there is now “a Farage in every country”...the EU project was “under threat” [so we'd be pretty stupid to stay in it then?] ...“We will have to fight against those who want to demolish Europe with their fear, their populist deceit" [He's not the only one in a huff]...Senior EU politicians see little political capital in Brexit and one senior European source told the Guardian they would now cancel a trip to the UK if their agenda was too full. “I would prefer to go to Prague or Warsaw than London, because I cannot build anything with the UK.”
Meanwhile, back in the world of realpolitik:
Barnier, a former French foreign minister with a long career in centre-right politics, also issued veiled criticism of the French president, Emmanuel Macron, who is seeking to present himself as a defender of Europe’s liberal and multilateral values... [And all the hoo-hah about the Irish border?]...The EU’s concerns about ensuring European firms are not undercut by British rivals operating under laxer rules on environment, workers’ rights, state aid, and health and safety, are not new. But they have come to the fore, as both sides seek to break the deadlock on the Irish backstop, which is hindering a November deal.
Apparently, there has been some sort of contest to elect a new European President. It seems candidates are selected by parties in the European Parliament. For the German-led 'centre-right' EPP:
While the contest [in the major parties] has the paraphernalia of a campaign – badges, T-shirts, a Barack Obama-style poster of Weber, a Stubb hot-dog stand – it remains an insider affair
That seems to be no problem for the Gudrian. What happens then is not clear:
EU leaders dislike the system and have insisted there is no instant link that means the lead candidate of the biggest group after the elections is propelled to the top job. Proponents argue that it is more democratic, because the electorate – some 445 million after Brexit – get to choose. “The key question now is what the people think,” Weber said. “No one in the European council [of EU leaders] can say I don’t care.”...That argument has been rejected by national governments. “It is bullshit,” said one senior European source, arguing there was nothing undemocratic about democratically elected governments choosing people to run the EU’s institutions.
Saying that the electorate of 445 million people 'choose' the President is a bit misleading. According to Wikipedia,
The European Council [heads of member states plus two EU presidents of other bodies] votes by qualified majority for a nominee for the post of President, taking account of the latest European elections. This proposal is then put before Parliament which must approve or veto the appointment. If an absolute majority of MEPs support the nominee, he/she is elected. The President then, together with the Council, puts forward his team to the Parliament to be scrutinised. The Parliament normally insists that each one of them appear before the parliamentary committee that corresponds to their prospective portfolio for a public hearing. The Parliament then votes on the Commission as a whole; if approved, the European Council, acting by a qualified majority, appoints the President and his team to office
Back to Brexit, the two candidates from the EPP also see where their advantages lie:
“Brexit is one of the biggest travesties we have seen in international history,” said Stubb, who has a British wife and children with joint nationality. “Leaving the European Union is a bit like leaving the internet. You can do it, but it’s kind of stupid.”...Weber [the eventual EPP nominee] said the EU had to show European voters at the 2019 elections there was a benefit to membership. “If you don’t show the difference between being member of the European Union and being outside that will have a huge impact on the election campaign and that is why we have to be clear,” he said. “It must make a difference when you are leaving the European Union.”
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