You can say this for the European Union, it never misses a chance to disappoint. The first EU president is a Belgium Prime Minister who is obscure even by Belgium standards and its first foreign minister is a Brit who would be treated as a joke if they had been made Foreign Secretary.
From a British political point of view, Brown will be able to take credit for getting the foreign minister post for a Brit. But the price he has had to pay for this is accepting a federalist who believes in EU wide taxes as president.
Thinking from a Tory perspective, Van Rompuy is both an opportunity and a problem. He is an opportunity in that he makes the case for renegotiation, if this is the direction Europe is going we need opt-outs and safeguards. He is a problem in that his actions and views are likely to make Europe an issue when the leadership would rather park it for a while.
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