Gordon Brown now wants us to judge the G20 against “five tests”. If there is any common theme to his new yardstick for success, it is that the tests are almost impossible to measure or oppose. Who would be against restoring growth in emerging market economies? Or support a dirty banking system that escaped a regulatory “clean up”?

All this is noticeably different in tone from Brown’s rhetoric a couple of months ago. British officials have always been sheepish about setting precise goals or discussing the type of trade-offs that would be required. So you can imagine how they felt as their prime minister did some serious, and very public, stargazing. Read more