A comparison between the sharp, western-style suits of the latest crop of rising political stars in China and the frumpy Mao suits favoured by their predecessors gives some superficial indication of how different it is to be a Chinese Communist party official now compared with several decades ago.

True, party officials still do not have to impress the electorate, but for the mid-rank official looking for his or her next big break, a public gaffe or misstep in etiquette, especially on the international stage, could be politically costly.

The intricacies of diplomatic protocol, however, do not just come naturally.

So it was that in Hong Kong on Monday, about 20 Chinese officials responsible for overseas affairs squeezed into a crowded hotel function room to learn about The Five Keys to Protocol and Etiquette (Preparation, Presentation, Precedence, Communication and Respect), and other dos and don’ts in international diplomacy.

The lesson, the last of a week-long course organised by a private charity foundation, was taught by no ordinary instructor.

The person tasked with transforming these officials into Little Mr and Miss Manners was Laura Efurd, deputy assistant to former US president Bill Clinton.

Unsurprisingly, one of Efurd’s presentation slides instructs her students on the art of The Hug, as made famous by Clinton.

As well-intentioned as Efurd’s lesson is, one shudders to imagine armies of mainland officials roaming the globe and giving big, Clinton-esque hugs to their baffled counterparts.

Into the ground

Pierre-Karl Péladeau has relished reminding acquaintances that his birthday coincides with the anniversary of Marie Antoinette’s beheading.

The headstrong Quebecker may derive less pleasure from that fact given the blood left on the floor from Monday’s move by the Péladeau-controlled printing giant, Quebecor World, to file for bankruptcy protection.

Péladeau, 46, is a poster-child for the risks of passing management of a family business from father to son. His father, an equally colourful character, built a small Montreal newspaper and printing business into a media conglomerate, though still based mostly in Quebec.

The son has overseen a massive expansion over the past 15 years, mostly financed by debt. Quebecor gained its foothold in the US printing market through a deal with the late Robert Maxwell, the disgraced UK media tycoon.

But Pierre-Karl’s tenure has been marked by a succession of upheavals. The respected head of one cable-TV operator acquired by Quebecor remarked that Pierre-Karl’s motto seemed to be: “Fire all those who have experience.” Indeed, the printing group has run through six chief executives in 10 years.

Outsiders have also questioned the influence of Julie Snyder, a popular Quebec TV game-show host, who is Péladeau’s long-time girlfriend.

The Péladeaus’ holdings in Quebecor World – as well as the shares of every other investor – are now worthless.

Gamesmanship

Attempts by Hans-Gert Pöttering, the speaker of the European parliament, to bring a bit of order to the house have provoked a predictable backlash.

Avid readers will recall that Pöttering, a mild-mannered German federalist, has summoned a Gang of Fourteen dissident MEPs for a disciplinary hearing.

The eurosceptics last month disrupted the “solemn ceremony” of the signing of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, part of the Lisbon treaty, with a noisy protest calling for a referendum on the document, which gives the European Union new powers.

Now those in the Independence and Democracy group, clustered around the UK Independence party, have joined forces with dissident British Conservatives to try to wreck parliamentary business.

In an attempt to filibuster during last week’s full sitting in Strasbourg, they routinely demanded electronic votes rather than the usual show of hands to slow things down.

They also invoked their right to have a minute each to explain their vote. Not surprisingly, on every subject they said it was motivated by the lack of a referendum on Lisbon.

Pöttering, who has survived almost 30 years in the chamber, may be a match for them, however.

He gave them the chance to explain the vote – at 11pm. There were few takers. Some did manage to get an earlier time on Wednesday: during the lunch hour.

Now the “space cadets”, as the europhile MEPs who take an interest in constitutional issues are known, have entered the fray, muttering that each electronic vote costs the taxpayer at least €400.

Andrew Duff, the British Liberal MEP, has suggested a rule change. If there is “vexatious abuse” of a regulation, the speaker should suspend it for the session, he suggests.

Just imagine the debate over what constitutes “vexatious”.

Charming, too

Pöttering himself has a new nickname, at least during the next six months while Slovenia holds the rotating presidency of the EU.

Like many Slavic languages, endings of words, including names, are changed according to case in Slovene.

In the Delo newspaper last week he was described as Hansom Gertom Potteringom.