So after decades of treaty drafting, referenda and negotiation we get to the week where we implement the tweaked but long awaited climax of the European ideal, initiated by former French President Giscard d’Estaing so many years ago, with the final implementation of the Lisbon Treaty.
For the first time, a co-operative Europe will have a President and a High Representative of Foreign Affairs and Security to give the Union the international standing and authority it deserves. Yet, in perhaps true form, we have failed completely.
It seems almost ironic that the founding continent of the global power, with its historic empires, has failed to recognise the importance of having a respected and powerful global presence to lead the post-West Democracy/East Communism-post-American century.
Am I just bitter because Blair didn’t get the job? Not really. But I am annoyed that we don’t seem to have our hedgehog sorted and that’s a real problem.
Our hedgehog? That’s right, our hedgehog. The hedgehog is, as described in the business book ‘From Good to Great’, the central concept, the key strategic vision of what an organisation is about. If you don’t know what your hedgehog is you won’t achieve greatness and you’ll just be scurrying around for ever perhaps being good but no where near great.
But its OK, at least we have these positions filled and ready to have a go!
But the undemocratic yet sophisticated appointment of these poor unaware and incapable ‘representatives’ of Europe have a tough job ahead of them. For is it their job to represent the views and policies of the European Union to the world, to drive global co-operation on climate change, international money markets, relieving poverty and securing food, energy and water or is their job to not out shine their employers - the heads of European nations? Do you think they know? I doubt it…
I think the source of the problem here might be that we don’t know what we actually want and this once again comes down to a values based question. Do we want a quasi-federal state of Europe or do we want to remain as nation states? Do we want to be a key player in the ever changing global community or do we want to busy ourselves with internal issues? What is the purpose of Europe and of these new posts?
I think we’re stuck in limbo between the polar opposites of the answers to these questions. This is evident from the appointment of the people put into these offices of state. Let me be clear, I have no criticism of von Rompuy or Baroness Ashton, I know nothing of them at all and I wish them well but I do feel they're being used and indeed were used as negotiation pawns for a Europe unclear on its future.
And this is the biggest problem, a Europe unclear on its future is a Europe unclear to the rest of the world and, if what we are told is correct, the ever increasing role of globalisation risks being a game played by America and China with Europe becoming the old drunken uncle in the corner whose name no one can remember.
The perhaps ironic thing to this whole saga has been the complete lack of democracy; no say (or even conversation / consultation!) on the Lisbon Treaty, no say on what we think or would like Europe to be and no say on the potentially very important people filling the roles of European President and High Representative.
The whole thing is a nonsense and draws obscure parallels with an age gone by where the divine rights of monarchical power decided ‘on the peoples behalf’ what was right and what was wrong in the global empire in which it sat.
Lets hope von Rompuy is just pulling our leg and turns out to be progressive.
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