27/07/2013
Although the EU defence agenda is never very far away, there seems to be an absolute determination on the part of the media and the British political classes to ignore what has been happening in front of their noses for years.
Thus, although there were developments
last Wednesday, Reuters has only just got around to reporting them, leaving the way clear for our
local newspapers also to report them, relying as usual on
Open Europe for their comfort quotes, telling them what to think.
But the idea that the EU is in the process of setting up its own air force is
by no means new. And nor are its ambitions on
UAVs, which were flagged up
six years ago.
Currently, the
European Air Transport Command, as a badged EU military aviation unit operating out of Eindhoven, with satellite units in France, Germany and Belgium, is a fact of life. And it is only the precursor to "teeth arms" which will eventually carry the EU flag.
Eventually, the Europeans will go too far, and take us down a route where we cannot follow. Then it will add to the already terminal stresses and squeeze us out of the Union. But, for the time being, our politicians will continue with their pretence that nothing very much is happening.
But one thing about which we need have no worries is the efficacy of the unit. This comes from the body which brought us the CAP and the CFP â and Gallileo. Under the control of Baroness Ashton, wife of Peter Kellner, its performance is not going to be stellar.
One does get a bit cynical about the "shock horror" though. The EU is not making â and has never made â any secret of its military intentions. The only thing which stops it getting wider coverage is the determined head-in-sand attitude of those who wish to deny that the Empire is planning to have its own military capability.
But then, it is only
fourteen years since Romano Prodi declared overtly the ambition to create a European Army, teasing us that we could call it Mary Ann or Margaret, but it would still be a European Army.
Now the "army" has wings and can fly, there is no need to pretend that we are surprised. It's there, it's happened, and it ain't going away.
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