BUDAPEST, Hungary - British Prime Minister Tony Blair has announced his willingness to let go of a part of the rebate that the country enjoys on the yearly European Union budget contributions. However, this agreement is subject to a budget approval as well as reductions in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
But the fact that Blair is willing to forego Britain’s rebate could hurt the taxpayer to the tune of an extra £1 billion a year. Expectedly, this news has not been well-received back in Britain. "If we refuse to pay any money to that at all when we are saying that Germany and France and Italy and all the rest should, then that would be unfair," Blair said. "What we are not prepared to do is pay any more into the common agricultural policy." Mr. Blair is meeting the heads of four eastern European nations, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia to try to convince them to approve the budget.
However, Blair stressed in an interview to Sky News that Britain was not going to pay more than her fair share, "On any basis, if you enlarge the European Union we have to pay more. The question is making sure we don't pay more than our fair share, but making sure we do pay our fair share." He emphasized that he would definitely not give up on the rebate.
The issue of farm subsidies has been a thorn in the EU's flesh with France refusing to forego the subsidies enjoyed by French farmers. After failing to obtain any concrete commitment from the French side, Tony Blair, who holds the rotating EU presidency, has turned to the eastern European countries to agree to reduce a rise in the projected budget.
Blair's approach has irked people back at home. "We are not going to get fundamental reform of the EU budget in the last days that remain of the British presidency," said Tory leader Michael Howard. "We could have had it, but we squandered a tremendous opportunity."
The Liberal Democrats felt that the deal was in danger of turning sour, "There's a danger of getting the worst of all possible worlds - Britain gives up £1 billion a year, the eastern European countries get less money and there is no agreement to reform agriculture."
Meanwhile, the most important people in the UK, the British Public, continue their love hate relationship on Europe, specifically the European Union and further political integration. It is estimated that a majority of the public, if given the chance to vote in a referendum would choose to leave the EU Political 'gravy train' in favour of just a simple free trade block, something that they believe was the only thing signed up for when the UK joined the Common Market. If this is the case then perhaps it is time that politicians actually listened rather than persue their own agendas. If a similar vote was given in many of the older member countries the same outcome would probably be seen.
With a pensions crisis, the NHS in debt, a slowing economy, the CSA debacle and immigration figures out of control to name a few issues at home, it is little wonder the public want to know what Europe has actually ever done for them. The EU has not signed off its own accounts for years and seems to have little financial accountability to the people of Europe as a whole, the people who fund the whole 'project.'
Although Tony Blair claims that he will not and does not allow himself to be governed by headlines he could do well to listen to the real people who ultimately govern the country, the public of Britain.
Posted
on : Fri, 02 Dec 2005 16:05 GMT | Politics News
By : Salim Patel
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