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THIS HOUSE BELIEVES TONY BLAIR SHOULD BE EU PRESIDENT
Now the Treaty of Lisbon has been ratified, the question is when, not if, the EU will have its first President. Gordon Brown has been lobbying heavily for Tony Blair who has been something of a front runner for months now. However, he has come up against a formidable opposition led no less, by the UK Conservative party. So should Tony Blair be President?
This House Believes Tony Blair should be EU President
Yes, because... Tony Blair is a high profile figure
The EU needs a President that can stop traffic in Washington and Beijing, someone who immediately commands the respect and attention of leaders across the world. For all the controversy Tony Blair caused over the Iraq war, he fulfills these criteria perfectly and has the personal authority to negotiate with the likes of Barack Obama and Hu Jintao on all the pressing global issues facing Europe and the world right now from nuclear proliferation to climate change.
Far from being a high profile figure who can 'stop traffic', the EU President needs to be a chairman to preside smoothly over the running of an already vast and complex union. Furthermore, such a high profile figure would cause confusion over the role of the Foreign Minister, another product of the Lisbon Treaty, whose job it is meant to be to negotiate with other world leaders.
The EU President also needs to chair the meetings of teh European Council something that Tony Blair is not very good at doing. He has often commented at how he finds these meetings incredibly tedious. If we are to have an EU president it should be someone who has more patience then Tony Blair.
Vote on this point: Tony Blair is a high profile figure
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This House Believes Tony Blair should be EU President
Yes, because... Appointing Tony Blair President would bolster Britain's standing in Europe
Britain has been on the fringes of Europe for decades and for all his failings, Tony Blair was one of the few Prime Ministers who made engaging with the EU and placing Britain at the heart of Europe a key priority during his premiership. Having a British President of Europe would make British people more inclined to support Britain's role in the EU which has never been more important than it is now.
It is not for an unelected President of the EU to decide Britain's role in the Union, but the British people who have increasingly voted in favour of more Eurosceptic parties in successive elections. Furthermore, Blair failed to implement his pro-European agenda when Prime Minister because of his decision to go to war with Iraq which subsequently destroyed his credibility with the very European leaders he is now hoping will appoint him as President.
Vote on this point: Appointing Tony Blair President would bolster Britain's standing in Europe
See history of changes to this point
This House Believes Tony Blair should be EU President
No, because... His attitudes to personal responsibility and equality show him to be more of a figure head than a leader.
During his terms in Parliment he launched two unjust wars and while there is significance behind these decisions it did little more than to reinforce global colonial attitudes and further his political career (irrespective of domestic opinion). While it is very important to ensure our position globaly , with so much of the conflict and tention based around the Middle East and Iran becoming neuclear, a strong and charismatic leader is certainly needed. However one who treats the Arab Middle East with less of a view as The Other, is essential.
Vote on this debate: This House Believes Tony Blair should be EU President
Modified:
13 Jul 2010
Point 1. Tony Blair is a high profile figure
The EU needs a President that can stop traffic in Washington and Beijing, someone who immediately commands the respect and attention of leaders across the world. For all the controversy Tony Blair caused over the Iraq war, he fulfills these criteria perfectly and has the personal authority to negotiate with the likes of Barack Obama and Hu Jintao on all the pressing global issues facing Europe and the world right now from nuclear proliferation to climate change.
Far from being a high profile figure who can 'stop traffic', the EU President needs to be a chairman to preside smoothly over the running of an already vast and complex union. Furthermore, such a high profile figure would cause confusion over the role of the Foreign Minister, another product of the Lisbon Treaty, whose job it is meant to be to negotiate with other world leaders.
Point 2. Appointing Tony Blair President would bolster Britain's standing in Europe
Britain has been on the fringes of Europe for decades and for all his failings, Tony Blair was one of the few Prime Ministers who made engaging with the EU and placing Britain at the heart of Europe a key priority during his premiership. Having a British President of Europe would make British people more inclined to support Britain's role in the EU which has never been more important than it is now.
It is not for an unelected President of the EU to decide Britain's role in the Union, but the British people who have increasingly voted in favour of more Eurosceptic parties in successive elections. Furthermore, Blair failed to implement his pro-European agenda when Prime Minister because of his decision to go to war with Iraq which subsequently destroyed his credibility with the very European leaders he is now hoping will appoint him as President.
Point 1. His attitudes to personal responsibility and equality show him to be more of a figure head than a leader.
During his terms in Parliment he launched two unjust wars and while there is significance behind these decisions it did little more than to reinforce global colonial attitudes and further his political career (irrespective of domestic opinion). While it is very important to ensure our position globaly , with so much of the conflict and tention based around the Middle East and Iran becoming neuclear, a strong and charismatic leader is certainly needed. However one who treats the Arab Middle East with less of a view as The Other, is essential.