THE F´***** WORD

by MONITOR
It seems that Tony Blair has won the war of a word. According to reports from Brussels yesterday the dreaded F'***** word will not appear in the draft of the European constitution which is due to be published tomorow or soon thereafter. The six asterisks reveal that the word in question is not that other unprintable F'** word but rather the equally unspeakable “federal” word. A spokesman for Valery Giscard d'Estaing, the former French president charged with drawing up this constitutional blueprint for the future of Europe, said: “This word has additional meaning in some languages and in some countries which apparently makes it offensive”. Spoken like a true diplomat! There is only one language and one country where the word is offensive. It is understood that when Mr Blair and Mr d'Estaing met at Downing Street last week the necessity of avoiding the federal word was high on the agenda. This concern must be a matter of some perplexity for the rest of the Europe. The way in which the European Union already operates is regarded as federal and, in any case, in many member states the word implies decentralization rather than the opposite. If Mr Blair has indeed won what in the balance of things should be only a minor point it may prove to have been at the cost of more important matters. The draft we shall soon see could well contain provisions that will make it even more difficult for the Prime Minister to win a referendum on euro membership this side of a general election than it already appears to be.