Dizzy has a simply
cynical brilliant analysis of the media handling of the EU summit. He reckons that Gordon Brown has been spinning like a top. Surely not. Read it
HERE. If you have never read Dizzy before, do yourself a favour and put him on your Favourites list. He's on top form at the moment.
Dizzy is always on the money.
ReplyDeleteDoes seem a tad strange that all the papers have the identical angle - could it be one of gordo's non briefing briefing's again.
Why do none of the papers cover the 40+ points we have conceded on - yet again we are going to be saddled with more crazy edicts and laws
And of course, unlike our Euro mainland friends, who basically ignore the ones they don't like - eg No French market would be allowed as they are in France as they break so many health & safety and hygiene laws, we will create an army of inspectors to ensure we all do what Tony's given away
What we've been saved from is a referendum on the refoundation of the European Union in the image of its federalist state constituency.
ReplyDeleteAnd/or a general election in which the nature and continuence of our membership of the European Union as it is in this, its strongest manifestation, might be at the top of either party's manifesto.
Feeling safe? That's thanks to Gordon Brown and the Labour party, your government and your saviours.
Iain, O/T, something odd happening with your blog - what should be the third post from top is disappearing from view and its comments are popping up attached to the second post from top!
ReplyDeleteSo currently "Not Me, Guv" has disappeared but the comments are attached to "Another Rebuff For Gordon Brown".
A sequence of events?
ReplyDeleteTone shafted by Sarkozy.
Gordon shafted by Tone.
The Labour Party shafted by Gordon.
The British people shafted by the Labour Party.
The EU shafting all and sundry.
I don't know how much longer Dacre can continue to ram Brown down the throats of his largely conservative readership. Benedict Brogan and Peter Oborne seem to have been told to buff up the Bogey Man's image. Oborne's article today is particularly nauseating.
ReplyDeleteSo far Letts, Littlejohn, Mckay and Waterhouse haven't sold out. Well done chaps.
Ben Brogan seems to be taking a different line on his blog:(Victory for Blair but at what price for Brown? 1.00am)
ReplyDeleteand in the paper:
Brown forces Blair to stand up and veto a French stitch-up
(00.37am, co-author, er, Ben Brogan).
I'm not sure who to believe!
Whenever a new Euro treaty is announced I always go back to my Shakespeare: "this England that was wont to conquer others hath made a shameful conquest of itself".
ReplyDeleteI predict that the suspicious unanimity of the press on this deal will unravel by tomorrow and will be in tatters by next week. That's the hallmark of most of Brown's initiatives: the only question is the speed at which they fall apart.
Ah ha - the days of Thatcher and Major talking tough but voting soft in Europe are dimly floating back into my memory. Remind me please, which party took us into the EEC with no referendum? Which party took us into the EU with no referendum? Which party signed all sorts of European treaties with no referendums?
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw today's headlines last night I knew that it had been orchestrated by the Brown camp, the appropriately helpful headlines were duly delivered at Blair's expense.
ReplyDeleteBut as always with Brown he wins the battle but could end up making so many enemies that he might lose the war.
Now the big question is, will Brown's briefings be enough to convince the public that a costly referendum on it would not be necessary because he saved the day???
On this occasion I suspect Dizzy's analysis is too clever by half. There is less to this than meets the eye.
ReplyDeleteThe reason Blair caved in and had to be sent back to the negotiating table by Brown was, simply, that's what he does: faced with resolute opponents he caves in. See Northern Ireland, passim.
His officials have long since despaired of him as a negotiator. They kit him out with a set of 'points to be made' and he comes back, all smiles, confessing that he never got round to making them.