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Tony Blair received an unwelcome 55th birthday present from France yesterday. President Nicolas Sarkozy has abandoned his efforts to push the former prime minister's claim to be the first permanent president of the European Union Council from next year. M. Sarkozy, who takes over the rotating EU presidency in July, is now backing the candidature of Jean-Claude Juncker, the Luxembourg Prime Minister, according to senior French officials. The French President was once a strong Blair-backer, floating the idea himself last year, but he has bowed to pressure from other EU governments. Some countries are anti-Blair. Others oppose the idea that the new post should go to a political heavyweight, who might try to inflate the importance of the new job. By supporting Mr Juncker's candidacy, M. Sarkozy could be placing himself on a collision course with Gordon Brown, five weeks after he made a speech in Westminster hailing a new Anglo-French brotherhood.
Tony Blair received an unwelcome 55th birthday present from France yesterday. President Nicolas Sarkozy has abandoned his efforts to push the former prime minister's claim to be the first permanent president of the European Union Council from next year.
M. Sarkozy, who takes over the rotating EU presidency in July, is now backing the candidature of Jean-Claude Juncker, the Luxembourg Prime Minister, according to senior French officials. The French President was once a strong Blair-backer, floating the idea himself last year, but he has bowed to pressure from other EU governments.
Some countries are anti-Blair. Others oppose the idea that the new post should go to a political heavyweight, who might try to inflate the importance of the new job.
By supporting Mr Juncker's candidacy, M. Sarkozy could be placing himself on a collision course with Gordon Brown, five weeks after he made a speech in Westminster hailing a new Anglo-French brotherhood.
The Anglo Disease in a nutshell. Vampires in action and not even cosncious of their parasitic nature. In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
Tony Blair's hopes of becoming Europe's first president suffered a setback yesterday after President Nicolas Sarkozy of France indicted that he had withdrawn his support. Elysée sources confirmed that Mr Sarkozy was backing Jean Claude Juncker, the prime minister of Luxembourg, as the "firm favourite", suggesting he had given up on Mr Blair after resistance from other countries. Mr Sarkozy last year described a possible Blair presidency as a "smart move". However, Britain's failure to join the euro and its opt-outs from European border controls have undermined his case. The former British leader is also regarded in Paris as "burned" by his support for the US-led war in Iraq, especially among Europe's socialist leaders.
Elysée sources confirmed that Mr Sarkozy was backing Jean Claude Juncker, the prime minister of Luxembourg, as the "firm favourite", suggesting he had given up on Mr Blair after resistance from other countries.
Mr Sarkozy last year described a possible Blair presidency as a "smart move".
However, Britain's failure to join the euro and its opt-outs from European border controls have undermined his case. The former British leader is also regarded in Paris as "burned" by his support for the US-led war in Iraq, especially among Europe's socialist leaders.
Le Figaro goes on to suggest that Javier Solana is favourite for the position of "Foreign Minister" of the European Council. When locusts move on, they leave nothing behind
Similarly, the candidacy of Danish Prime Minister, the Socialist Anders Fogh Rasmussen
His socialist friends "do not want to" see the former British prime minister, considered as too Eurosceptic, become head of the EU.
Surely no self-respecting socialist be a friend of that neocon toerag. keep to the Fen Causeway
I'm not sure I understand your "inconvenient facts", by the way. How could her praising Blair be an inconvenient fact for the theory that Royal would portray herself as the French Blair?
