EU Budget

According to the Daily Telegraph,
"The Prime Minister renewed a threat to veto any real increase in the EU budget, despite warnings that his approach is alienating Germany’s Angela Merkel."
It goes on to say that
"Reports from Berlin suggest Mrs Merkel, the Chancellor, is prepared to call off a planned EU summit to discuss the budget unless Mr Cameron changes his tone."

The picture that one gets from these exchanges (if they are correct) is that Germany, in the form of Angela Merkel, is running the EU. If we aren't prepared to do what she wants, she will call off the summit.  In fact the EU comprises 27 countries and I'd like to know what the other 25 think about the prospect of Germany calling off the summit. Surely, if anyone is to call it off, it should be the EU president.

I'm sure that we are not the only country who opposes an above inflation increase. Are the others too scared of Germany to object, or is it just that they want us to do the dirty work?

It will be interesting to watch what happens. However, the way things are at the moment, my money is on Cameron giving in, claiming, for example, the extra money is for some new purpose and that it is therefore justified. Personally, if I was in his position, I would call Germany's bluff, it would after all save the cost of the meeting which is probably totally unnecessary in these days of electronic communication.

Giving Into The E.U.

Yesterday, I felt that David Cameron was worth a few words of praise over his stance on housing benefit. Today, it is the reverse, and it is clear that he has no guts when push turns to shove.

Reports in the Daily Mail
"Cameron can't halt rise in Euro budget: PM admits jump of at least £430m is out of his hands (And he's not even going to try to stop a new EU treaty or give us a referendum on it)"
and in the Daily Telegraph
"David Cameron softens on EU budget"
seem to confirm my beliefs about him.

In his blog today, John Redwood MP asks "What is the UK’s national interest?", to which my response was that it should be the UK, and nothing but the UK. The job of the UK government is to look after our national interests and no-one else's. The French have always done this very effectively; if you were to ask anyone in France "what is the French national interest", they'd think that you were stupid, or worse. Similarly, the Scottish parliament considers it their duty to look after Scotland, not the UK as a whole - I don't like the idea, but I believe that they are acting correctly.

Look how the French dealt with the matter of the Roma gypsies (who no doubt will soon be in a town near you). They started to deport them, The EU huffed and puffed and threatened legal action. The deportations continued. The EU decided to take a further look at the matter (ie do nothing for now). No change from France, so the apparatchiks crawled back into their comfortable holes in Brussels and decided that the UK was an easier target.

If Cameron had any guts, he would say to the EU  "Britain is having to cut all its government spending by 10% and we propose to cut our EU budget by the same amount".  No if or buts, just cut it and await reaction. I suspect the EU would accept it simply because they would know that if they did anything else, the pressure on Cameron to have a referendum on withdrawing from the EU would become irresistible.

For once I'm tempted to say "Why can't the British Government be more like the French?".