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Nile Gardiner

Nile Gardiner is a Washington-based foreign affairs analyst and political commentator. He appears frequently on American and British television and radio, including Fox News Channel, CNN, BBC, Sky News, and NPR.

Five reasons why Tony Blair should not be EU President

 

By Nile Gardiner World Last updated: October 29th, 2009

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It’s confirmed. Tony Blair has thrown his hat into the ring to become the first president of the European Union – provided the job is “big enough”. The former PM has reportedly gained the backing of both German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and Downing Street is currently putting his chances at “50-50”.

In the coming weeks there will be an intense debate in Britain and across Europe over who should ascend to the EU throne. There will also be tremendous interest in America in the possible political comeback of a hugely popular figure across the Atlantic, with significant implications for US foreign policy.

In his defence, Tony Blair deserves considerable credit for his unwavering support for Britain’s closest ally, the United States, in the dark days following 9/11, as well as during the Iraq War. His courageous backing of an Anglo-American-led global war on terror was highly commendable, and Blair showed strong leadership while much of Europe mocked and jeered from the sidelines.

Blair also took a clear stand against Serbian ethnic cleansing in the Balkans while Bill Clinton dithered, and backed up tough rhetoric with the large-scale deployment of British troops to Kosovo. On the world stage, Blair acted often as a man of principle, who sincerely believed that Britain should act against genocidal regimes and dictators.

Unfortunately, Blair’s international leadership was not matched by anywhere near sufficient levels of British defence spending, or a willingness to confront Islamist extremists at home. He launched a series of fully justified wars, but at times without the manpower, equipment and funding to wage them effectively.

Blair’s admirable pro-Atlanticism was ultimately undercut by a misplaced and misguided belief that Britain could be both America’s best friend andsit at the heart of a politically and economically integrated Europe. Blair oversaw a massive loss of British independence within the EU, and saw no contradiction at all between the rise of a European defence identity and the preservation of the transatlantic alliance. While Blair will go down in history as one of the most important Prime Ministers of the last 100 years, he is no Margaret Thatcher or Winston Churchill, both leaders who, in contrast to Tony, possessed a deeply rooted understanding of British interests in Europe.

As the debate over Blair’s candidacy moves from phony war to full scale battle, here are five key reasons why I think a Blair EU presidency would be against the British national interest:

1. Blair would give a huge boost to the rise of a federal Europe

No leader in modern times has done more to undermine British national sovereignty than Tony Blair. A charismatic UK figure who actually believes in the European Project would be a godsend for Eurofederalists, which is precisely why they are backing him so strongly.

As Prime Minister, Blair was a huge supporter of the European Constitution, the European Convention on Human Rights, and the European Security and Defence Policy. His signing of the Saint Malo declaration with France in 1998 laid the foundations for the creation of a European Army and a fully fledged EU defence identity. His decision to introduce European law into British courts through the Human Rights Act was an unforgivable blow to the independence of the British judiciary.

2. Blair would have no legitimacy in the eyes of the next British government

As EU President, Blair would be the unelected representative of 500 million Europeans, including 61 million Britons who are likely to remove his Labour Party from power at the next election. To get an idea of just how ludicrous this scenario is, can you imagine the Obama administration backing George W. Bush as the president of a pan-American union encompassing North, South and Central America? It would simply never happen.

A permanent state of war would exist between the EU President and the British Prime Minister, with Blair inevitably taking every opportunity to sideline David Cameron within Europe. Blair would seek to incessantly meddle in British internal affairs by pressing for full compliance by the UK with the Treaty of Lisbon, and will fight tooth and nail against any British renegotiation of the new Constitution.

3. Blair would actually undermine the Anglo-American Special Relationship

How could this be the case if Blair is so pro-American? The answer is simple. Because Tony Blair is such a popular and well respected figure in the United States, he will be able to significantly enhance the standing and influence of Brussels in Washington.

Blair will have to turn on the charm with the Obama White House, still suspicious of his closeness to Bush. But there can be little doubt that before long Tony Blair will be Barack Obama’s best friend. In fact, a Blair-led EU presidency would chime extremely well with a US administration that is strongly in favour of European integration, and cares little for the Anglo-American alliance. Blair is perfectly capable of making the EU a very powerful player inside the Washington Beltway, something it has never achieved in the past. And this will be done at the expense of London and the Special Relationship.

4. Blair would dominate EU foreign policy

If Blair does become EU President, he may as well be EU Foreign Minister as well. His term of office will be driven by a desire to build up Europe as a major power on the world stage. If his time as PM is anything to go by, Blair has little interest in domestic issues, and all his energy will be focused upon projecting European leadership on issues such as the Middle East peace process, the Iranian nuclear crisis, and the war in Afghanistan – though he will quickly learn that what Europe calls leadership is more commonly known as appeasement.

Blair will deliver a Herculean effort to make the EU what it has never really been – a powerful player at the negotiating table that is seen as a force to be reckoned with rather than an emperor with no clothes. Unfortunately for Britain, Blair, a formidable public speaker and negotiator, will give an EU foreign policy the added credibility that Brussels craves.

5. The EU shouldn’t even have a president

Most importantly, a Blair presidency will add a huge stamp of legitimacy to a central plank of the European Project, and all the trappings of power that come with it. British conservatives, and all who care about the future of Britain as a nation state, should oppose the very concept of a European Union president.

The next British government will have the opportunity to hold a referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon and let the British people have the final say on the biggest threat to national sovereignty since the Second World War. If it does, it will strike a massive blow in defence of the principles of democracy, liberty and freedom in Europe.

Tags: Barack Obama, David Cameron, eu president, Margaret Thatcher,Special Relationship, tony blair, Winston Churchill