The biggest tent of the lot: to stop Blair becoming EU President

Once again

JP Morgan and Zurich Financial Directors appear not to have done much investigation into their new share: Tony Blair. What does this say about all their other financial investigations?

peter monro

Rod Liddle is quite the best thing about your magazine, reminds me of what it used to be like before senor Neill made it 'relevant'. Always good, occasionally he thunks it into the bullseye. This one is 25 carat gold.

Mac the Knife

Ahhh, but share my vision. It is 2010, and Monsieur le President Anthony Blair and his beautiful wife take up residence in the lavish palace allocated them, surrounded by his presidential guard, he prepares to leave his indelible mark upon the superstate. At which point, in a flash of sanity, the UK secedes from le grand projet. Imagine the delicious spectacle of TB (what apt initials) desperately trying to retain the office, while ceasing to be a citizen of a member state. Imagine the glittering prize being torn from his greasy fingers. Oh, pleasure pleasure pleasure. I could die a happy man...

Kevin

I think you're missing the point. Blair won't get the presidency for one simple reason: he's British.

Liz Elliot-Pyle

Oh I do so hope that TB gets the job! I think it would be the final nail in the coffin of the EU - every other country would want to leave!!!

BlairSupporter

Liddle's bitterness shines through like a beacon of ... er desperation. He quite simply hates Blair. Selective recall, slightly blurred by mingling with his interpretation of ensuing events and a lot of personal baggage doesn't fool all of us. Liddle is bitter about many things. It must be sickening to watch the rise and rise of the man who helped bring peace to Northern Ireland, is a hero in Sierra Leone and who pushed harder than the Americans to stop Muslims being ethnically cleansed in Kosovo. Put your personal animosity behind you, Mr Liddle. Yes I know you lost your earlier fights, and others seem to have survived theirs. Hard world, eh? Being all things to all people is not such a bad idea, I'd have thought. And uniting the EU against Blair? What's a couple of tens of thousands in the overall population of around 500 million?

Tim Howared

Kevin is right. The arrogant and bigotted reporting of the British Press has seen to it that Europeans of whatever persuasion will not want any Briton as their President. That's the reason for the unity. Blair has little to do with it.

Paddy Briggs

Excellent chance that, notwithstanding the undoubted respect in which Rod Liddle's views are held across the length and breadth of Europe, Britain might have a chance at having one of our own in the top job - first time since Uncle Woy, I think. Good luck to TP - and a plague on the miserable Liddle house.

Mark Solomon

It seems Rod is living in a parallel universe when he talks about Britons being wanted here in Europe as visitors because of 'more bangs for the buck' implying that sterling is a strong currency. That's lazy reporting - it might be worth nearly 2 dollars, but the Euro is at record highs against the USD as well! The pound/euro exchange rate has gone from 1.60 down to 1.33 now, showing up how the international money markets consider Euroland to be a safer economic bet than 'cool Britannia'. Many of the other 'facts' in this article bear the same passing acquaintance with the truth too. Dream on - it would be really great for Britain if one of us became President of Europe, whatever their political colours, but that is precisely why no Briton will win, because Britain is seen as a semi-detached uncommitted member, not because of any dislike for Tony Blair.

John J. King

If Tony has this many enemies, he must be on the right track. When everyone seems to agree on something they are usually wrong.

David Lindsay

Rod Liddle for EU President!

Alexander Stilwell

Surely he should become President of Europe. His Government have just about destroyed Britain. Now let him destroy Europe.

Hugh Wain

I always find Rod Liddle good value. Even if I don't agree with him - at least he shoots from the hip. There is far too much mealy-mouthed political reportage in this country: most of the political commentators are in bed with the politicians - in some cases, literally!

Tim Stewart

The trouble is that because the whole of Europe does not want Blair as President, it's almost a given that he will get the job.

John Walter

Liddle is a great writer and can be forgiven for some of his more exotic excursions and assumptions. They are in themselves such fun. So here we go, Rod. Blair is British, Britain is the whinger of Europe, outside the Euro and walled in from the continent. So Blair ain't got a hope. Europe is not broadly sceptic that is a Rodism. Merkel like her European colleagues plays the game of being nice to each other. When you have a currency at stake, what else can they do but stick together. I am against a President simply because he or she will be unelected. The whole notion smacks too much of Popery. With a President and all his trappings the EU will further resemble a medieval court of Princes presided over by a Pope - corrupt, bloated and passing edicts of total irrelevance to ordinary people in the name of the one Church and its creed - Brussels and the constitution. Come to think of it though, Blair as President would be a fitting tribute to the man. The best joke figure we could wish for. Blair and Cherie on tour through Europe, a pageant of excess and pointless pomp. Cherie having to grin and bear it in Riga or Blair pontificating about democracy in Kosovo. Perhaps I do want Blair as el Presidente, brighten up our lives no end.

Gibraltarape

Mention of the 'straits of Cadiz' in the 3rd line has one wondering about the rest of the article.

Karl Kraut

One wonders against who the EU is planning an illegal war, if it needs Blair as President.

Andrew

Surely the one job crying out for Tony Blair is as replacement for Bruce Forsyth on Strictly Come Dancing

Simon Stephenson

Periodically I go through a low patch, and I think that maybe there's a huge void in my understanding that prevents me from seeing our current political class in the same way as they seek to portray themselves - as sagacious, competent public servants, schooled in reason and probity.

Then I call up and re-read this article, and I realise that I don't have to see them this way. My gloom quickly lifts.

Thanks, Rod, for the literary tonic.

sue morhall

First time ever I've agreed with a Spectator comment -
Blair must be tried for war crimes, not given yet more dosh for being president of E.U !!
would be totally shameful and must be opposed.