EU crisis as Britain rejects deal on budget

[sweetheart]

From the London Financial times:
By George Parker, James Blitz and Daniel Dombey in Brussels
Published: June 17 2005 18:57 | Last updated: June 18 2005 00:47

The European Union was plunged into political crisis on Friday night after Britain led the way in blocking a proposed deal on the new seven-year budget.

Tony Blair, the UK prime minister, was one of a minority of leaders who refused to accept a compromise package, as the Brussels summit collapsed in acrimony shortly before midnight. The failure of the talks means the transfer of billions of euros of aid to former communist countries in eastern Europe, due to start on January 1 2007, may be delayed.

The political ramifications of the breakdown, coming after French and Dutch voters rejected the EU constitution, could be severe.

Friday night recriminations flew about who was responsible for the failure, with Mr Blair taking much of the blame. His willingness to strike a deal on the €4.6bn ($5.6bn) British budget rebate was seen by the EU's Luxembourg presidency as the key to a deal. In rejecting an agreement, Mr Blair was taking a gamble which puts at risk his credibility as a European leader.
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http://news.ft.com/cms/s/51594d14-df57-11d9-84f8-00000e2511c8.html

[sweetheart]

1. Why is this important?

Blair has become a divisive spoiler to the EU and with his bloody
iraq war criminal hands, no wound can be healed. That said, the real
asshole of the load of them is Chiraq. He has outlived his sell by
date, and is really starting to stink up the place. The failure of the
french to keep their assholes in line is weakening the EU terribly.

[aneerkoinos]

2. Blame the French

When the silly little Ingerlanders don't know what else to do, blame the French, it allways works. Fact is, if you look at deeds, not rhetorics, Thatcher and Major were "better Europeans" than Blair the Murdoch's boy, or Brown will be.

And, also silly little Finnerlanders voted against the compromise so we share the blame, together with all the EU "leadership".

[DemExpat]

3. We spoiled it too by voting NO in the referendum

and now turning down compromise budget adjustments.

DemEx
The Hague

[sweetheart]

4. The whole leadership has passed its sell by date

The next 2 years will see the end of shroeder, chiraq and blair,
along with their wars and pomposity. The EU leadership, the real deal
is outside the room, and is waiting for the old farts to flush so that
they can get some clean water.

Blair thinks he's got an in because of the NO vote, so he's playing
his cards, and making lovey doo with the tory euroskeptics in the
process. He is gloating over the breakdown of europe and on top of
that he's being cheap.

As a side note, however, the CAP needs to change if any of europe is
to live up to a "fair trade" view of things... and in this regard,
blair is right to demand reform. Unfortunately it has become an
issue of personalities, france, blair, england, chiraq and nowhere
in that huge ego mess is there room for reasonable negotiation on
ending the huge CAP subsidies that are the achillies heel of EU
integrity.