Merkel wants the EU to veto national budgets

Angela Merkel has made a bizarre call for the EU to be given the right to veto a national budget.  The idea is so outrageous that even the French aren't happy about it and that's an achievement in itself.

Give us a kiss Olli

Merkel's plan is for the governments of member states to present their budgets to the EU Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, the odious Olli Rehn, who would have the power to return them to national parliaments if he doesn't approve of them.  He can't even get the EU's accounts signed off by their own internal auditors but Merkel thinks he should be allowed to veto the national budgets not just of the bankrupt PIIGS countries or even the €urozone but of every member state, including ours.  This would be illegal in the UK.

Cameron has called for more EU integration and the loss of more national sovereignty, saying that he'll be pushing the agenda "very hard" for the EU to take full control of the digital economy, service sector and energy.  The Finnish EU Minister, Alex Stubb, is quoted as saying that it seems like Cameron is deliberately keeping the EU on the outside and that it felt like 26+1 at their summit.  I think someone may have slipped Mr Stubb a tenner (the way the €uro is going, that'll soon feed a family of four for a week) to say that Dave is being a bit stand-offish with them.