Could this be part of the reason for Blair's blind support for Bush

[salin]

even when Bush has "dissed" him repeatedly (most recently the switch in policy per Israel, without discussion with Blair.)

Could it all be about underminding the EU - does that play politically well for him? I don't know enough of the British dynamics per the EU - but found this analysis by the International Herald Tribune - quite interesting. Could it be by keeping a strong (at least superficial from the bush side) alliance with the US allows the perception that the UK is better alone (or quasi "with" the US) than as a part of the EU?


News Analysis: Blair throws EU into a spin

John Vinocur/IHT IHT

PARIS With the promise of a yes-or-no choice for British voters on a new European Union constitution, Tony Blair has pushed the EU to a new level of unclarity about its future as a unified force.
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The message got through in Paris and Berlin. On Wednesday, the lead headline in Handelsblatt, the German financial newspaper said, "EU Constitution Threatened with K.O."
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Le Figaro seized the point, too. "Europe Taken Hostage, Draft Text in Peril," it said.
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An article accompanying the French newspaper's headline suggested that Blair, plotting his own election strategy for a third term, might be sealing both the end of an integrationist vision of a United Europe while setting himself up as the EU's only major leader democratically daring enough to throw the institution's future to his country's voters.
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Perfidious, or at least tricky Albion? The question is marginal because, in a weakened but enlarging Europe, an association of growing size but shriveling confidence, the clearest effect in Europe of Blair's move was to get the EU's backers looking at London bookmakers' 6-to-1 odds in favor of British rejection. In theory, a single member country's nonacceptance would block adoption (assuming a draft constitution gets approved eventually) by the whole EU.

more: http://www.iht.com/articles/516263.html

[MSgt213]

1. The poodle had to learn the hard way that his master doesn't think as

highly of him as he hoped.

[alfredo]

2. If we control mideast oil, we can destroy the EU by

coercing nations to quit the EU for the promise of cheap fuel.

[salin]

3. I get why Bush would want to destroy the EU - but why would

Blair want to? How does that play well for him (and the UK)?

[alfredo]

8. I don't think he was to destroy the EU as much as he wants BP

to get some of that oil revenue. Remember BP was kicked out of Iraq by Saddam.

[sangh0]

4. It doesn't add up for me

AFAIK and I"m not expert of British politics, Blair has always been a supporter of joining the EU, and if anything, his support for Bush* was meant to strengthen Englands position within the EU by making it the "bridge" to the US. It doesn't make sense to me that he suddenly has changed his mind about the wisdom of England's joining the EU. It seems to me that this is more about Blair's odds of being re-elected. It looks like Blair trying to exploit the British's hostility towards Continental Europe.

[salin]

7. so potentially harm the direction of the country

in favor of short-term political calculus... gee, how novel ;-)

[theboss]

5. "throw the institution's future to his country's voters"

This has always been my criticism of the EU. There's little evidence anybody who lives there actually wants it.

[bullimiami]

6. no. i think.

Its the christian fundamentalism.

Born again, they both are and pray together, they do. The dark side of the force. Strong within them it is.

at least thats how master yoda put it.