Thread: First Order of Business for Post-Lisbon EU: Appoint War Criminal As President

Shameful.

CONGRATULATIONS TONY!



Now, go bitch slap the crap out of all of those limp wristed pansies and gutless surrender monkeys!

[quote name='michaelr' date='03 October 2009 - 10:04 PM' timestamp='1254600254' post='32161']This vote had to be fudged, if you remember, last year it went down with a bang that was heard from the four corners of the universe. Hell the riots and protests made me proud. I lost a bet on this issue on this board, I thought they would just mandate the treaty, well IMO they stole the election, evidence is on my side.[/quote]



What evidence is that then? The opinion polls showing a majority in favour of voting yes? And what riots? There's never been a riot about the Lisbon Treaty. And the result of the first referendum was 46.6% in favour and 53.4% against - that is not a bang that can be heard around the world.



Incidentally, that article you linked to lies about a few things. It says, for example:

they have also created a self-amending treaty that will no longer allow national vetoes on key issues like tax harmonization, crime, transport, energy and public health and services.

You can find a full list of the policy areas moved from unanimity to qualified majority voting on wikipedia. You'll notice that amongst the things not in the list are public health and tax policy.

[quote name='michaelr' date='05 October 2009 - 02:51 PM' timestamp='1254747107' post='32932']Your right there were no riots, just people getting tear gassed and burning stuff.[/quote]



When was this then? Or are you just arbitrarily deciding that every protest in Europe that turned violent in the last two years was really about Lisbon?

Blair is a criminal, he needs to Hang with Bush&co. You have always defended the EU, we have fun with that, I told you they were going to force the Lisbon treaty, and it looks they did.

You told me they were going to violate the Irish constitution and push it through without public approval. I told you they'd hold a second referendum. How did you come away from this thinking it validated you?

About Blair, have a read....



Tony Blair, the EU president no one really wants

That's not a particularly well written article from the Times. I'm not sure I'd state with confidence that most of Europe is reluctant to have Blair - he's actually quite popular in some of eastern Europe. The writer also seems to miss the fact that the treaty is also being held up by a second challenge in the Czech Constitutional Court.



Either way, though, I don't want Blair as president either. As it stands, the President isn't that powerful a position, and would remain so if we appoint some faceless and uncharismatic. With a mass media name like Blair that's instantly recognisable to everyone though, I think there's much more of a danger of effective power being gathered to the post, just by dint of the fact that he'll always be put on the news to give his opinions on one thing or another.

Update: It looks like the Lisbon Treaty will pass this year. The only remaining obstacle is the Constitutional Court challenge here, as President Klaus has now agreed to sign it in exchange for an opt-out of part of the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms*. However, there's little to no chance of Blair becoming President of the European Council. Big figures in the Socialist Group have come out aganst him. Werner Faymann from the Austrian Socialists says "I do not find that the candidacy of Tony Blair is good because of what he characterises. He is connected with Bush and the war in Iraq,", and other socialists have come out to say that they're aiming for the new High Representative for Foreign Affairs post, which will leave the presidency for the centre-right.



*Unrelated rant - the stated reason for the opt-out was fear that the property rights it guaranteed would allow Germans and Hungarians whose property was stolen by the (pre-Communist) Czechoslovak government after the war to claim compensation. It pisses me off that the government here recently passed a law offering to compensate Czech citizens whose property was taken by the Soviet Union when they annexed Sup-Carpathian Ruthenia, but the same people who passed this law are horrified at the prospect of having to compensate foreign citizens whose property was stolen by the Czechoslovak government.

Update Mark 2: The Constitutional Court says yes. Barring the very unexpected, the Lisbon treaty will be in force by December.