Jan 17

　　It takes a lot for an Englishman to speak French in public. Yet Tony Blair, who has made a habit of it, did it again on January 12th, delivering a speech in praise of reform and European unity to members of France's centre-right ruling party—all in respectable French. Commentators argued that only one prize could explain why the former British prime minister (and nominally centre-left politician) put himself through the ordeal. At the meeting, President Nicolas Sarkozy gave explicit backing to Mr Blair to become the European Union's first full-time president.

　　Under the new Lisbon treaty, the EU's 27 members will be represented by a single figure, serving for two-and-a-half years. That replaces the system which sees countries take it in turns to chair EU meetings for six months. Hailing his guest as one of Europe's “great men”, Mr Sarkozy called on Europe to “aim high”, and not settle for a compromise figure. That certainly sounded like an endorsement.

　　Mr Sarkozy hopes the new chief will be chosen late this year, when France holds the club's rotating presidency. But that can happen only if the treaty is ratified by all 27 members during 2008. Just as likely, the president will be chosen in a horse-trading marathon in 2009, which will also pick a head of the European Commission (roughly, the EU's bureaucracy) and a new foreign-policy chief.