Just as in america, foreign policy posturing is not about actually doing anything useful for the good of the country. After all, the payoff is too long to be useful in an electoral cycle, so the actual nitty gritty and detail is meaningless.

No, foreign policy declarations are all about domestic populism. So why would Gordon brown, a failed leader facing a hyper-active foreign secretary openly campaigning to replace him, want to start talking about foreign policy ? Especially on a weekend where he faced a direct confrontation from his chancellor about the success of his policies, the economy being his specialist subject.

He needed to make a splash, he's a notorious control freak and events have been slipping beyond his grasp. So he makes a huge announcement to re-establish his coentrality in determining the direction of Government. The only useful audience for this essay face him every week over the Cabinet table. He might as well have pushed a cream bun in Milliband's face and said "I'm back and I'm in charge and never forget it, ya traitorous bastid".

So, realistically, whilst everything you write is correct, it's kinda beside the point. This isn't policy, this isn't about what he'll do cos he and we know reality is more...flexible. He's just pissing on some Downing street lamposts.

Ignore him. If there's any justice he'll be gone before xmas, and definitely sometime before June 2010. and Putin and Medvedev will still be in moscow and gas will still flow to W Europe and all of our esteemed leaders will find other reasons to jump up and down and pretend they are masters of our destinies.

keep to the Fen Causeway