Sarkozy is fuming; Merkel is trying not to show her impatience. The only leader in Europe supporting Klaus is David Cameron, who would have to stage a British referendum and kill the treaty if he entered government next year with the Czech president still blocking.
ELECTORAL CLOCK
It is unlikely to come to that, although Lisbon’s fate could still turn into a race against the British electoral clock. Klaus’ allies in the Czech upper house have just deposited a complaint about the treaty in the constitutional court. The Czech government assured EU officials on Friday that it was aiming to get the court to rule quickly, within a matter of weeks, and pleaded with the big pro-Lisbon camp not to put pressure on the Czechs. Was Sarkozy listening?
But Klaus is highly unpredictable, a loner, and nearing the end of his career with little to lose. He thinks he is on a mission to save European democracy and the nation state.
Meanwhile, Blair is said by some to have had some reservations about the presidency post, chief among them that he would earn less money than he does now giving speeches and other private work, and that the job would involve a lot of bureaucratic grind. But he would still earn about £250,000 (US$398,000) a year with generous EU tax allowances, have a staff of at least 20 and a splendid Brussels residence. The post would be for an initial two-and-a-half years, renewable once.
It would place him back not just at the heart of European politics but in the middle of intriguing battles involving British prime ministers past and present if, as now looks highly likely, Cameron gains office committed to wresting back power from the EU.
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