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| David Cameron's press conference with Vladimir Putin on Sunday did not bode well. They are a tremendously odd pair. The old Etonian towers over his Russian counterpart, whose he's-had-work-done face never seems to smile or respond to visual stimuli. Cameron's ruling class charms means his manners are impeccable, even when confronting fundamental disagreement. The same cannot really be said for the Russian president. "One should hardly back those who kill their enemies and eat their organs," he said. It was not the traditional language of the joint press conference. "Do we want to support these people? Do we want to supply arms to these people?" Dave's eyes grew a little weary. His upcoming G8 summit was plainly going to be difficult. Things weren't helped the next day when the Guardian released details of how British intelligence agencies spy on people coming to international summits. It was like rolling out a welcome mat covered in dog turd. Much of the press reacted with a practiced 'is the Pope Catholic' line, but the details were fascinating. What with Putin on the one hand and spies on the other, it was fixing up to be the least cosy international summit for some time. As ever, Dave's friends were there to stab him in the back and then pose for pictures. Nick Clegg and Boris Johnson explicitly came out against his plans to arm the rebels in Syria. Boris, it must be said, did so rather well, with a cogent and evocative Telegraph column. At least 81 Tory MPs agree, as does the Labour leadership and much of the Foreign Office. The Americans are committed to arming rebels, but Barack Obama has as much interest talking about it in public as he does his youthful dalliance with illegal narcotics. Putin may have been the G1 in terms of policy towards Syria, but he had the advantage of consistency and clarity. He was going to keep on arming Assad and he was going to keep on opposing arming the rebels. For the Russian Leader, things were simple. Among his fellow leaders, confusion and trepidation reigned. Cameron had to think big, to go outside the box, so he made the summit go tieless. It was the most significant fashion moment for international relations since Tony Blair wore trousers which literally showed the outline of his genitals. The idea was that the informal atmosphere might encourage consensus and keep people relaxed. They purposefully held talks around a small, elbows-touching table to encourage intimacy. Officials were banished from the evening conversation. It was just the eight leaders in a room, without translators, speaking languages no-one else in the room understands. For some reason, the resulting agreements were not very impressive. Measures on corporate tax transparency were rather limited by the fact that they did not include public access. It was the most radical transparency agenda which had ever not been seen. The situation in Syria got a seven-point plan, which pleased almost no-one but did have an impressive level of tactical compromise. On the one hand, Cameron retreated from the UK's government's position of a year ago by removing the name Assad from the description of the transitional government. That meant his departure was not a precondition and suggested Putin had made some leg-way in negotiations. On the other hand, Cameron was able to present a picture of continuity which would have been reassuring to the people keeping the state institutions ticking over. That doesn't seem particularly impressive, but you can see what he's aiming at. The prime minister was effectively promoting a coup, telling Assad loyalists they could get rid of their boss without putting themselves in too much jeopardy. Cameron gave to Putin with one hand in order to open up the possibility of a second front with the other. Will it work? Almost certainly not. But it was a pragmatic accomplishment for a situation with no good side. Northern Ireland's G8 summit was not destined to go down in history as a game-changer, that much was for sure. Or so we thought. A day or two after it ended, it emerged that Obama had spent much of his speech at the summit mistaking chancellor George Osborne with black Rhode-Island soul singer Jeffrey Osborne. "I'm sorry man. I must have confused you with my favourite R&B singer," he said. Osborne tried to take it light-heartedly, but it said a lot that Obama basically had no idea who he was. It doesn't matter. Gideon's got a new name. It's Jeffrey. We're calling him Jeffrey from now on. Best of news...Not swivel eyed at all: Tories camp out for four nights for capital punishment Conservatives MPs have camped out for four days in parliament to force a debate on radical right-wing policies, including a ban on the burka in public, the privatisation of the BBC and bringing back the death penalty. Is the shine coming off Nigel Farage? A disastrous trip to Scotland, a lost deposit in a by-election and a row over his use of tax havens: Is the shine coming off the Nigel Farage bandwagon? No God, no country: Girl Guides rewrite their Promise The Girl Guide Promise has been rewritten to remove mentions of God or country, in a move which is likely to outrage traditionalists. 'You don't even know what you're voting for': MP paints damning portrait of life in Westminster An MP whose election was expected to trigger a new age of democratic legitimacy in Britain has issued a damning assessment of life in parliament. Best of Comment and AnalysisComment: Andy Burnham's responsibility for the secrecy of the NHS A culture of secrecy kept the truth from coming out about failures at the Universities of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust and Andy Burnham needs to take some responsibility for it. Comment: Some government departments make millions charging citizens to ring for help Big government benefits from '09' numbers, but hurts the average person. Comment: We'll continue the struggle for resource sovereignty In November 2012, 21 protesters occupied and shut down West Burton gas-fired power station for eight days. Ewa Jasiewicz talks about 'No Dash for Gas' and why it is crucial to take action Comment: Centre-right columnists are legitimising the EDL Parts of the mainstream media are irresponsibly legitimising the far right EDL whilst simultaneously trying to attack the very notion of 'anti-Muslim hatred'. PMQs verdict: Far, far too easy for Cameron After the challenge of making small talk with Vladimir Putin and Angela Merkel, David Cameron found the Commons to be a complete doddle. The new Girl Guide Promise is wonderfully British Even without God and country, the new Girl Guide promise is a masterclass in the good bits of the British personality. Comment: Humble fashion advice for struggling politicians David Cameron made the G8 a 'tie-less' summit but publicity hungry politicians should stick with a full suit. Analysis: No short-term fixes to Britain's energy angst Since launching its 2008 energy supply probe, Ofgem has produced a series of 'remedies' aimed at trying to fix what it sees as an uncompetitive retail gas and electricity supply market. Comment: We need to fight Facebook's smut unilateralism Facebook happily hosts the softer end of 'smut', while equally happily removing pages dedicated to breastfeeding. We should be able to debate what smut gets blocked online. On the frontline in Istanbul: The view from Gezi park An eyewitness account of two remarkable weeks in Istanbul The political week onlineThe Political Week Online: Jeffrey Osborne, Naked Ramblers and the Tory Taliban The chancellor's soul singer look-a-like, the countryside's most reliable bottom and parliament's most reliable swivel-eyes. | BFAWU video: Why join our trade union? BFAWU: No more Bedroom Tax deathsBenefit Justice campaigners everywhere are sad and bitter at the heartbreaking death of Stephanie Bottrill. The Government's attack on benefits must not be allowed to kill another person. Britain’s Sexual Revolution - a talk by Dr Matt CookGalha, the LGBT section of the BHA presents a special meeting to mark the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia. NASUWT: Parents, teachers and the public rally for educationAs part of a campaign to defend the education of children and young people, parents, teachers, headteachers, governors and other members of the public will be taking part on Saturday (11 May) in the next series of Rallies for Education following the hugely successful events in the North West on 27 April. Voice calls on Nick Clegg to stand firm and block adult-child ratio changesVoice: the union for education professionals – which represents nursery staff and nannies – has welcomed reports that Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg will block changes to adult-child ratios in childcare. CIOB: Skills shortages still a concern for faltering construction industryResults from the 2013 skills audit from the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) indicate that the construction industry is still suffering from skills shortages. IET on Queen's Speech: Commitment needed for entire HS2 routeA lack of commitment from the Government for the entire route of the HS2 line means that this vital infrastructure project risks being developed in isolation, the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) has warned. NUT on Queen’s Speech: Many teachers "in despair"Commenting on today’s Queen’s Speech, setting out the programme of Government legislation, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers’ union, said: NASUWT on Queen's Speech: Mesothelioma bill welcomeCommenting on the announcement within the Queen’s Speech that the Government intends to bring forward a Mesothelioma Bill before Parliament, Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union said. “This announcement is welcome in that it is at least as sign that historic exposure to asbestos is at last being taken seriously." ESRC: How family conflict affects childrenNew research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) reveals why some children are badly affected by negative family conflicts while other children survive without significant problems. |
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