Tony Blair: new EU superman!!!

The Polish foreign minister, Adam Rotfeld, said today: “If Churchill were alive, he would be proud of Mr. Blair’s speech to the EU parliament.” Er...shurley shome mishtake?

The Polish government is keen on getting a resolution to the EU budget crisis, and they think that TB – who will be president of the EU for the next six months, starting July 1 – could just be their man.

But only a few days ago, the Polish government – desperate to get the EU budget negotiations done and dusted, so they can continue to plan new investments – were grumbling about how unfair the UK budget rebate was. Why should Poles have to cough up 200 million euros year, just so a rich country like Britain can retain their damn rebate?

And then, suddenly, Tony Blair emerges from the smoke of battle with one of those grins on his faces, looking like the EU super hero.

The Polish foreign minister had talks this week with the French, German and British sides in an attempt to mend fences and get things moving again.

But the problem, from the Polish perspective, now appears to be coming from the the other side of the English channel.

"From what I saw at the meeting in Warsaw, I would have to lie to say that these countries (France and Germany) want dialogue," Rotfeld told reporters.

"Britain showed readiness to talk, but for France and Germany it is too early after what happened at the Brussels summit," he said. "It makes a deal much more difficult to reach."

So Poland is now suddenly in love with the British PM.

How things have changed for our Tony. The day after he won the UK General Election, only a couple of months ago, he looked a broken man.

But Blair is a canny political operator, albeit a pretty vacuous one. Devoid of much respect at home, New Labour is now presenting itself as the champion of the poor and dispossessed in Africa, and a friend of the new member states in the EU, like Poland.

While at home he looks resolute in his stance on not giving back any money to those damn foreigners (shades here of Thatcher's 'No, no, no') while at the same time he looks good to poor old countries like Poland, that just want everybody to get so along they can get more subsidies.

Even Clark Kent couldn’t get out of his suit and glasses as quick as Tony Superman Blair

Read on:
Polish FM: chance of EU budget compromise looks bleak