Mary Robinson for President of the European Council | 28 comments (28 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Mary Robinson for President (none / 0)

Re 1, as I wrote elsewhere, there might be a language issue here: in English, "EU President" is really the most economical -- though at least "Council President" should not be that difficult... --, in German however, Ratspräsident beats even EU-Präsident.

EU Premier or President

IMO, not an insignificant difference -- and given that Ireland has both, such a confusion is the more glaring. The EU's de-facto Premier is the President of the Commission, and that regardless of whether the President of the European Council will remain the low-key chairman or be turned into an "EU President" as per Bliar's and Sarko's wishes.

Some Federalist EU supporters mights like the post to evolve into "the public face of the EU"

Nah, more the Confederationists: the intergovermentalists.

it reflects a yearning for a more accessible, visible, accountable and coherent face of the EU

How will a Council President Blair be a more accessible, visible, accountable and coherent face of the EU than a Commission President Barroso?

And why hasn't this yearning you analyse materialise in a practice to call Barroso EU Premier?

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Fri Oct 23rd, 2009 at 09:41:03 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Mary Robinson for President (none / 1)

You left out my conditional "if" in front of the yearning quote. I don't know whether or the extent to which it exists although I suspect it does. Barroso is seen as the head bureaucrat and not as a politically elected figure. Prime Ministers are mostly indirectly elected -via their Parliaments - and so I suppose by electing a Council President they are conferring some indirect democrat legitimacy to the President. Yes, I know they also elect/appoint the President of the Commission and so you can argue the same logic applies.

I'm not saying this is right or logical, but for whatever reason the popular conception of the post seems to regard it as more of their representative - rather than a representative of the "Brussels Democracy" - and insofar as this improves the democratic legitimacy of the EU, this is not necessarily a bad thing.

notes from no w here

by Frank Schnittger (mail Frankschnittger at hot male dotty communists) on Fri Oct 23rd, 2009 at 09:53:34 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Mary Robinson for President (none / 1)

Yes, I know they also elect/appoint the President of the Commission and so you can argue the same logic applies.

I think the same logic could apply regarding the bureaucrat/politically elected figure perceptions, too. (And at least my perception of Barroso is not that of a bureaucrat...)

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Fri Oct 23rd, 2009 at 10:05:25 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Mary Robinson for President (none / 1)

All I'm saying is that the way the President of the Council post is being portrayed and perceived in the MSM is quite different to the way the President of the Commission is being portrayed and perceived, and although that may not always be well grounded in the job spec and mode of election of either post, and may thus grate with the eurocognoscenti, it may not altogether be a bad thing that they are perceived so differently. Whether this difference of perception will prove long lasting or not is of course a separate issue and may well depend on the first incumbent of the Council post.

notes from no w here

by Frank Schnittger (mail Frankschnittger at hot male dotty communists) on Fri Oct 23rd, 2009 at 10:27:34 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Mary Robinson for President (none / 0)

in the MSM

English-language MSM.

it may not altogether be a bad thing that they are perceived so differently

That wasn't your original point :-) But I still don't see it.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Fri Oct 23rd, 2009 at 02:52:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Mary Robinson for President of the European Council | 28 comments (28 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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