Klaus's rant raises the noise level but loses the argument

The Czech President Vaclav Klaus today spouted a set of standard eurosceptic clichés in his disappointing and frankly embarrassing diatribe to the European Parliament today. While some MEPs (including Czechs)left the chamber in disgust, most sat in astonished silence, while only the far-right and some of the Tories applauded.

In claiming that the EU deals with matters that should be left to the national governments, he seemed blissfully unaware that no EU policy or legislation is adopted without the agreement of those same national governments in the EU Council of Ministers.

By making ludicrous and offensive comparisons to communist parliaments of Cold War eastern europe, which had no opposition to the government, he brought laughter from a European Parliament most of whose members are indeed from opposition parties in each Member State. Unlike other international structure such as NATO, the WTO and the UN, which are all run solely by governments, the EU, by having an elected parliament, chosen by proportional representation, has members from across the political spectrum, both in government and opposition.

Thankfully, the (ceremonial, not executive) President was disavowed yesterday by the lower chamber of his own national parliament, the Czech chamber of deputies, when it approved the Lisbon treaty by 125 votes to 61 despite his efforts to oppose it. Klaus may be attempting to style himself as the next icon around which eurosceptics can rally, but cliché-ridden rants won't win him any arguments.