To Blair or not to Blair?

Hail to the Chief?

Hail to the Chief?

Should Tony Blair be appointed President of the European Union? I know, that’s not the title, but that’s how it will be seen in the world, so get over it. But is he the man for the job? I mean, he’s obviously not the woman for the job, but you get my point.

It’s another issue that I find myself conflicted over. For a start, I don’t think most ordinary Europeans want him, because of Iraq, and the EU needs to listen to public opinion. But on the other hand, a President Blair will put the EU on the map. Along with Bill Clinton and President Obama, he’s one of the great communicators. Across the world, people will know who President Blair is, as opposed to President Junker, or President Bildt or President Balkenende. I mean seriously, if Carl Bildt broke into your house and stole your DVD player, could you pick him out of a line up? (Margot Wallstrom, you’re barred from this competition!)

Once again, however, it shows why we really should be directly electing this person. Sure, no one outside of Sweden would initally know who Carl Bildt is, but if we had a year long nominating procedure, we’d get to know the candidates. After all, five years ago, nobody had heard of a Kenyan-American politician with a funny name.