Why Tony Blair should never be President of the European Council

If the Lisbon Treaty is ratified by Ireland, the current system of six-month rotating presidencies will be replaced by a president that can be elected for a maximum of two terms of two and a half years. The former French president, Valérie Giscard d'Estaing, believes that the president of the European Council should be chosen from a member state that fully participates in and respects the commitments of the European Union. It is also hoped that the figure will be someone that can strengthen the diplomatic and military independence of Europe. During his ten years as British prime minister, Blair did nothing to abolish the country's various opt-outs, nor did he pursue British membership of the euro or the Schengen Area. It is also widely suspected that Blair would exploit the post to publicise himself, rather than the EU. Furthermore, his servile compliance with America throughout his mandate casts doubt on his capacity to enhance European diplomatic and military independence. The former French prime minister, Édouard Balladur, asks,

"If the presidents of the United States and of Europe were called upon to hold regular meetings to discuss questions of mutual interest, how could an EU president from a country that intends to keep its monetary independence negotiate the co-ordination that is indispensable between the euro and the American dollar? It is difficult to see how Mr Blair could qualify as a spokesman for Europe in these circumstances."

The president will be appointed by the European heads of state or government and the largely undefined nature of the post will allow the first incumbent to determine its future character. Fredrik Reinfeldt, the Swedish prime minister, has already stated his concern over electing Blair, believing that he will cause friction between the smaller and larger member states. José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, the Spanish prime minister, and Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, are also opposed. With Sweden and Spain holding the rotating presidency of the EU for the next year, these governments could complicate Blair's bid with their agenda-setting powers. Nicolas Sarkozy originally supported Blair, but now it is believed that he favours the former Spanish prime minister, Felipe González. Other potential challengers for the role include Jean-Claude Juncker, Luxembourg's prime minister; Wolfgang Schussel, Austria's former chancellor; Bertie Ahern, former prime minister of Ireland; and Guy Verhofstadt, the former Belgian prime minister.

Glenys Kinnock's announcement that "the UK government is supporting Tony Blair's candidature for President of the Council", made in Strasbourg yesterday, clearly shows that he has the support of his old rival, Gordon Brown. Many in Westminster accept that this support was secured in a deal that Brown and Blair made months ago which ensured that Blair would use Lord Mandelson to quell the growing rebellion in the Parliamentary Labour Party against Brown's leadership.

More important, however, is Blair's obsession with money and how readily he will succumb to its attraction. Blair was recently awarded a $1million prize by the Dan David Foundation of Tel Aviv for "his exceptional leadership and steadfast determination in helping to engineer agreements and forge lasting solutions to areas in conflict." There's also the £2million annual fee from JP Morgan Chase and the $250,000 for a 45-minute speech on the US lecture circuit. These prestigious rewards evidently demonstrate to members of the European political elite the potential financial benefits that they are likely to enjoy if they subserviently act in America's interests. Tony Blair is unmistakably unfit for this position - not to mention that some believe he should be on trial for war crimes.