European Tribune - Community, Politics & Progress.

Stop Blair - European hell version

by Jerome a Paris
Mon Jul 20th, 2009 at 07:54:30 AM EST

Back in the 1970s and 1980s we used to tell jokes about a hypothetical European hell. According to one version it is a place where the British and the Germans were in charge of the food, and the Italians in charge of the police. (...) A Europe presided over by Messrs Barroso and Blair is a modern European hell. Only it is no joke.

The proposal will obviously not die, and people like Wolgang Munchau, despite hating it, see it as still having serious backing and momentum.

So please sign the Stop Blair petition, to make it clear loudly that European citizens will not tolerate such a decision. And tell us (politely, even if that's hard) why you think it's a bad idea.

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Stop Blair - European hell version | 19 comments (19 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Stop Blair - European hell version (4.00 / 4)

Münchau makes a couple of good points:

FT.com / Columnists / Wolfgang Munchau - Blair and Barroso: Europe's team from hell

...Mr Blair is not the kind of politician who can act as a counterbalance to Mr Barroso, who has been unable to fill the EU's leadership vacuum. Mr Blair, for all his political qualities and purportedly pro-European views, has never been a comfortable operator on the EU stage. The European Council, the grouping of 27 heads of state and government, is a hugely complex political construction...
Nor is he a man who could be relied upon to provide leadership during a European crisis...I wonder what Mr Blair would have done had he been in charge last autumn, when the global financial crisis erupted? ...Would Mr Blair have really stood up against the eruption of nationalism or would he have accentuated the divisions?
Mr Blair's undisputed communication skills and his political star qualities are no doubt an asset, but the EU's leadership problem is not primarily one of communication or perception.

When locusts move on, they leave nothing behind

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Mon Jul 20th, 2009 at 10:36:50 AM EST

Re: Stop Blair - European hell version (4.00 / 4)

.I wonder what Mr Blair would have done had he been in charge last autumn, when the global financial crisis erupted? ...Would Mr Blair have really stood up against the eruption of nationalism or would he have accentuated the divisions...

Begging a discussion of Münchau's "eruption of nationalism," and regardless of Bliar's inability to mediate with leaders who don't trust him...

wouldn't he have been most interested in serving his masters? Finance has already too much influence in the political sphere, do we need the Council's head to be a lackey as well?

Skennah Kowa

by Crazy Horse on Mon Jul 20th, 2009 at 11:16:20 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Stop Blair - European hell version (4.00 / 3)

It does beg a discussion of Münchau's notion of the "eruption", but the point that Blair has never been a unifier but rather a divider of Europe is a good one.

When locusts move on, they leave nothing behind

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Mon Jul 20th, 2009 at 11:19:11 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Stop Blair - European hell version (4.00 / 2)

fully agree.

Skennah Kowa

by Crazy Horse on Mon Jul 20th, 2009 at 11:43:37 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Stop Blair - European hell version (4.00 / 3)

the EU's leadership problem is not primarily one of communication or perception.

Please send a note about this to Mrs Wallström... sigh.

Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.

by Starvid (arvid.hallen at gmail.com) on Mon Jul 20th, 2009 at 02:17:46 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Stop Blair - European hell version (none / 0)

The EU's communication/perception problem is also primarily about leadership [not understanding communication or perception].

The peak-to-trough part of the business cycle is an outlier. Carnot would have died laughing.

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Jul 24th, 2009 at 02:32:19 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Stop Blair - European hell version (4.00 / 4)

Since I'm not eligible to vote on the matter, let me just make my comment about the heaven/hell thing:

Here's how I heard it...

In heaven,
the Germans are the mechanics
the French are the cooks
the Swiss are the hoteliers
the English are the police
the Italians are the lovers

In Hell,
the French are the mechanics
the English are the cooks
the Italians are the hoteliers
the Germans are the police
the Swiss are the lovers.

(The Americans? god help us all)

Karen in Austin

Thence comes our true nobility by grace, It was not willed us with our rank and place. Chaucer

by Wife of Bath (priceluda at grandecom dot net) on Mon Jul 20th, 2009 at 12:28:39 PM EST

Re: Stop Blair - European hell version (4.00 / 2)

The version I heard was:

In Heaven,
The British are the police
The French are the cooks
The Germans are the mechanics
The Italians are the lovers

In Hell,
The British are the cooks
The French are the police
The Germans are the lovers
The Italians are the mechanics

- Jake

Tory Bliar for ~~president~~ prison!

by JakeS (JangoSierra 'at' gmail 'dot' com) on Mon Jul 20th, 2009 at 12:36:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Stop Blair - European hell version (4.00 / 2)

As a former (French) riot cop, I strongly disagree with this version. ;)

When locusts move on, they leave nothing behind

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Mon Jul 20th, 2009 at 03:12:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Stop Blair - European hell version (4.00 / 4)

The version I heard includes the Swiss too:

Heavens is where:

the policemen are British
the cooks are French
the mechanics are German
the lovers are Italian
and it's all organized by the Swiss...

Whereas in Hell:

the policemen are German
the cooks are British
the mechanics are French
the lovers are Swiss
and it's all organized by the Italians...

Europeans think a hundred miles is a long way. Americans think a hundred years is a long time.

by Bernard on Mon Jul 20th, 2009 at 03:33:17 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Stop Blair - European hell version (4.00 / 3)

All versions seem to want to have the Brits as the police.

Which seems proof to me that they were all written in the last century or before.

"The womb that spawned that thing is fertile yet"

by Cyrille (cyrillev domain yahoo.fr) on Fri Jul 24th, 2009 at 02:30:07 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Stop Blair - European hell version (none / 1)

Or proof that stereotypes die hard.

The peak-to-trough part of the business cycle is an outlier. Carnot would have died laughing.

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Jul 24th, 2009 at 02:30:55 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Stop Blair - European hell version (4.00 / 2)

You are so right.

When locusts move on, they leave nothing behind

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Fri Jul 24th, 2009 at 03:20:53 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Stop Blair - European hell version (none / 1)

No no no:
In Heaven,
The British are the police
The French are the cooks
The Germans are the mechanics
The Italians are the lovers
And it's all organised by the Swiss

In Hell,
The Germans are the police
The British are the cooks
The French are the mechanics
The Swiss are the lovers
And it's all organised by the Italians

by someone (s0me1smail(a)gmail(d)com) on Mon Jul 20th, 2009 at 03:36:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Stop Blair - European hell version (4.00 / 5)

As a former (French) mechanic, I strongly disagree with this version.

"Ne te courbe que pour aimer..." René Char

by Melanchthon on Mon Jul 20th, 2009 at 12:57:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Lipponen for President (4.00 / 4)

Ilta-Sanomat: Brittiasiantuntija: Paavo Lipponen sopisi EU:n presidentiksi (British expert: Paavo Lipponen (former Finnish PM - SDP - would be a good EU president)

Translation via GT:

Former Prime Minister and Speaker Paavo Lipponen (sd.) has again been proposed as the EU's president.
On Monday, he was given justification for the new office by the British Financial Times newspaper columnist Wolfgang Münchau, who believes that Lipponen should at least be a better option than the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
According to Münchau, Europe would be hell if the current Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso continues, and with Blair as president: it will lead to two and a half years of their control of the EU summit meetings of the European Council.
In Münchau's view there is a need for someone who is willing and able "to bang a few heads together", and it is not Blair.
"I have heard that political friends are leaning to Paavo Lipponen, Finland's previous prime minister. He could be a better option, Münchau writes.

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Mon Jul 20th, 2009 at 12:44:26 PM EST

Re: Lipponen for President (4.00 / 2)

Lipponen is certainly capable of banging a few heads together. A somewhat taciturn man, but capable of saying intelligent things and meaning them.

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Mon Jul 20th, 2009 at 01:38:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Lipponen for President (4.00 / 5)

The list of people who would be good EU Council Presidents is long. Blair is not on it, though.

The peak-to-trough part of the business cycle is an outlier. Carnot would have died laughing.

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Mon Jul 20th, 2009 at 01:44:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Lipponen for President (4.00 / 3)

Let me suggest a couple of Lipponen advantages:

Former PM - thus familiar with Council Summits

Finnish PM when Finland took chairmanship of Council in 1999 - 2000

Plays water polo

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Mon Jul 20th, 2009 at 03:02:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Stop Blair - European hell version | 19 comments (19 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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