Predictable wails of anguish emerged on Friday from some European capitals – and especially in London – after the distribution of portfolios in the next European Commission.
José Manuel Barroso, the Commission president, produced his line-up as swiftly as he decently could, after days of being bombarded with calls from assorted heads of state and government. Rumour has it that President Nicolas Sarkozy of France rang him several times – once from Brazil – while Gordon Brown, the UK premier, bent his ear “at least twice” in recent days.
