Stephen Pollard highlights one of the most fortunate developments in Europe of the past few years, the rise of New Europe as Franco-German hegemony wanes. A phenomenon that almost seemed too good to be true until Barroso was chosen to take the insufferable Prodi’s place.
The real debate across the EU is much wider than Britain’s exclusive focus on the constitution. It centres on whether the old sclerotic EU needs to change and introduce, albeit 20 years after Thatcher, market-friendly reforms. New Europe is winning, Old Europe losing, as Barroso’s appointment shows.
The tectonic shift in European politics is rarely commented on by much of the news media. After all Donald Rumsfeld first drew a clear and candid line under it and lord knows he’s not a politician people like to like.
It struck me last week that it would be interesting to write a post on how, ironically for all the blathering about Tony Blair damaging Britain’s status in the world, the only person who’s international standing has been flattened has been Jacques Chirac. He has been ignored on Iraq, balled his fists and moaned in NATO and now watches his own sphere of influence drift away as new Europe shunts off from the Franco-German docks that inadvertently cut away its tether.
With Barroso in charge, I’m far more willing to put my weight behind the “Yes” vote on the referendum.
(Addendum: I’ve linked Stephen Pollard 3 times in as many days. That’s a damn good blog)
Later
John
Posted by John Swaine at July 3, 2004 03:45 AM | TrackBack