A certain lack of diplomacy

We are used to "stinging attacks" delivered against the EU by our own politicians, not least the egregious Gordon Brown, but these are usually couched in generalities and invariably avoid making criticisms against specific countries.

But not so Polish politicians it seems. The man widely expected to become Poland's next prime minister has directly attacked France and Germany over their stance on the services directive, saying it is a "scandal" that it is being blocked.

This is Jan Maria Rokita, currently a senior official in Poland's centre-right Civic Platform party, who has declared that, "If we don't manage to create a coalition to fight against this social protectionism, then there might be an impression that the entire EU will rather contract than develop."

Perhaps no one has yet told the Poles that it is distinctly non-communautaire to attack the colleagues – but then, since when did the Poles give a damn anyway.

With nearly ten million people relying on agriculture, for an industry that can support maybe two at most and remain competitive at a European level, unless an outlet can be found for their surplus labour, no Polish politician is going to stay in power for very long anyway.

For Rokita and his ilk, offending France and Germany is the least of their worries. A certain lack of diplomacy is a small price to pay.