You know, enabling Europe to punch above its weight, be taken seriously in the councils of power across the world?
The surprise combination emerged after Gordon Brown ended Tony Blair’s hopes of becoming president, abandoning his support for his successor and proposing Baroness Ashton for the foreign job instead.
The Prime Minister’s switch surprised European leaders, not least because of Baroness Ashton’s lack of diplomatic experience.
A former health authority chairwoman made a peer in 1999, she held a string of low-key ministerial posts until last year when she was sent to Brussels as an interim replacement for Lord Mandelson on his return to the Cabinet.
6 responses so far ↓
1 Pat // Nov 20, 2009 at 9:47 am
As far as I can see the selection criteria was to choose people that Merkel/Sarkozy could control.
2 QM // Nov 20, 2009 at 9:55 am
Now, now, be fair in 2006 she won the “Politician of the Year” award at the annual Stonewall Awards.
3 Formertory // Nov 20, 2009 at 12:13 pm
As far as I can see the selection criteria was to choose people that Merkel/Sarkozy could control
or at the very least, people who wouldn’t be able or temperamentally inclined to put Mer-kozy and Sar-kel in the shade anytime soon.
4 Monty // Nov 21, 2009 at 1:04 am
It strikes me, that anyone in politics who is renowned for punching above his weight, has a track record of punching the taxpayers and stealing our money before we come round in the ambulance.
5 Andrew Duffin // Nov 21, 2009 at 11:51 am
“Made a peer…”
Sounds like she did something remarkable and was rewarded for it.
But of course, this being NuLab, she was just made a peer so that she could be parachuted into some cosy crony job without all that bother about elections n’stuff.
Pretty typical EU procedure, in fact.
God, how I despise them all.
6 Derek Buxton // Nov 21, 2009 at 1:38 pm
It is all coming together for the colleagues, Barroso rules, ok. And still the CONservatives don’t get it………we are ruled from Brussels by lamebrains, or even no brains. Great!!!!
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