Skipper

Tom Bower's biography of Gordon Brown, makes many points about the character of the man: the energy, the drive for perfection, the precocious intellect, the towering ambition and so on. But he also talks of the indecision and the lack of bottle when big questions arrive on his desk. The indecision over the November election was a catastrophe from which he has yet to recover but we read today of his half hearted attitude towards the Lisbon Treaty which some see as the old rejected draft constitution in another form, others as the necessary streamlining which the EU needs now it has 27 members.

Brown has decided to sign it but has baulked at joining in the ceremony; instead he will sign it in private! Apparently Merkel and Barosso are in 'despair' at his dithering. One diplomat quoted reckoned he had copped the worst of both worlds:

"To anti-Europeans he's simply run away and accepted the signing of the treaty, to pro-Europeans he has simply refused to stand his ground and fight, and for the rest he has opted out.His reputation in Europe among heads of government is hanging by a thread. He has no position in Europe, he occupies no ground. If he wants to send a Euro-signal that he's indecisive, he's just sent it."

William Hague was offered an open goal:

The shadow foreign secretary, said last night: "Some people say Gordon Brown's problems are that he isn't decisive and he lacks political courage. He couldn't have done more to confirm that than this ridiculous fudge. He's dithered over it for a week and now he decided that he'll sign this treaty but he doesn't have the guts to do it in public."

Number 10's spokesman avowed that Brown was 'incredulous' that this decision was dominating the talk at Lisbon, which if true, is perhaps, even more worrying.