http://downingstreetsays.com/briefings/2005/03/07/1514 Every day the Prime Minister's Spokesman meets a small coterie of political journalists known as 'the lobby' for a topical chat, or 'briefing'. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:02:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.2 http://downingstreetsays.com/briefings/2005/03/07/1514#comment-2909 Ian Stock Mon, 28 Mar 2005 11:11:47 +0000 http://downingstreetsays.com/briefings/2005/03/07/1514#comment-2909 In other words, British policy will continue to see the E.U. as little more than a foreign policy headache to be neutralised a.s.a.p. in the interests of Mr. Blair's domestic survival. It's clearly too difficult a concept for politicians to grasp that Europe might be of greater national importance than their own survival. I wait with interest to see what rabbits Mr. Blair is going to pull out of the hat in the run-up to the referendum, suddenly to start arguing that engagement in the E.U./Constitution is a great thing after all, after such a long period of public silence on the matter. Or will he decide that Roger Liddle's views are actually his own, after all? In other words, British policy will continue to see the E.U. as little more than a foreign policy headache to be neutralised a.s.a.p. in the interests of Mr. Blair’s domestic survival. It’s clearly too difficult a concept for politicians to grasp that Europe might be of greater national importance than their own survival. I wait with interest to see what rabbits Mr. Blair is going to pull out of the hat in the run-up to the referendum, suddenly to start arguing that engagement in the E.U./Constitution is a great thing after all, after such a long period of public silence on the matter. Or will he decide that Roger Liddle’s views are actually his own, after all?

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