Ministry for higher powers
Gordon Brown vs. The Pope
Gordon Brown has always had a reputation for being a little grumpy. Recently, though, Westmonster suspects that the black cloud hovering above his head has flourished into a full-on Perfect Storm. Nothing is going right for the man. Not only are nine out of ten political insiders claiming him to be an electoral liability, but now his much-heralded trip to the USA has stumbled into trouble too.
Why? Because a certain other gentleman is visiting the States at the same time. We'll give you a clue: a religious fundamentalist, tough on abortion and homosexuality, never less than controversial. No, not Abu Hamza. We're talking about Pope Benedict XVI.
What with the head of the Catholic Church swinging by the nation, no-one seems to care about poor old Gord. His visit hasn't received a single mention in either the New York Times or the Washington Post, while the Pope's journey has been a column-grabbing hot topic for days now.
Most embarrassing of all is that - like a badly-organised dinner party - certain functions are clashing with each other. On Friday Brown is all set to make a big speech on foreign policy, in which he'll put forward new ideas for how to restructure the UN. The Pope, meanwhile, will be addressing the UN itself, leaving Gordon whistling in the wind to a disinterested non-audience.
Still. If you think the British PM feels bad about this, spare a thought for South Korean president Lee Myung-bak, jetting into town on Friday with all the fanfare of a tourist arriving at Disneyworld. You'd think - in the most powerful nation on Earth - that someone will be able to figure out how to use a diary properly ...
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