The Anglo-Saxon Dream: How Britain's Vision of the Future Is Quietly Eclipsing the European Dream

As the European Council convenes tonight, and as the EU leaders are having dinner in Brussels, one thing is becoming more apparent: Tony Blair's vision is slowly but steadily eclipsing the "European Dream" (to paraphrase Jeremy Rifkin).

First it was enlargement (to the cost of further integration).
Then it was sabotaging the Euro.
Then it was splitting the EU into 2 camps over Iraq.
Then it was bullying the other 'partners' to choose an ineffective right-wing leader as President of the EU Commission.
Then it was undermining and ultimately killing off not just THIS constitution, but any concept and chance of a common constitutional agreement.
And now it's bullying everyone into scrapping the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and moving the debate into "new territories" (sorry Tony, some countries in Europe still produce food in the old fashioned way, i.e. via agriculture, rather than in the labs).

Those who argue that Britain has been the awkward partner in the European Union are fooled.
At the moment, Britain is running the European Union and her vision of the future is quietly eclipsing the European Dream of the Founders and of its people (or at least those in the continent). How ironic that this neo-liberal attack should come from a Labour Prime Minister...

By the way, the coverage of the debate in the British media is simply shocking. As a scholar of political communication i thought i had seen it pretty much all, but then this morning the BBC just threw the debate into the gutter: the way Breakfast chose to cover the summit and the debate over the ...rebate, was to show Declan Curry counting sausages (standing for billions of pounds). How patronising, manipulative and plain silly. What do they think they're doing? Is this serious coverage of a major political event that is likely to shape the future of generations? Is this the quality journalism that we're paying for every year? Is this Public Service Broadcasting?

If you're looking for news for adults rather than schoolchildren try this.