Lisbon tactics

Some EU enthusiasts fear that Václav Klaus has used the dispute over early elections to make his refusal to sign the Lisbon treaty more palatable for the Czech public. Klaus blamed the Constitutional Court for the political chaos in the country and took sides with ČSSD Chair Jiří Paroubek in recognizing the risk that the Court might again block early elections. Speaking on Czech TV, Klaus aide Ladislav Jakl also suggested that the Court doesn't apply the same strict interpretation of the Constitution in EU issues as it does in domestic ones. These arguments could come in handy for Klaus if and when the Court gives Lisbon the green light. There's growing speculation that Klaus intends to drag out the treaty issue until a Conservative British government can call a referendum. If Klaus's goal is to dismantle the EU, he might see this as his best contribution. A scarier thought, however, is that Klaus will conclude that the best way to speed up the dismantlement of the EU is for him to go ahead and sign the treaty.