The Guardian and the Mail should both be happy with the appointment of Herman Van Rompuy and Cathy Ashton
The fact that both the Guardian and the Daily Mail chose “The Great EU stitch-up” as their splash this morning is not just one of those spasms of cognitive resonance to which Fleet Street is occasionally prone. It is also a rather nice illustration of the perverse nature of the European debate in this country.
The Mail, it is reasonable to say, is not particularly well disposed to the European project (its subhead this morning ran: “A Labour crony no one’s heard of is made EU foreign minister – so a fanatical Belgian federalist who wants Brussels to tax us can become President”). Yet given that the one thing that everyone seems to agree on today is that the EU – by appointing to its top jobs two relatively low-profile
Mike Wood
Maybe but I wonder if something that is actually unworkable hasn’t been created. Consensus building is all well and good but Europe faces a period of extreme economic difficulty still in a rapidly changing geopolitical environment – I would suggest that we need rather more than like a “skilled conductor” – a Superstate is off the agenda but what exactly is on? does anyone know and is it going to work ?
Norman Graves
I agree, the setting up of the EU as a bogeyman simply pandered to the emotions of those who have no vision of a European future. It is a sad reflection on their limited view of what a European Union could be and do.
John Ellis
Good article. I wrote in cif in the Guardian after the announcement of Ashton and Rompuy that they would be good people for the job, with one exception Rompuy is, as I understand it, against Turkey joining the EU. Let’s hope he will become a bit more statesmanlike. Ashton has clearly navigated her way through the Brussels corridors of power in her previous job and sounds like a competent woman.