A Coincidence?

The establishment of the EU External Action Service (under Lisbon), meant that the UK would no longer have an independent foreign policy. The impact on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has long raised concerns, such as this one by Lord Pearson just over a year ago:

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: Can the noble Lord give us a clear assurance that there will be any British embassies left in 10 years' time? If he can give that assurance, will he tell us where they will be? If he does not have the answer at his fingertips, would he be good enough to put a letter in the Library?

And in October last year Peter Oborne of the Telegraph received an email regarding the implications of the Spending Review for the future of British diplomacy, a key part of which was this:

This will reflect a fundamental shift in UK diplomatic influence and activity.

Civil servants and diplomats follow the money. It is one of the reasons why historically in Brussels the best quality civil servants and diplomats tend to come from Ireland and other smaller states – because the EU budgets far exceed their own home country’s ministry budgets. That was never the case for the larger countries in the EU, until now.

A young diplomat from the UK joining up in 2015 will be faced with option of joining the UK diplomatic corps or an EU corps with twice the funding. Which will the most ambitious opt for?

This revolution in UK diplomacy is taking place against a backdrop of a Foreign Office already thrown into internal confusion by David Cameron.

Fast forward to today and we have the shambles that is the Libyian evacuation of British citizens:

Like the Treasury, the Foreign Office is supposed to contain the brightest and best of Britain’s civil servants. But just as the Treasury failed to anticipate the banking crisis, so Carlton-Browne of the FO seems to have been caught on the hop by the collapse of regimes across the Middle East.

This is, of course, a department of state which is said to pride itself on an intimate knowledge of Arab affairs. Yet the uprisings in Egypt, Bahrain and Libya appear to have come as a complete surprise to our diplomatic elite.

A coincidence? Shurley sum mistake.

Does The Daily Mail Read The Boiling Frog?

Probably not...

Iran has been embroiled in another censorship row after a top worn by Baroness Ashton was doctored in state media because it was too revealing.

Photographs of the EU foreign minister with Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili at talks in Istanbul on Friday appeared the next day in Iranian media - but showed her wearing a top with a much higher neckline than she actually had on.

...but you heard it first:

Baroness Ashton's Too Sexy For Iran

Baroness Ashton, the UK's, EU's foreign Minister is currently attending talks in Turkey over Iran's controversial nuclear program.

It would seem though that her top was too 'low-cut' and so Iranian newspapers have altered it to make it appear more Islamic. This is the original:


And these are some of the Iranian front pages:

Absent Ashton

Bruno Waterfield from the Telegraph reports:

Absent Baroness Ashton leaves Britain without a voice
Baroness Ashton has failed to fully attend two thirds of European Commission meetings over the past year, leaving Britain without a voice in the most important forum for EU law making, according to research by The Daily Telegraph.

Leaving aside for one moment that Ashton has never seemed popular within the EU, the Telegraph seems to think this is news, surely more pertinent questions would be;

• Why does such a job exist?
  
  
• Who cares if Ashton fails to attend?
  
  
• Who cares - full stop?

The End Of The FCO?

Since the Tories won in May (sorry the Coalition) EU integration is continuing at such a pace it's getting increasingly more difficult to keep up. Peter Oborne in today's Telegraph has this email regarding the implications of the Spending Review for the future of British diplomacy:

Peter, following the Spending Review, Foreign Office funding by 2014-2015 (GBP 1.3 billion) will be exactly half the amount envisaged for the nascent European External Action Service (which will have risen to Euro 3 billion by then, or GBP 2.6 billion).

This will reflect a fundamental shift in UK diplomatic influence and activity.

Civil servants and diplomats follow the money. It is one of the reasons why historically in Brussels the best quality civil servants and diplomats tend to come from Ireland and other smaller states – because the EU budgets far exceed their own home country’s ministry budgets. That was never the case for the larger countries in the EU, until now.

A young diplomat from the UK joining up in 2015 will be faced with option of joining the UK diplomatic corps or an EU corps with twice the funding. Which will the most ambitious opt for?

This revolution in UK diplomacy is taking place against a backdrop of a Foreign Office already thrown into internal confusion by David Cameron.

He has this year paved the way for a commercial-first policy for diplomats, saying that UK diplomacy should henceforth focus on trade interests. This is all very well, but it goes against the FO tradition of a mixed training and corps in which diplomats moved between trade and political appointments.

He also caused consternation by moving a non-career diplomat – Simon Fraser – to become the permanent secretary for the diplomatic corps as of July this year. Fraser was at the department of business before that. It was the first time a non-diplomatic background civil servant had got the job.

Interestingly before 2009 Fraser was on secondment to Brussels for four years where he was Peter Mandelson’s trade spokesman. He is a europhile. That will probably not give the FO much confidence as moves into a demographically weak position vis a vis its new European rival corps!

None of it a surprise. The Tories simply can't give this country away fast enough.

EU Gains Speaking Rights At UN

According to EurActiv (my emphasis):

European Council and Commission representatives yesterday (24 August) confirmed reports that the United Nations is to grant the EU the right to speak at the body's General Assembly ahead of its 64^th session, which starts on 15 September in New York.

Thus far, the EU has only had observer status at the UN. With the Lisbon Treaty, however...the EU's position at the UN appears to urgently require an upgrade.

According to Polish daily Rzeczpospolita, EU members France and the UK, who would hate to lose their influence in the UN Security Council, were initially reluctant to accept the idea. Ultimately, they have agreed to a compromise under which the head of EU diplomacy, Catherine Ashton, will have the right to speak on the EU's behalf in the General Assembly but not in the Security Council.

Ah, the good old compromise, which means the creeping influence of the EU can continue unabated via further demands in the future, until it replaces the Foreign and Commonwealth Office altogether. Oh and it will cost us another £8 million for the privilege:

BARONESS Ashton is poised to set up her new European Union diplomatic corps in palatial Brussels offices costing taxpayers more than £8million a year, it emerged last night.

EU officials were understood to be in advanced talks over leasing several floors of the gleaming Triangle building.

The top floor has already been earmarked as an office for Baroness Ashton, the Labour peer appointed to the new post of EU foreign affairs supremo last year.

Still, Lisbon was only a tidying up exercise, wasn't it?

There's Too Many Brits...

...in top EU jobs, so says German MEP Elmar Brok in this short clip regarding the usual EU chaos and conflict unity in deciding the make up and purpose of the European External Action Service (some of the clip is not in English):

Ashton Hearing

Catherine Ashton had her three hour hearing in front of MEPs yesterday. As expected she faced critical questions over her lack of foreign policy experience and some hostile questions from Conservative MEPs regarding her CND links.

Undoubtedly she had spent the Christmas period foreign policy cramming, but despite that she was caught on Afghanistan detail by suggesting that EU troops were there, and didn't know answers to two questions on Somalia. Ashton also responded to the question about her thoughts on the reform of the United Nations Security Council with:

“The answer is I don’t know. This has not even crossed into my thinking… You’ve caught me out. Well done.”

Overall she was vague in her answers, gave no great vision of the role of her position or the EU position on key foreign issues, but ultimately avoided any major gaffes that might have put her job in jeopardy.

The hearing can be seen here.

More Trouble Ahead For Brown?

First it was Blair for President of the European Council, then maybe David Miliband for High Representative then maybe Mandelson. The farce eventually concluded with frantic behind-doors negotiations resulting in the relatively unknown, unelected Baroness Ashton being appointed High Representative. According to Brown this appointment:

"gives Britain a powerful voice both within the European Council and the Commission,"

Well, the drama is not quite over yet.

Although Ashton has already made public appearances, she will only obtain full Commissioner status once she has been approved by the European Parliament, along with the other 26 nominated Commissioners. This process of holding hearings with the respective candidates begins today and lasts until 19th January.

Baroness Ashton's hearing is today at midday GMT and is keenly anticipated, not least because there are significant doubts in the EU regarding her limited experience in foreign affairs, which could hamper her efforts in trying to raise the EU's profile on the world stage. Doubts which have not helped by her less than impressive appearance in the EU Parliament last December, and critisim by the Trade Committee for floundering under questioning. There are also likely to be challenging questions regarding her written answers, which are required prior to the hearings:

My first priority will be to build the European External Action Service as an efficient and coherent service that will be the pride of the Union and the envy of the rest of the world.

According to the Lisbon Treaty, the High Representative must conduct the EU's common foreign and security policy, not build the External Action Service, which is seen as the duty of member states. Ashton will need a better grasp of detail in order to convince MEPs.

The vote is due on 26th, and in principle the EU Parliament can only vote 'yes' or 'no' on the entire line-up, not the individuals. In practice, though, approval is not a foregone conclusion and MEPs can force the Commission to rejig some of its nominations. This is precisely what happened in 2004 when Barroso had to withdraw his proposed team after a parliamentary committee rejected Italy's Rocco Buttiglione for describing homosexuality as a sin during his hearing.

If Ashton's performance is unconvincing today will MEPs try to prevent the appoint of her thus heaping more indignation on our beleaguered Prime Minister?

Another hearing to look out for this week is Michel Barnier, who oversees the internal market and financial services; an appointment that had resulted from the French outwitting the Prime Minster, giving them regulatory control over the City of London. His hearing is on Wednesday