Airstrip One

Si Senor, da nada

With the European Constitution, the E-unionists have stated that they aim to achieve a single voice for the European Union in NATO and a single embassy system across the globe. Whilst the latter would remove the useless bureaucrats of the FCO and may prove useful, the replacement is even fouller. How ironic that the FCO has managed to champion the very project that will abolish it. A small and pleasant irony.

Britain, along with other EU countries, will close all its 153 embassies around the world under the new EU constitution, Spain's prime minister has predicted.

Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero revealed the radical move ahead of his country's referendum on the new EU constitution at the weekend.

Speaking about the federal ambitions, which will lead to a single European foreign service, he said: "We will undoubtedly see European embassies with a European foreign service." He said that approving the Constitution - Spain is the first country to hold a referendum - would lend credibility to a common European policy.

"We will have a single European voice within Nato." His comments will fuel fears that the Government will have to follow the European line even if it disagrees with Germany or France as it did over Iraq.

The Spanish are due to vote on the Constitution today and Zapatero has stated that a 33% turnout is "reasonable". The Constitution will need to be ratified by Parliament and voter apathy could strike at the legitimacy of any vote. The result is a foregone conclusion, but turnout will be watched in Europe, even if unreported by state agitprop media (BBC).