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G8 leaders and their partners make a toast at the G8 dinner, Toyako, Hokkaido So, what did Gordon Brown do that meant his Japanese hosts at the G8 summit placed him at the far end of the table? Probably nothing. Someone has to sit there, and everyone present is usually very keen to get these grisly events over and go to bed. True, Brown (9) was only one space from George Bush (11), probably because they both speak a version of English. So do José Manuel Barroso, the EU's man (8), and Angela Merkel, seated opposite the British PM (7). Despite the hovering presence of interpreters the host state tries to seat VIPs and their wives near people they can converse with unaided. But we all know how hard it would be, especially for an essentially small-talk-free zone such as Brown to engage Bush across someone else's lap, in this case... [read full story]
