So here it is. The day that Brown has been banging on about for the past few months; the day of the London Summit. And how are things looking? Slightly uncertain, I’d say. Despite weeks of behind-the-scenes negotiations, tensions remain, and there’s not enough of a consensus to suggest that all is done and dusted. This was made abundantly clear by Angela Merkel and Nicholas Sarkozy’s joint press conference yesterday – a bold and telling sign that the Franco-German contingent isn’t all that happy with les Anglo-Saxons. According to the FT, Downing Street has been trying – frantically, one imagines – to broker a deal overnight. But, even so, it seems Brown has got to make some concessions today or change some minds. And all in 4 hours and 35 minutes.
What if he can’t manage it? What if Sarkozy makes good on his threats to walk out and drag the whole thing into chaos? Myself, I don’t think the French President will go so far.
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