Comments on: EU solidarity will come with a price

By: Ken Worthy

Ken Worthy — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 14:24:09 +0000

How can a Conservative Government oppose the transfers of powers in the Treaty of Lisbon? The treaty will have been ratified by all Governments and the Irish bludgeoned into backing down, long before Cameron takes power. The EU has already started to implement the Treaty – in fact they started to implement its almost-identical predecessor, the EU Constitution, almost as soon as the French and Dutch voters had finished voting against it. Democratic legitimacy has never worried the EU – you can’t trust voters to get the right answer.
Cameron says he “will not let matters rest” if the Treaty has already been implemented. This makes excellent sense in PR terms. He clearly doesn’t want to get drawn into a bitter argument on the EU before an election – too Old Tory for him. However all that it says about what he will actually do about it seems to amount to “trust me”. Somehow it doesn’t inspire much confidence.

By: Freeborn John

Freeborn John — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:51:48 +0000

What do the Conservatives plan to do about the Lisbon treaty’s foreign and security policy if it is ratified when they come to office? There are significant provisions in Lisbon, such as qualified majority on proposals made by the EU foreign minister.

The only suggestions i have seen the Conservatives make for negotiating the return of powers from Brussels are in the area of employment and social policy. This suggests that the Conservatives would accept the Lisbon Treaty’s foreign and security policy changes, including an EU foreign minster in all but name, who would speak on our behalf in the UN Security Council whenever there is an agreed EU position, who would run an EU diplomatic service, and where decisions on the ‘implementation’ of EU foreign policy would be taken by QMV.

Reply: As I understand the official position, it is to oppose all the transfer of powers in Lisbon as well as seeking powers like employment and social policy back from previous give aways.

By: Yorkshireman

Yorkshireman — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 20:29:10 +0000

I don’t see much of our EU “partners” solidarity in Afghanistan.

The EU paper tiger will talk the talk but will never walk the walk for Britain.

Germany’s high level of trade with Iran will soon prevent them from supporting Britain if ever this dispute escalates.

By: Brian Tomkinson

Brian Tomkinson — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 20:27:24 +0000

Jean,
Of course not.

By: Adrian Peirson

Adrian Peirson — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 17:06:41 +0000

Diplomatic Immunity does not mean deliberately interfereing in the affairs of a sovereign nationwe should stop interfering.

By: jean baker

jean baker — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 12:21:26 +0000

Do you envisage the EU ‘forcing’ Nulabor to conform to it’s democratic obligation and duty to hold the long overdue Lisbon Treaty referendum ?

By: APL

APL — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:40:44 +0000

JR: “Beware all the statements from EU leaders that the UK has their support ..”

The EU has no backbone nor any teeth. We would be well shot of it interfering in the external affairs of the United Kingdom.

By: Publius

Publius — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 10:11:54 +0000

EU solidarity is achieved only by doing nothing about anything. We have fudged “agreements” about less and less, in order to create the illusion of unity. And the only strong and clear words ever spoken are when there is absolutely nothing at all at stake.

By: Citizen Responsible

Citizen Responsible — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 10:01:40 +0000

Likewise, at last month’s EU summit, where there were European regulatory proposals to transfer control of the City of London to Brussels, Gordon Brown apparently stopped it happening. I suspect that Mandelson asked the EU to postpone this to help GB and to keep us quiet until after the Treaty of Lisbon comes into force next January. Then it will be back on the agenda.

By: Mark

Mark — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 09:22:42 +0000

Despite the headline in The Times, the staff under threat are in fact locally engaged Iranians, not British diplomats, and therefore they don’t have the same protection of diplomatic immunity.

There is a much wider issue over the employment of locally engaged staff in British embassies – something that has grown as a cost cutting measure. They now fulfil executive roles so that political analysis of a country and negotiations with it, the issue of visas, and the support of commercial activity are often undertaken by foreigners. In some cases there are reports of corruption becoming widespread in consular departments – not good for protecting Britain from immigrants who might prove unwelcome. The risks of political analysis and commercial activity being undermined, and of sensitive material being passed back by spies is greatly increased. The EU dimension merely adds another layer to an already unsatisfactory situation.

By: Iain

Iain — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 08:38:11 +0000

Yes, you have voiced my suspicion about this so called solidarity.

By: Stuart Fairney

Stuart Fairney — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 08:25:05 +0000

Wow, the … mullahs must be utterly terrified that the Belgians don’t approve of them. EU foreign policy in action.

By: Brian Tomkinson

Brian Tomkinson — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:58:07 +0000

What moral or political authority to criticise the behaviour of any other country does the anti-democratic EU have when its own leadership forces the vote to be held again if a referendum in Europe does not produce their desired result?

By: Johnny Norfolk

Johnny Norfolk — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:17:21 +0000

It will be all talk and no action. We will get as much help as we did when we had the ERM problem. ie none.