Tony Blair's sellout unravels

In 2005 Tony Blair accepted a reduction in the UK budget rebate in return for a complete review of all EU spending. Unsurprisingly whilst the UK's rebate has been cut, so UK contributions will rise from £4.1million in the year ending Apr 2010 to £6.9 billion in the calendar year 2011 and £7.3bn in the year ending April 2011, the promised review looks like not happening. The Telegraph reports that:

"the full and wide-ranging review" of EU spending promised to Mr Blair for this year is being abandoned because officials fear that it would be too contentious - and would disrupt other work which they regard as more important.... the review, already delayed by several months, has now been cast into serious doubt because of a crowded and sensitive political timetable for the European Commission, which must make the initial proposals. "

So once again Tony Blair and Gordon Brown have been shown up as poor negotiators and/or the EU as devious. I am not surprised but I am angry, very angry. The sooner the UK leaves the EU and adopts a trade-only relationship with it, the better.

That last sentence I think shows why this blog is a "right of centre blog" not a "Conservative blog".