Down to the Wire

Will it happen or not?

The opening of historic accession talks with Turkey, scheduled for today remains uncertain as Austria stuck to its refusal to agree to the negotiating framework late last night.

Whatever you think about Turkey's potential membership, this whole episode is a freat illustration with a massive weakness in the EU. Believing that it would never happen, and so as not to rock the boat, the Austrians never stopped the process at an earlier date. When it became apparent that FRance and Cyprus had been won over, they panicked an shouted no. Now we have the sight of a country being promised something by the EU (with the apparent backing of 25 members) only to have one of them change their mind just days before the crucial date. The reality of the European Union, back room deals, scheming, arm twisting and back stabbing. This is our glourious future.