大象传媒

Barroso rallies Blair

• Mark Mardell
• 12 Jun 07, 04:26 PM

I've been listening, on and off, to the debate on the constitution in the European Parliament, featuring both national MPs and the MEPs themselves. The overwhelming view appears to be that they accept that any new treaty will be slimmed down but that it mustn't be so small as to be worthless. If it is, then an inner core will have to be formed. I've been whilst doing other things, so I haven't names or nationalities for most of them but here is a flavour:

"If Europe doesn't get a constitution it can't modernise."

Italian MEP: "We can't go forward at the pace of the slowest. It's not the task of the fastest always to wait."

"Purely national concerns, partisan and narrow interests, could hijack the development of the European Union and unravel the constitution."

"There's talk of getting rid of any mention of the symbols like the European flag. It's a symbol that shows we've overcome division, cruelty and war. Undermine the symbols and you undermine people's confidence in Europe."

Finnish MEP: "Without the Charter of Fundamental Rights, it's not worth having a treaty."

Polish MP: "Let us convince those with reservations our only salvation is to move forward together."

The President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, also spoke. I strongly suspect newspapers will carry stories headlined: "Euro leader tells Blair to ignore public opinion." That, at least, is what UKIP is briefing. As it was one of the bits I missed, I've been back to listen again. He was talking about the strong backing the British government has given to commission policies on energy, competitiveness and reform, and continued: "We have to have the courage to stand up and say, 'You cannot have that, if you do not agree to a minimum consensus on institutions'. We have to stand up in front of our national public opinions and not give in to populism. We have to have the courage to say, 'If we want a strong Europe politically, an open Europe, we have to fight for it.'" But "Barroso urges Blair to persuade Britain" is a poor headline.

...And a date for all your diaries. Thursday is European wind day. Please mark it in an appropriate way.

PS - Thanks for the comments on my earlier post. I've replied to some of them - you can read my responses here.

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Reincarnating the constitution

• Mark Mardell
• 12 Jun 07, 09:40 AM

When the French and the Dutch voted against the big question was: ? And that led to lots of metaphors about being in the emergency ward, on life support, and whether the oxygen should be switched off. I know because I used them myself. Now, two years and a month later, I feel fresh analogies coming on... The constitution is dead, but its vital organs will be transplanted into a new treaty. The argument between European leaders is about how big an operation this is going to be.

Or perhaps it鈥檚 better to say that the constitution is going to be reincarnated, but the British government hopes it will come back as much lower life form 鈥� a mere fly, not worth the bother of swatting.

For the game in several important countries is to avoid a referendum at all costs, on the assumption that if you ask people, they will have the temerity to say "No".

It鈥檚 actually the new French President Nicholas Sarkozy who is the driving force behind this reincarnation of the constitution as something less than itself. He last winter, and it鈥檚 in his interests to get a deal, any deal, as quickly as possible. If he strikes while his mandate is hot, he can duck a referendum. Let it drag on, and Paris may be alight with street protests about his planned economic reforms 鈥� then the pressure might not be so easy to resist.

Mr Sarkozy has embarrassed Tony Blair by suggesting they鈥檝e done a deal already. As one EU official growled, the European Union is more than France and Britain. But Germany wants a deal this June as well - the triumphant conclusion to their six months in the EU鈥檚 driving seat.

Of course, the one question they all ask Tony is, "Do you speak for Gordon?" He answers, "Yes". The two men spoke five times last week about the subject, although Brown is reserving his judgement.

Forget newspaper tosh about Blair binding Brown鈥檚 hands. While the chancellor doesn鈥檛 seem keen to have his fingerprints on any June deal, there will still be months of detailed negotiating to go. And it鈥檚 Gordon Brown Prime Minister who鈥檒l have to sign up in December, so he can鈥檛 really pretend it鈥檚 all down to that other bloke.

Of course, walking away from the whole thing has huge attractions. But Mr Brown will not want to anger both Mr Sarkozy and Mrs Merkel. When you move into a new house you don鈥檛 want to alienate the neighbours straight off. Mr Brown, of all people, knows that.

So the British government is trying to exclude anything that smells even vaguely like the constitution. The Dutch are very much behind this, and the Czechs and the Poles also want something pretty fly-like in weight and unswattability.

Who鈥檚 against this? Well that鈥檚 the trouble - just about everyone else. The argument of is that they鈥檝e already backed the constitution. They like and they want as much of it back as possible. As ever, there鈥檚 a gulf in the way this is seen. What will be portrayed on the continent as Britain getting everything its own way will be portrayed at home as a total sell-out. If Mr Blair and Mr Brown can persuade the other countries that resurrection is impossible, they鈥檒l still have to persuade voters that the constitution isn鈥檛 coming back, body and soul.

Have I stuck my neck out too far saying Brown cannot be bound by Blair? I hear he may be worried that in the dead of night, when the coffee has run out and fatigue takes over, Mr Blair may just give away too much. That would present him with a dilemma: unstitch the deal (and anger Sarkozy and Merkel) or risk the wrath of the Eurosceptic press. I鈥檓 told that he could try to unstitch at least part of the deal anyway, because he wants to be seen 鈥渂attling for Britain鈥� and is unwilling to offend the Daily Mail, which currently isn鈥檛 too hostile. This may be a difficult position. Is there any deal he could get on a new treaty that the Mail would applaud?

At the risk of boring you all early on, but in the interests of clarity, this is what I understand Blair is trying to exclude:

• Calling it a constitution, or any mention of flags or anthems. That battle was won ages ago.

• The idea that this is 鈥渁 consolidating treaty鈥� - Blair wants it to be "an amending treaty". This sounds technical but is politically vital because the government will argue that no Conservative government ever gave a referendum on treaties amending existing texts.

• Losing the veto on proposals about policing and justice. Britain could win an opt-out on this. It already has a similar opt-out on migration policy.

• . Britain is signed up to the charter already, but the government thinks putting it in the treaty makes it look more like a constitution. Mr Blair may have to fight hard to win this battle.

• Moves to give the EU a legal personality. Again a tough battle.

The British government will not object to:

• A change to the way meetings between governments are run. At the moment a country is in the chair for six months at a time (it鈥檚 Germany now, Portugal next). The plan is to replace them with a president elected by the other presidents and prime ministers.

• A change in the way votes are counted, to give more power to countries with bigger populations.

• Cutting the number of commissioners, so that not all 27 countries have one.

But watch out for Poland. They want to change the voting system proposed in the constitution and to return to a system proposed under the . Their strange battle cry, 鈥淣ice or death!鈥� is back. It boils down to the fact that they got a good deal under Nice, seven years ago, and don鈥檛 want the old enemy Germany to gain more power. They want a system based on the square root of population. I have nightmares about having to do a graphic on this. They are also now arguing that they can鈥檛 do a deal in a few days' time, they need at least a year. But the point is, the Poles may block any deal, causing fury in most of the EU27 but transforming Mr Brown鈥檚 forced grin turn into a genuinely sunny smile. Could some other country end up sitting on the naughty step this time?

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About this blog

• Mark Mardell
• 12 Jun 07, 08:30 AM

For the past two years I've been the 大象传媒's Europe editor, covering the politics of Europe and the European Union from chemical directives to the future of Kosovo, from the argument about headscarves in Turkey to climate change in Spanish vineyards.

It's a huge patch so don't expect this blog to be comprehensive but I hope over time it will touch on all the really big subjects of importance.

Europe is at a crossroads, uncertain about its future direction economically culturally and politically. Politicians and people are even unsure about its boundaries. How Britain sees its relationship with the EU is central to this.

Although I have been writing every Thursday since I began this job I'm new to blogging. Frankly, after a trip to a new place to cover a new story I think that you and I gain more from allowing me some pause for reflection before reaching for the keyboard. I still think that, and will try to keep up a regular column published on Thursday mornings. But this format allows me to add to that on a daily basis.

It's particularly important right now, with moves to design a new European treaty really hotting up.

Just one other thing I will highlight. In an effort to understand the complex way the European Union makes laws I have set myself the task of until they become law (or until I change jobs or keel over, whichever is the sooner). It's an important story, which will affect how and what we all drive, and I hope to cover it in more detail than any other medium can provide.

A final thought. Without being ever so 'umble, if you are a British TV licence-fee payer, you pay my wages. I respect and value your opinion and take seriously thoughts, complaints and suggestions. And if you are from outside the UK, I still love to hear from you. Over the past two years I have been impressed with the thoughtful, intelligent and informed level of debate has provoked. I hope we can keep that up with the added spice of dialogue in this blog.

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About Mark Mardell

• Mark Mardell
• 12 Jun 07, 08:00 AM

I've been the 大象传媒's Europe editor since the autumn of 2005. Before I had been working for the 大象传媒 at Westminster for ooh, I thought it must have been at least 10 years. When I came to do the sums I had been covering British politics for 17 years. How time flies when you're enjoying yourself.

And enjoy myself I did. I ended up as chief political correspondent concentrating mainly on the Ten O'Clock News, and before that the Six. My previous incarnation was as political editor for Newsnight. I also enjoyed dressing up and making strange contributions to , a programme that still reaches parts that other political programmes can't.

Before I joined the 大象传媒 I worked for a Channel Four programme called The Sharp End which was about "the world of work" - and before that was industrial editor and general news reporter at . I began in commercial local radio in Leeds and Teesside.

I got a 2:1 at Kent in Politics and before that went to Epsom College in Surrey.

I live in Brussels with my wife and three children. The fox got the rabbits, the cats died sometime ago but the teenager has a couple of rats. I like cooking, eating, reading and sleeping. These have never let me down: Lee Perry, Joe Strummer (except by dying), Massive Attack, Thievery Corporation, Iain M Banks, Phillip Roth, Haruki Murakami, Michel Faber.

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