Benedict Brogan

A telegramme drops from somewhere in the red zone of the Justus Lipsus, where Mr Brown is fighting a rear guard action on behalf of Tony Blair. Apparently all is not yet lost for the former Prime Minister. Or “not buried yet”, as my man in the spats and morning coat puts it. There is no shortage of talentless nonentities who would quite adequately make nothing of the role. But the EU has yet to opt for talentless nonentity route. The intentions of the Germans are unclear, and the French are waiting. So while the signs are not good, much can happen before the fat German lady sings.

What is baffling other delegations is that there is not a British national consensus on the issue: in other words, why are we not putting national pride ahead of domestic divisions and uniting behind Mr Blair? They point to the great Euro tradition of political rivalries set aside to secure a prestige job: Zapatero hated Rato but backed him for the IMF; Socrates was Barroso’s rival but supported him for the EC; and Sarko helped DSK get the IMF. To which one might point out of course that getting rivals out of the way is precisely what these jobs are for.

Others are perplexed by the absence of a Tory position. What would the Conservatives do? Who would they be fighting for? Alastair Campbell on the BBC a short while ago argued that a Prime Minister Cameron would benefit from having somebody “savvy and influential” like Mr Blair as EU president. Yeah, right. The point surely is that the Conservatives have decided for their own reasons to play this game by a different set of rules. And what we are witnessing is the European edifice and its supporters here trying to work out quite what those new rules are.

With the EU dominated by the centre-right (a point many here conveniently ignore, as Guido Paul reminds us), the left are unwilling to help their enemies any further and told Mr Brown so at the traditional pre-summit dinner. In the stitch-up that is the EU, the PES will leave the presidency choice to the dominant EPP, and settle for the high representative job. But having told Mr Brown to get stuffed on the Blair idea, will the PES back David Miliband as the top banana of euro-diplomacy?

His maximalist speech this week on the importance of the EU as an alternative to the G2 of the US and China will have won him admirers. He ticks many PES boxes: a lefty who can talk to America, a friend of Israel who has invested plenty of time in dialaogue with Islam, an intellectual who can gab about Gramsci and the future of holistic neo progressivism until the espresso runs cold. There may be a willingness to give Britain the job as a sop for rejecting Mr Blair. The EU may also wish to give Mr Brown some mark of appreciation for his role in the financial bail out (as a way of overlooking his part in creating the mess in the first place). In that sense it will be a a loser’s reward, the best a politician on his way out can achieve.

For Mr Miliband the job has powerful attractions. It gets him out of Westminster just as things are about to get ugly. He has staked out what is proving to be an extreme position (to use a term of the moment) on the row over Michael Kaminski, as the interview with the Chief Rabbi of Poland showed this morning. A diplomatic role gets him out of the political fray.

Most of all though it would get him neatly off the leadership hook. He doesn’t want the top job, despite the best efforts of his admirers to project their expectations onto him. He has talents, but he is not suited to being Labour’s front man. Moving to Brussels would avoid months of a ‘will he, won’t he?’ debate that should have ended earlier this summer when he decided not to follow James Purnell out of the door. Most important of all, it liberates his brother. By going to Europe, David would leave the way clear for Ed to stand, without loss of face or family rows. Like the Blair presidency, the idea may be dead by the time we get to the end of summit press conferences. But it would be a nifty solution to a number of problems.

All MPs should be selected through open primaries, writes Martin Bell.

Only a third of voters want Tony Blair to be President of Europe.

Adam Boulton says that the idea of President Blair isn’t over yet.

The FT looks inside Blair Inc.

And Ross Clark says that if cohabiting couples don’t like the law, there’s a simple solution.

Posted by Alex Singleton

Or at least that is the construction Hank Paulson seems to put on the extraordinary events of that weekend in September last year when Lehman Brothers went bust and everything changed. It’s in the account published here yesterday (and in the US last week) by NYTimes journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin. The Times carried a chunk of Too Big to Fail today which is full of lines that could have been plucked out of Bonfire of the Vanities.

It describes nicely the increasingly strained conversations between the Americans on the brink of a rescue package and the Brits gazing in horror into the abyss of Lehman’s unquantified liabilities. Over a series of strained phone calls the Americans work out the Brits are saying ‘no’ when they thought they were saying ‘yes’. Sorkin tells how Paulson explained it to his colleagues: “They don’t want US problems infecting the UK system.” Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling vetoed the Barclays rescue. “Isn’t this our closest ally in the world?” one of the bankers asked. “Guys, trust me,” Paulson said. “I know how to be a tough guy. I’ve done everything I can. There is no deal.” The general opinion in the room was that they had been blindsided; Paulson merely shook his head and declared that the British had ‘grin-****** us’.”

Some might find something admirable in Mr Darling’s willingness to stand in the way of what would have been a moment of suicidal madness for Barclays; others will see it as evidence of this Government’s Canute tendency, and general impotence. I’m just taken by his small part in coining a new term for shafting your rival, politely. Oh, and who’s Herman you ask? He, er, belongs to Mr Paulson. At one point, as the deal to save Lehmans begins to unravel, the Treasury Secretary asks for more info from the FSA. “I don’t want to be left here holding Herman.” And glances at his zipper.

Mandelson: the Lord who would be king?

The top Tory in Europe, Timothy Kirkhope, says that if we can’t stop there being a President of Europe, let’s jolly well hope he’s low key.

Nile Gardiner gives five top reasons why Tony Blair shouldn’t have the job…

…while a certain pink financial paper attacks Tony Blair for not being enough of a Europhile.

Meanwhile, Julian Little in the Guardian says that our future food security will need us to use GM crops.

And Dignitas could be shut down.

Posted by Alex Singleton

Irwin Stelzer says that opponents of Lisbon should back David Milband.

No 10 officials want Northern Rock to to turn it into a building society, instead of selling it. Can we afford to do that?

Mark Littlewood, the Lib Dems’ former head of media, says that Labour’s soon-to-be 5 million unemployed will require the Tories to be ruthless and “reverse” the minimum wage.

BBC Worldwide has ruled out reversing its attack on private sector travel guides.

And policymakers are snobs, says Simon Jenkins.

Posted by Alex Singleton

Will Tony Blair become the first President of Europe, ask Andrew Pierce and Bruno Waterfield.

Was David Miliband’s pro-EU speech a job application?

Larry Elliott in The Guardian says that Britain – which was “best placed” to deal with the recession, according to Gordon Brown - could be the last of the G7 to recover.

The scourge of the Liberal Democrats’ Left wing, Mark Littlewood, is soon to be head of the Institute of Economic Affairs – surely a think tank to watch.

And we should give up meat to save the planet – well, at least, that’s Lord Stern’s remarkable claim.

Posted by Alex Singleton

Boris Johnson says teachers need the law on their side.

Why should we pay for MP’s wives to surf the net in Parliamentary jobs, asks Melanie McDonagh.

Peter Hoskins says that the Tories now have a monopoly on the language of optimism.

America’s racial divide is healing faster than our own, says Yasmin Alibhai-Brown.

And Prince Andrew defends big bonuses.

Posted by Alex Singleton

Question Time was a propaganda victory… for the BBC.

Iain Dale says Nick Griffin bombed – and so did Chris Hulne.

Andrew Gimson says that Nick Griffin’s evasions and absurdies did him more damage than the hostility of other panellists.

Gordon Brown side-steps a rugby tackle, reports Paul Waugh.

Postmen will strike for “as long as it takes”.

The chance of a President Blair is fading.

Posted by Alex Singleton

Keir Starmer, the DPP, makes an ill-judged attack on Tory policy.

Jonathan Isaby, on Comment is Free, says that all-women shortlists are un-Conservative…

…while Alice Thompson says it’s all about taking power.

Seven months after Barack Obama’s stimulus, 49 out of 50 American states have fewer jobs.

And Mervyn King points out that by bailing out banks, they could now be do more risky things.

Posted by Alex Singleton