It is political appointment season in the European Union. José Manuel Barroso is fighting for a second term as president of the European Commission. Tony Blair, meanwhile, has emerged as the front-runner for the yet-to-be-created job as the first permanent president of the European Council. I can see why some might want Mr Barroso or Mr Blair in those roles. After all, the EU has a history of strange appointments. What I just cannot see is how anybody in their right mind could opt for the two simultaneously.

Mr Blair’s chances look much better than is widely believed. The UK backs him. Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, would probably add his support, as would Silvio Berlusconi and José Luis Zapatero, the prime ministers of Italy and Spain. Mr Blair is popular in large parts of central and eastern Europe, and in Europe’s northern and western fringes. There are dissenters but Mr Blair would only require a qualified majority under the Lisbon treaty, which needs to be ratified before this job can exist. If it is, nobody will have a veto here.