UK now runs the EU

[Blackleaf]

THE SUN

THE rumblings of a political earthquake can be heard across Europe.

More countries chuck the EU constitution into the dustbin.

Humiliated French President Jacques Chirac is derided by his own countrymen as the Sick Man of Europe — the title the French once bestowed on Britain.

German leader-in-waiting Angela Merkel — the “Iron Fraulein” — backs Britain in our rebate battle, saying we must not surrender a penny without reform of subsidies that benefit France.

Tony Blair now has a unique opportunity to drive the EU in the direction that is best for Britain.

That means more competition and less subsidy, more freedom and less regulation, more powers for the member states and less for Brussels.

For the first time in years, there is a feeling that London, not Paris or Berlin, potentially holds the balance of power in the EU.

If Blair can seize the moment, his forthcoming six months as leader of the EU could prove historic.

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