World News 24-06-2005 Wake Up and Listen who: Tony Blair what: Takes aggressive stance towards European Parliament on eve of Britain`s EU presidency where: Brussels when: Thursday morning snippet: Tony Blair said it was time for Europe`s leaders to "wake up" and listen to the voice of the people in a speech to MEPs in Brussels on Thursday which was met with a mixture of applause and jeers. "The Prime Minister put jobs at the top of his agenda as he laid out his `change or die` vision for Europe`s future after the dramatic `No` votes in France and Holland," says The Mirror. "And he repeated his mantra that EU money must be spent on `cash not cows` in a swipe at payments to French farmers. He won strong backing when he said EU money must be spent on creating jobs and prosperity for its 450 million citizens." "Mr Blair, who assumes the presidency of the EU on July 1, spelt out his plan of action to the European Parliament in Brussels," says The Times. "In a fighting speech using biblical language that he wrote himself, Mr Blair turned the row about the British budget rebate into a debate about the future of Europe." "This is not a time to accuse those who want Europe to change of betraying Europe," he says. "It is time to recognise that only by change will Europe recover its strength, its relevance, its idealism, and therefore its support amongst the people." But despite making "a good speech", says The Guardian`s leader writer on friday, mr Blair is not laying the foundations for a good EU Presidency, which needs to be "focused on limited objectives". "Whatever preparations Britain had been making have been thrown into disarray by the referendums and the budget row, objectives have now inevitably shifted," The Guardian goes on. "When these things are lacking, as they were in the last French presidency, for instance, Europe stumbles, quarrels and reaches agreement only by endorsing illogical solutions, as it did on voting at the Nice summit." To that extent, The Telegraph for once agrees with The Guardian. "He [Mr Blair] is attempting to reconcile, in a harmonious third way, the divergent trends in European politics," said Tuesday`s leader. "Euro-sceptics believe that a `more flexible Europe` and `ever closer union` are incompatible objectives; Mr Blair does not." [... more]

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