Monday 28 May 2012

That Business About The Grown-Ups Again

Now I am as hostile to the Common Agricultural Policy as to wind-farm subsidies, and most probably you are, too.  So using it as a stick with which to beat the French is just fine by me.

But headlines like this don't smack of clever euro-bargaining: 

David Cameron to warn François Hollande against challenging EU rebate - PM to tell president: abide by deal struck with Nicolas Sarkozy or UK will demand major cuts in EU subsidies to French farmers

No, they smack of Schoolboy George Osborne playing to the gallery. 

By all means take Hollande quietly to one side and mark his card for him. But if you come across to the grown-ups as playing silly buggers when long faces are in order, you'll soon find they are cutting the important decisions in rooms to which you are never invited.

ND

4 comments:

hatfield girl said...

'Now I am as hostile to the Common Agricultural Policy .... and most probably you are, too.'

(Cough) might you think there are places and times where the CAP serves well? It wasn't designed to serve the interests of large land owners - that is a very English warping of its working, as is its manipulation by even larger food processing conglomerates.

Small owners' co-operatives, preservation of widespread access to the land, skills, diverse life-styles, diverse landscapes etc. No? Not enough? It has under-pinned a different view of economic growth and sustainability.

Anonymous said...

He's just thinking of previously Tory voters now switching in numbers to UKIP. He trying to give the impression of "being tough on Europe and tough on the causes of Europe" without actually exiting to United State of Europe project.

It won't work, so he might as well jump into the USofE project with both feet and hope for the best.

CityUnslicker said...

we surrendered all meaningful rebate under Blair's agreement anyway. Why defend this, it is a nothing, better as a minor give away in a serious negotiation at a later...perhaps they were trying this in a cack0handed manner.

But giving them the benefit of the doubt I struggle with...

Nick Drew said...

a different view of economic growth and sustainability

well, there we go, HG

as it happens I don't know enough about it so I stick to energy !