Sarko refuses to shake hands with Cameron
The UK Prime Minister's deployment of the veto after 10 hours of fraught negotiation in Brussels to the treaty was hailed by some jubilant Tory Euro-sceptics, but means that the UK was facing isolation in Europe as all 26 of the other EU member states agreed to go ahead with a separate accord on a ''fiscal compact'' for the euro after Sweden, Hungary and the Czechs succumbed to the pressure. "What I've done is make sure Britain's interests were protected," said Mr Cameron defending his choice of vetoing the treaty.
"There was a treaty on the table, which didn't adequately protect Britain's interests, so I didn't go along with it. I think that's my job."
He insisted that Britain's influence in the EU will be maintained dismissing suggestions that the UK would be isolated, as the other 26 nations conduct discussions without a British representative at the table.
"You've got everyone else in the room saying give up your national interests, give up your sovereignty, just go along with what everyone else wants, that would be the easy, comfortable, convenient thing to do. But it wasn't the right thing to do, so you've got to stick to your guns." The EU, if it can be considered a "Union" has zero credibility at the moment. Although it claims they respect each state and a veto by one member can put things on hold (ex: Greece and Macedonia), the same principle did not apply with the UK. Even though the UK vetoed the treaty, official Brussels (it's actually Berlin) stated they will go on with it without the UK, thus making the veto meaningless. The EU instead of a loosely tied economical entity has started to resemble more like a mafia club where new rules are made up along the way to accomodate the powerful member states (the bosses) while the smaller states are coerced, threatened and bribed into signing documents pretty much making them give up their rights, turning them into second class citizens who are 'lucky' to be in the "Union". //Gorazd Velkovski
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