| International Politics The forum for the discussion of non-US world politics. | |
View Poll Results: The first European Union President should be: | |
Tony Blair (Labour), ex UK PM
|    | 6 | 46.15% | |
Felipe González (Socialist), ex PM of Spain
|    | 0 | 0% | |
Jean-Claude Juncker (Christian), PM of Luxembourg
|    | 1 | 7.69% | |
Wolfgang Schüssel (Christian Democrat), ex Chancellor of Austria
|    | 0 | 0% | |
Paavo Lipponen (Social Democrat), ex PM of Finland
|    | 1 | 7.69% | |
Herman Van Rompuy (Christian Democrat), PM of Belgium
|    | 0 | 0% | |
Jan Peter Balkenende (Christian Democrat), the Dutch PM
|    | 1 | 7.69% | |
Martti Ahtisaari (independent), ex President of Finland
|    | 1 | 7.69% | |
Mary Robinson (independent), ex President of Ireland
|    | 1 | 7.69% | |
Other, who?
|    | 2 | 15.38% |  | | 
22nd October 2009, 09:50 AM
|  | Veteran
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Reps: 45,454,215,510,743,368 (power: 45,454,215,510,753) | | | The First European Union President...
__________________ One achieves little honour if one invades another country, which has done us no harm, with force and injustice, if one rapes and burns, kills and pillages those who only wished to live in peace. It would do us greater honour if our forefathers had always been peaceful and meek, if they had been content with all the things God had given them, instead of robbing and raping others. -- Olaus Petri I am resolving now never to hold rancor, however justified it might be, toward a group of people, whatever their race, religion, conviction, prejudices, errors. -- Irčne Némirovsky Cannons and fire-arms are cruel and damnable machines; I believe them to have been the direct suggestion of the Devil. If Adam had seen in a vision the horrible instruments his children were to invent, he would have died of grief. -- Martin Luther | 
22nd October 2009, 04:36 PM
|  | Struttin'
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Reps: 180,004,536,410,751 (power: 180,004,536,413) | | | Not sure who should do it now, but I would love it if Silvio Berlusconi got the job at some point in the future. Just for the laughs.
__________________ Peace Out. | 
22nd October 2009, 05:17 PM
|  | Drinking from the glass half-empty

| | Join Date: 22nd December 2008 Location: Oxford, UK
Posts: 688
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Reps: 41,168,444,346,964,904 (power: 41,168,444,346,968) | | I'd say it should be Ahtisaari or Robinson. Anyone but this one:
(Tory election poster circa 1997), if for no other reason than I haven't forgot David Kelly.
__________________ Ninety-nine out of a hundred dreams came crashing down around you. But if life always fell short of your expectations, that was no argument for lowering them. There was always the hundredth dream. | 
22nd October 2009, 05:24 PM
| | Legend 41 
| | Join Date: 26th May 2004 Location: Cape Breton
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Reps: 1,017,882,919,370,317,952 (power: 0) | | Originally Posted by Mackdaddy Suave Not sure who should do it now, but I would love it if Silvio Berlusconi got the job at some point in the future. Just for the laughs.
I opened this thread specifically to say that. Sheesh... | 
22nd October 2009, 07:35 PM
| | Newbie
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Reps: 596,949,521,803,042 (power: 596,949,521,806) | | | Every pundits and analysts of European politics that i have listened to on TV or radio, are pointing at Mr. Blair. | 
23rd October 2009, 07:12 AM
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Reps: 45,454,215,510,743,368 (power: 45,454,215,510,753) | | Originally Posted by william100 Every pundits and analysts of European politics that i have listened to on TV or radio, are pointing at Mr. Blair.
Mr. Blair's problem(s) seems to be that a) he was the Bush administration's prime partner in crime in their decision to start an unnecessary war & occupation in Iraq, and Europeans seem to have a long enough memory to still remember; b) UK is not "core" EU; and c) Mr. Blair has perhaps too big an ego/shadow.
__________________ One achieves little honour if one invades another country, which has done us no harm, with force and injustice, if one rapes and burns, kills and pillages those who only wished to live in peace. It would do us greater honour if our forefathers had always been peaceful and meek, if they had been content with all the things God had given them, instead of robbing and raping others. -- Olaus Petri I am resolving now never to hold rancor, however justified it might be, toward a group of people, whatever their race, religion, conviction, prejudices, errors. -- Irčne Némirovsky Cannons and fire-arms are cruel and damnable machines; I believe them to have been the direct suggestion of the Devil. If Adam had seen in a vision the horrible instruments his children were to invent, he would have died of grief. -- Martin Luther | 
23rd October 2009, 07:37 AM
| | Senior Member
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Reps: 97,440,235,412 (power: 0) | | | Given the massive popular uprising in Europe against the criminal US regime and it's anachronistic vision of the world, i don't think any of the mass murder advocates (Blair, Balkenende etc..) will get the post.
However, the post will be, in the beginning, more of symbolic power than anything else. Executive power will only be transferred very slowly, which means any war criminal capitalists getting the job won't be able to actively kill any innocents or rob the helpless while there for the moment being.
Last edited by Chipahualca; 23rd October 2009 at 07:42 AM.
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23rd October 2009, 11:11 AM
|  | Tarut keeps on dreaming 23 
| | Join Date: 9th September 2007 Location: From Colorado, currently in the UK
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Reps: 22,655,783,805,506,600 (power: 22,655,783,805,515) | | Originally Posted by Chipahualca Given the massive popular uprising in Europe against the criminal US regime and it's anachronistic vision of the world, i don't think any of the mass murder advocates (Blair, Balkenende etc..) will get the post.
You vastly overestimate the influence of the populace on executive decision making. The President will be he who ensures the continuation of the trans-Atlantic relationship, secures a solid trade and security future with China and Russia and promotes the continuation of pro-business initiatives in a pan-European context.
So it'll probably be Blair.
__________________
"I am an eye. I am a mechanical eye. I, a machine, I am showing you a world, the likes of which only I can see" -Dziga Vertov "But the work of man is only just beginning, and it remains to conquer all the violence entrenched in the recesses of our passion, for no race possesses the monopoly of beauty, of intelligence, of force. And there is place for all at the rendezvous of victory" - Aimé Césaire "God is more interested in justice than ritual; is more attuned to the cry of the oppressed than to the laudatory praises of the pious. What really matters is what is done and not what is simply preached" - Leonardo Boff | 
23rd October 2009, 01:10 PM
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Reps: 45,454,215,510,743,368 (power: 45,454,215,510,753) | | Originally Posted by Staccato So it'll probably be Blair.
Even with Merkel so strongly against him?
Anyway, contrary to what one might think, I can't quite bring myself to cheer for the Christian Democrats on this, especially the continental Christian Democrat types. Which leaves Juncker, Schüssel, Rompuy, and Balkenende out.
Contrary to what one might again think, I can't bring myself to cheer for the two Finns either. Lipponen is a bear of a man. Competent for the job no doubt, still I would not like the "face" of the EU to be a one-syllable bear of a man. Ahtisaari is the former President of Finland. In other words, we have been there, done that, seen it, and we were not terribly impressed. Clearly, Ahtisaari's forte is elsewhere and the world badly needs his skills there. Lipponen and Ahtisaari are out.
The same applies to Robinson. She has excellent humanitarian record and she should keep it up instead of wasting away as the EU President. So Robinson is out.
I strongly believe the destruction of Iraq is poor evil, and where I come from, we do not reward war criminals with fancy political positions. Blair is definitely out of question.
The former Spanish PM... wrong party, perhaps, because I can't bring myself to cheer for him either. González is out.
What I clearly need is a Dark Horse (one of "the Others").
And you know what -- I have one! ALEXANDER STUBB, the new blood the New Europe badly needs, not those same old same old greyed & frayed race horses that have been around for decades.
__________________ One achieves little honour if one invades another country, which has done us no harm, with force and injustice, if one rapes and burns, kills and pillages those who only wished to live in peace. It would do us greater honour if our forefathers had always been peaceful and meek, if they had been content with all the things God had given them, instead of robbing and raping others. -- Olaus Petri I am resolving now never to hold rancor, however justified it might be, toward a group of people, whatever their race, religion, conviction, prejudices, errors. -- Irčne Némirovsky Cannons and fire-arms are cruel and damnable machines; I believe them to have been the direct suggestion of the Devil. If Adam had seen in a vision the horrible instruments his children were to invent, he would have died of grief. -- Martin Luther | 
24th October 2009, 10:14 AM
|  | Contributor 33  | | Join Date: 3rd February 2005 Location: Glasgow
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Reps: 308,806,707,732,847 (power: 308,806,707,746) | | | Please God not Blair, why would it be Blair? Who likes Blair? Who on earth is offering this to Blair. Blair sucks. He is an egomaniac a liar, and a royal pain. He's a total waste of space WHY IS HE EVEN IN THE GAME?!!
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Last edited by ScottishJohn; 24th October 2009 at 11:34 AM.
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