There is a great caterwauling among Conservatives, as James Forsyth reports on the opposite page, at the idea that Tony Blair might become ‘President of Europe’ if the Lisbon Treaty is ratified.
There is a great caterwauling among Conservatives, as James Forsyth reports on the opposite page, at the idea that Tony Blair might become ‘President of Europe’ if the Lisbon Treaty is ratified. It certainly would confirm the suspicion one has that the Blair ‘project’ has all along been to create a political order in which British independence, parliamentary sovereignty and Tory culture are forbidden by law and Mr Blair can rule forever without having to bother with being elected. Lord Mandelson’s return to British politics after his European spell is surely designed to assist the same scheme. But, from the point of view of the Conservatives, Mr Blair’s candidacy would really be excellent news. If they succeeded in blocking it, by indicating to European leaders that a new Tory government would find it very hard to work with Mr Blair, that would show their power. If they failed, they would at last unite their own party against the European bureaucracy. Even the few remaining eurofanatics in the party would be galvanised to oppose whatever President Tony wanted. As Evelyn Waugh wrote of the Nazi-Soviet Pact, the enemy would be ‘in plain view’.
Everyone suddenly seems to agree that it is perfectly reasonable that ministers who are in the Lords should be allowed to appear to answer questions in the Commons. Until now, this has been forbidden. The change is advocated in the name of greater accountability. As usual, people are not thinking about why these conventions exist. Also as usual, we are trying to change the constitution to accommodate the emotional needs of Lord Mandelson of Hartlepool and Foy (see above).
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