Sarkozy puts more noses out of joint

Well Monsieur Sarkozy is quite something isn’t he? I fear the President of France has become quite carried away in his current (and thankfully temporary) role as President of the European Union. I also think he has started to believe his own propaganda.

Firstly President Sarkozy claimed to be, on behalf of the European Union, a positive and strong influence during the Georgian crisis; now he has hailed himself as being responsible for steadying the ship during the latest storms travelling through the financial markets. Sarkozy is clearly enjoying his role on the international stage, and he has used the French Presidency to “speak on behalf” of the Union as a means to further his own profile.

It gives everyone a little insight into the monster that has so far been repelled – a permanent President of the European Union. This was of course proposed in the now defunct Constitutional Treaty, and was then resurrected in the equally unpopular Lisbon Treaty. But this minor hitch has not seemed to worry Monsieur Sarkozy and his posturing has led him to be publicly accused of trying to become the EU President by the back door. In doing so he has upset many, most especially the Czech Republic.

Sarkozy’s proposal that countries belonging to the euro (with an invitation extended to Britain as the EU’s second largest economy) should form an emergency "economic government" with him at its head has been widely seen to undermine the future Czech Presidency. The suggestion appears to indicate that the French Presidency of the EU should continue in regard to economic affairs, making the Czech premiership (an affair of great pride to smaller Member States) an insignificant sideshow.

We should take note of this worrying development. Sarkozy in the last six months has displayed ambition that will only lead the EU in one direction, and that is further integration. It has also given us a taste of what the EU would be like with a permanent President; nation states would be ignored when international events, issues and emergencies arise. Britain would become just a member of the European Union, tied to international and foreign policy designed to please 26 other Member States - all of whom have different histories, principals and objectives.

This serves as another reminder why in the short term the Lisbon Treaty must be opposed and in the longer term the UK must leave the European Union. Otherwise before long we may lose the ability to make such decisions!