Fresh from the steaming pile of subsidised effluent that is the Lisbon Treaty: Nicolas Sarkozy, in a proposal to cut the size of the European Commission, thinks it’d be a good idea for countries with a “similar heritage” to share an EU Commissioner.

Basically, Sarkozy wants the Benelux countries to share one, as well as Austria and Germany, and… you’ve guessed it: Ireland and the UK.

I’m completely flabbergasted by this. I’d have thought that the head of state of a major leader in the European project would have a better grasp of the notion of sovereignty and independence. I notice that he, for example, doesn’t manage to suggest that Luxembourg share with France.

What it really shows on Sarkozy’s part is a stunning ignorance of the cultures of the countries in question. As one writer on IrishElection.com put it,

Now the last Austria and Germany shared a representative to my knowledge it was under the terms of the anschluss and did not go well.

Does Sarkozy not recognise that Ireland fought with Britain for a good 700 years or more to purposely not share common representation with the UK? Does he really think that a country like Germany would be happy to have an Austrian represent them in the European executive? How much less likely are a volatile UK to stay committed to Europe when their chief representative is an Irishman?

I don’t know. The whole thing just cements the fear I had over Lisbon in the first place: politicians really just don’t get the people. 160 of our 166 TD’s ended up on the losing side in Lisbon. Now it seems the President of the European Council wants to end up on the wrong side of Europe.

Nicolas Sarkozy: Britain and Ireland should share one European Commission seat [The Telegraph]