David Miliband warns EU they need Blair and his motorcade

[T_i_B]

Source: Daily Telegraph

Tony Blair should be made president of the European Union because he warrants a large motorcade, David Miliband has said.

The astonishing reasoning came from the Foreign Secretary who owes his political career to the former prime minister.

He said: “I think it would be very good for Britain as well as very good for Europe if Tony Blair was a candidate and was chosen. It's about whether or not Europe wants a strong leader in that position. I think that hasn't yet been resolved in the minds of a number of Europe's leaders.

“My own view is that we need somebody who can do more than simply run through the agenda. We need someone who, when he or she lands in Beijing or Washington or Moscow, the traffic does need to stop and talks do need to begin at a very, very high level. I think Europe has suffered from the lack of that clarity.”


Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/6431761/David-Miliband-warns-EU-they-need-Blair-and-his-motorcade.html

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I think this is the stupidest argument yet in favour of Blair as EU president.

[dipsydoodle]

1. astonishing reasoning ?

Miliband should change his name to Wayne Kerr.

[karynnj]

2. I don't defend Blair, but this article is spinning Millibrand's words to mean something he didn't

His point was that they needed someone who has the stature to be be seen on a higher level than the EU leader has in the past. Now, he doesn't really make a case that Blair can do this or that Blair is the only one who could. While it is true that Blair has more name recognition world wide, it is not clear that he (or any leader of the EU) could be seen as on a par with the US. He likely would have less real power than the current Prime Minister of the UK.

The real reason the head of the EU does not command attention equal to the combined power of all the countries in the EU is that the union does not actually have the power over its "states" that the United States has over its. It is a pretty loose federation.

[DavidDvorkin]

3. He's right

Of course the Telegraph prefers to spin his statement so as to make it look stupid.

He's right that the EU needs a president with that kind of international visibility and recognition.

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. And yet Blair doesn't really have 'that kind of recognition'

He's currently travelling the globe, but he is not drawing adoring crowds. He's just quietly earning £10 million a year, advising merchant banks, setting up 'faith foundations', and completely failing to do any good in the Middle East. The last one may be because he is a highly divisive figure, who is having to be protected from the British Iraq war inquiry because he was the main figure who decided to hand British foreign policy over to George Bush to do whatever he wanted with.

The EU needs Blair as president like I need a hole in my head. The signal it would send out - that Dubya's lackey in an illegal invasion is now the international face of the EU - would be truely appalling.