News

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski

VERSAILLES, France, February 9, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A report by the UK Daily Mail has revealed that a senior aid to French President Nicolas Sarkozy told a private gathering of senior British and French politicians that Sarkozy intends to promote Tony Blair for the yet-to-be-established job of President of Europe.

The statement by Alain Minc, a member of Sarkozy’s inner circle of advisors, was made at a meeting last month of the Franco-British Colloque, a group of influential British and French politicians and businessmen.

Mr. Minc told the gathering, attended by French Prime Minister Francois Fillon: “When the Lisbon Treaty is ratified, Europe will move into a new phase. Europe will need a strong leader and Nicolas Sarkozy will nominate Tony Blair for the position,” according to the Mail report.

Minc concluded his remarks by stating that Sarkozy was determined to promote Blair because, “we cannot afford not to have Tony Blair, who will be a strong figurehead, is entirely respected around the world and will be a commanding leader at the helm of Europe.”

Tony Blair, the former U.K. prime minister, is well known to pro-life and pro-family activists as one of the most anti-life and anti-family political leaders in the world. Despite his oft-touted Christianity, and highly public “conversion” to Catholicism after stepping down as prime minister, the U.K. under Blair distinguished itself for pursuing radically liberal policies on the life and family issues. 

The April 2003 cover issue of the UK Spectator covered Blair’s stand on life issues.  Peter Oborne wrote: “The Prime Minister (Blair) has never once voted with the pro-life lobby and has voted 14 times for the pro-choice lobby in Parliament. In 1990, during the debates leading up to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act, he voted on three occasions to extend the time limit for abortion to birth on grounds of handicap. In December 2000 he gave personal backing to regulations permitting stem-cell research on human embryos; and his government enthusiastically promotes the morning-after pill.”

On family issues, Osborne noted: “The married-couples allowance has been abolished, funding has been switched from groups backing marriage to those taking a relaxed view of any kind of relationship, the benefits system has been changed to target all money for children regardless of family structure, etc., etc. Far from being morally neutral on the family, the Blair government has actively discriminated against it.”

Despite Blair’s “conversion” to Catholicism, he has never publicly repudiated any of his former anti-life and anti-family activities.

The new position of President of the EU’s Council of Ministers is dependent on all of the EU nations ratifying the controversial Lisbon Treaty. The treaty, however, has been rejected by Ireland and the Czech Republic, although a “re-vote” is reportedly in the works in Ireland.

Should the Lisbon treaty pass, the EU president will be a full-time official, serving a two-and-half-year term, in contrast to the current practice of six month rotation of presidents. The president would be aided by a foreign minister and diplomatic service that critics have said will not be subject to scrutiny by the member nations or accountable to the electorate.

Read related LSN stories:

Ireland Rejects EU Treaty by Wide Margin
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jun/08061307.html

Ireland to Hold Second Lisbon Treaty Referendum: Prime Minister Confirms
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/dec/08122202.html

UK to Hand Sovereignty to EU without Referendum
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/mar/08030606.html

EU Leadership’s Shocking Intolerance at Dissent from Leftist Agenda Unveiled
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/dec/08121509.html