The EU budget and CAP reform tedium continues
As expected, negotiations over farming subsidies have gone all to hell, US trade representative Rob Portman stating that "The responsibility at this point lies squarely with the EU" - which is partly right, but a tad unfair really - the blame really lies, as ever, with France - but also with Tony Blair's piss-poor "leadership" during the UK EU presidency.
And so, in typically new Labour style, Mr Blair, titular EU president, asks everyone to avoid the details when discussing the EU budget. Because, let's face it, little Tony seems to have trouble speaking in anything other than meaningless platitudes - why should he suddenly have to try and cope with the nuances of the single most divisive and important issue facing the EU when he's managed to be in power for so long without ever discussing anything in anything other than the broadest of terms?
I had some hopes before this UK presidency kicked off, but always knew that Blair would let us down, despite frequent pleas for action. Although I do like to see my political perception being spot on (God, I'm good etc.), this whole thing really is fucking pathetic. Sometimes I don't like being proved right.
(A handy overview of the farming subsidies issues can be found at the Common Agricultural Policy blog (another recent discovery).)
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