It is rather ironic that one of the lead dissenters is the great Europhile Denis MacShane because, if he had stopped to think about it, there was an event last week he should have a look at. This was when the leader of our government gave the state of the union address. Look at the wording and the style of the phrasing – and the context:
Today, I will set out what I see as the priorities for our work together over the coming year. I cannot now cover every issue of European policy or initiative we will take. I am sending you through President Buzek a more complete programme document.For sure, President Barroso did not precede his statements with, "... my government will", but this is purely a stylistic difference. That was the Queen's Speech. MacShane and his cronies missed it.
Essentially, I see five major challenges for the Union over the next year: dealing with the economic crisis and governance; restoring growth for jobs by accelerating the Europe 2020 reform agenda; building an area of freedom, justice and security; launching negotiations for a modern EU budget, and pulling our weight on the global stage.
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