27 October 2009 - Commenting on the possibility of former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair running for the Presidency of the EU, South East Euro-MP and Green Party leader Caroline Lucas said:

“That the current Government seems to believe that Tony Blair would be a good choice for the UK’s candidate for the future EU Council president, should the Lisbon Treaty be ratified, proves just how detached Labour ministers have now become from widespread public feeling and understanding. The suggestion is nothing short of absurd.

“Can there be anyone outside of the Government who really believes that the man who snubbed the EU over Iraq and joined with George W. Bush to lead us into an illegal war is now the right person to become the EU’s first Council President?“

She continued: “Given that the war deeply divided the EU and has unleashed chaos in the Middle East, Blair can hardly be considered a compromise candidate. He has also yet to show any real enthusiasm as the Special Envoy to the Middle East – a post which also seemed questionable in the context of his previous foreign policy endeavours.

“What’s more, Blair’s Thatcher-inherited neoliberal politics sowed the seeds for the current financial and economic crisis. Add to that his 2004 veto of the nomination of Guy Verhofstadt as Commission President – a more progressive choice than Barroso – and it is clear that Blair as President would represent a significant backward step for the EU.“

ENDS