It disgusts me to think that the European Union, along with our own British government, have pretty much taken it for granted that the Lisbon Treaty/EU Constitution is going to go through. Having managed to avoid referendums across every EU member state bar on e, including the UK and with Ireland being heavily pressurised to pass Lisbon second time round in October, the European Union may soon have a new post, that being the role of EU President.
Tony Blair has long been rumoured to be a front-runnter for the job. No doubt about it, Blair is one of the most talented politicians of his generation no matter how much you disagree with his policies. Aside from the Iraq debacle, he had a damn good innings with Labour.
If Blair does get the job, as I believe he will, it will serve to help eurosceptics like myself. The key to politics now more than ever, is media attention. The institutions of the European Union like the Parliament and Commission go virtually unreported in the UK. This is totally different from coverage in countries like France and Germany. Perhaps it's apathy. Maybe the media just aren't clued-up on what exactly goes on inside the EU's many buildings. Perhaps its fear that such coverage would simply make UKIP more popular.
Whatever the reason, I predict it'll stop if and when Blair becomes the new figurehead for the EU. Newspapers want to sell papers, and Tony Blair's mug on the front of them works. Suddenly, having a top reporter based in Brussels and Strasbourg will become a lot more vital. While those inside the EU may think it would be a clever move to make a former Prime Minister from the EU's most eurosceptic country the top man, I believe it will backfire. The more people in the UK know about the EU, the more eurosceptic I believe they will become.
Though of course I hope the role never gets created. It certainly has no mandate from the British electorate.
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