]

wow, I never noticed that we, Europeans, dislike Blair so much. Ok, if not Blair, who else might be chosen for the new position? Sarkozy, Angela Merkel?

[Laurentine]

I see no reason for establishing this new position of EU president. I mean we already have José Manuel Barroso, who is the president of the European Commission. Isn't it enough?

[Tsp]

I think there is a big promblem many europeans are missing and that is that the USA is impeding the growth and independence of Europe, and supporting any European leader that supports the submissive sheep stance towards the USA is asking for a continuance of a impaired repressed europe not reaching its potential.

Europeans need to reassert there grandeur upon the world as leaders
Europe is superior to the USA
Europeans founded the USA, Canada,Australia,Mexico,Argentina,Bolivia,Colombia,Brazil,Chile,Uruguay,Cuba,South africa and new zealand and in historys pages colonized and developed India,pakistan, philippines,Indonesia,malaysia and vietnam.
The deals at the end of world war 2 favoured only USA and the Uk and France
Nato was really created by the USA to suppress Russia and make the other european countries follow the will of The USA
Europes military s independence is now repressed by USA bases across europe
Europe has over 400 million people and the USA just 300 million
Europe is thousands of years old and the USA only several hundred, stop your grovelling and submission to the USA
Europe needs to wake up again and the first thing must be to remove american bases from europe
There should be a new europe wide only intranet built and independent new operating systems created in Europe
Russia should be included in the new Europe and a Europe wide military alliance created from Ireland and the UK to Russia

[rars]

I think there is a big promblem many europeans are missing and that is that the USA is impeding the growth and independence of Europe, and supporting any European leader that supports the submissive sheep stance towards the USA is asking for a continuance of a impaired repressed europe not reaching its potential.

Europeans need to reassert there grandeur upon the world as leaders
Europe is superior to the USA
Europeans founded the USA, Canada,Australia,Mexico,Argentina,Bolivia,Colombia,Brazil,Chile,Uruguay,Cuba,South africa and new zealand and in historys pages colonized and developed India,pakistan, philippines,Indonesia,malaysia and vietnam.
The deals at the end of world war 2 favoured only USA and the Uk and France
Nato was really created by the USA to suppress Russia and make the other european countries follow the will of The USA
Europes military s independence is now repressed by USA bases across europe
Europe has over 400 million people and the USA just 300 million
Europe is thousands of years old and the USA only several hundred, stop your grovelling and submission to the USA
Europe needs to wake up again and the first thing must be to remove american bases from europe
There should be a new europe wide only intranet built and independent new operating systems created in Europe
Russia should be included in the new Europe and a Europe wide military alliance created from Ireland and the UK to Russia

I agree to a greater Europe too and Europe is around 400 million but add the population of russia and baltic states of eastern europe then the total of a new europe would be about 650 million people

[Nathan]

I think the crisis has made most Europeans understands that the US brings nothing but pain in the a** to us, Europeans. Nevertheless, let's hope that the new US president will open a new chapter by changing America's development policy.

[Lorry]

He will be a good president. He took the lead during the kosovo crisis when others didnt want to know, he took control when iraq kicked up a fuss last time, he also handled the northern ireland peace process very well and has been a force for good since sept 11. He did a lot of good things and I think he will do that also in the future.

[Big_Becka]

Who are you talking about, Lorry? Blair? Blair has not been made president.

Since Sept 11, personal freedom has been greatly reduced in the UK, and the Anti-Terror Laws that were introduced are a step backwards for democracy

Iraq did not "kick up their heels" - Iraq had nothing to do with terrorist attacks on the west. The situation in Iraq has ALWAYS been about oil. The invasion of Iraq was illegal and I still hope that Tony Blair will be tried as a war criminal.

Granted, the ceasefire in Northern Ireland was an acheivement.

What are these other "Good Things" that Tony Blair has done for the UK?

Note that the UK is still deep in recession while other EU countries, like France and Germany, are coming out of recession. Many people blame the short-sighted economic policies of the New Labour era for this.