From The Sun -
From NIC CECIL, Political Correspondent in BRUSSELS
BACK-STABBING Jacques Chirac last night repaid Tony Blair for helping him by trying to sabotage Britain’s £3billion EU rebate.
The double betrayal came only hours after Mr Blair rescued the French President from angry French unions.
FIRST Mr Chirac joined calls for Brussels to axe our refund.
THEN he accused British and American economic policy of exporting death to the Third World.
Mr Blair had been banking on France to help save the 20-year-old rebate.
Even with the rebate Britain pays more than TWO AND A HALF TIMES as much as the French.
Without it, the Treasury’s share of running the EU would be a staggering 14 TIMES that of France.
Yet Chirac ganged up with other EU leaders and told the PM: “The rebate is no longer justified today.”
He went on to rub it in by accusing Britain and America of “fuelling dangerous global conflict” through free-market economic policies.
He claimed they create an “explosive” poverty gap between the West and the developing world.
Hours earlier, the PM risked EU fury by helping Mr Chirac to delay new Brussels employment rules while they are reviewed.
French unions believe the laws — aimed at loosening controls over EU service jobs — will flood France with cheap east European labour.
Their threatened national strike would have increased Mr Chirac’s chances of defeat in his referendum on the EU Constitution.
The President left himself wide open to accusations of hypocrisy in his attack on British and American free-market economic policies.
He is the chief defender of the EU’s CAP farm subsidies — blamed for stuffing French farmers’ pockets while spreading famine in Africa.
Tory EU spokesman Graham Brady said: “Time and again, Mr Blair has given in on Britain’s interests to help Mr Chirac out of a tight spot and got nothing in return. It’s all give, and no take.”
www.thesun.co.uk . . .
From NIC CECIL, Political Correspondent in BRUSSELS
BACK-STABBING Jacques Chirac last night repaid Tony Blair for helping him by trying to sabotage Britain’s £3billion EU rebate.
The double betrayal came only hours after Mr Blair rescued the French President from angry French unions.
FIRST Mr Chirac joined calls for Brussels to axe our refund.
THEN he accused British and American economic policy of exporting death to the Third World.
Mr Blair had been banking on France to help save the 20-year-old rebate.
Even with the rebate Britain pays more than TWO AND A HALF TIMES as much as the French.
Without it, the Treasury’s share of running the EU would be a staggering 14 TIMES that of France.
Yet Chirac ganged up with other EU leaders and told the PM: “The rebate is no longer justified today.”
He went on to rub it in by accusing Britain and America of “fuelling dangerous global conflict” through free-market economic policies.
He claimed they create an “explosive” poverty gap between the West and the developing world.
Hours earlier, the PM risked EU fury by helping Mr Chirac to delay new Brussels employment rules while they are reviewed.
French unions believe the laws — aimed at loosening controls over EU service jobs — will flood France with cheap east European labour.
Their threatened national strike would have increased Mr Chirac’s chances of defeat in his referendum on the EU Constitution.
The President left himself wide open to accusations of hypocrisy in his attack on British and American free-market economic policies.
He is the chief defender of the EU’s CAP farm subsidies — blamed for stuffing French farmers’ pockets while spreading famine in Africa.
Tory EU spokesman Graham Brady said: “Time and again, Mr Blair has given in on Britain’s interests to help Mr Chirac out of a tight spot and got nothing in return. It’s all give, and no take.”
www.thesun.co.uk . . .