Tagged with Jean-Claude Juncker

EU, the Grand Coalition and austerity. Where does Italy’s Renzi stand?

renzi-merkel-baraldiThe choice of Juncker as the next president of the European Commission is in total continuity with the harmful policies of rigor imposed in recent years by the Troika. The Italian prime minister on the one hand seems to beat his fists against the diktats of Berlin, on the other hand make us believe – mistakenly – that more flexibility in the Stability Pact is enough to improve the situation. There will only be a break with destructive austerity if Matteo Renzi acquires courage and awareness of the impossibility of proceeding with the current rules

Failing improbable twists and gentlemen, the Christian Democrat of Luxembourg Jean-Claude Juncker will be the next president of the European Commission. The appointment, to be confirmed by the European parliament 15 July, took place on 28 June at the end of the European Council, with Hungary and much more seriously, Great Britain voting against.

Juncker as president of the Commission will not be good news. And certainly not for the reason maliciously advanced by the British tabloid the Sun, and promptly repurposed by the German equivalent Bild, which is the presumed nominee for President has an inclination for alcohol. Continue reading →

Seven issues on which Cameron was isolated and humiliated

Juncker & Cameron with EU flagIt is almost unbelievable that Cameron should have manipulated himself so deftly into a position of total humiliation over the president of the EU Commission appointment. He made clear from the beginning that his goal was to remain within the EU, but to seek reform of the treaties to which Britain along with all the other 27 countries had consented. He never wanted an in/out referendum over membership of the EU, but he conceded a referendum in 2017 because of threats from the Tory Right. He then triangulated these positions by demanding EU reforms that he must have known the other 27 members were certain to reject. He then implied that if he didn’t get his way, Britain was likely to leave the EU, an ultimatum that lost whatever sympathetic allies he way have had at the outset. He gave the impression he either had a death wish or else was the most incompetent negotiator in modern times. Continue reading →

Cameron’s right about Juncker, but for the wrong reasons

Cmerkel-junker-cameronameron’s relentless drive to block Jean-Claude Juncker’s bid for presidency of the European Commission is driven by his desperate need to be able to negotiate prior to his proposed EU referendum in 2017 with a president who’ll be sympathetic to his demands for changes in the Britain-EU relationship, to order to swing the vote to stay in Europe. In power terms and given the ungovernability of the Tory parliamentary party because of its turbulent right-wing caucus, this is a logical course for him to take. But it raises the much more important democratic issue of the process for selecting the head of the Commission which has been pushed to the margins by the overriding drive to block a federalist. Continue reading →

Dave’s desperate referendum stunt

david cameron not happyThis post begins with a quiz. Who here is the biggest cynic? Me, your host of some seven-and-a-half years. Or Dave, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland? Don’t answer yet! Let’s examine the evidence first.

You might have noticed that an election took place last week, one that saw an unprecedented number of votes go to the hard and the far right across Europe. You may also have caught a little bit of coverage about something called UKIP. However, the biggest bloc in the new European Parliament is the so-called European People’s Party. This Soviet-sounding formation is the main grouping for the EU’s centre right parties, such as Angela Merkel’s CDU/CSU and the French UMP (ex-of Sarkozy). Continue reading →