When Tony Blair decided to hold a special European Union summit on the future of the European economy in late October, he never thought that Germany would be represented by Gerhard Schr?der, the outgoing German chancellor. The British prime minister?s political calculation had been that Angela Merkel, the leader of the Christian Democrats, would have been firmly installed in the Berlin chancellory by that time.

With the help of the liberal Ms Merkel, the British calculated that they would be in a good position to relaunch the European economic debate. As it happens, the changeover in Germany is taking a little while longer. The real problem is not Mr Schr?der?s presence at the summit, but his seeming determination to disrupt the British agenda. Last week, when he announced his decision to quit politics in November, he said Anglo-Saxon capitalism held no lessons for Europe. Many continental Europeans happen to agree with him and some of them will also be sitting at the table at the Hampton Court summit.