The meta-problem is that the EU has been giving its services and strategic advantages on the cheap - and getting nothing but abuse in return. Why doesn't Sarkozy - in his capacity as President of the EU Council and interlocutor with Russia give a speech giving the UK some home truths about what is required from Britain - e.g. fair play for French energy utilities - thus nicely serving French interests as well?
Just wait for the wails of EU bullying. The EU is not a club where everyone gets everything they want on the cheap - a message which could also, usefully, be directed at Ireland. The wails are the sound of chickens coming home to roost... Vote McCain for war without gain
And they've found it easier to buy the elites of other countries as an alternative to traditional balance fo power politics: make the elits "one of us" and presto, the trick is done. In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
But why does the EU sell itself so cheap? Because there is little emotional identification with its citizenry and structural democratic constraints on it doing so. There is no sense that the EU is run by the parliament or directly elected officials and the indirect democracy conferred via the participating Governments doesn't seem to work very well in terms of generating legitimacy for the collective.
No one seem to care what Barrosso says because no one (directly) elected him and thus no one has a psychological identification with him one way or the other. He is not "our" Commission President and we take no responsibility for what he does.
Likewise Sarkozy will always, primarily, be President of France and thus a "foreigner telling us what to do" rather than our President. Ultimately the President of the Council or Commission may have to evolve into Directly (or parliamentary) elected positions rather than appearing to emerge from conspiracies behind the closed doors of the Council.
Its more about psychology and media presentation rather than reality. It's still too easy to take no ownership of what the EU is and does - and for the EU elite to to be spineless and relatively powerless in the face of things that effect peoples fears and real lives Vote McCain for war without gain
