Well, well, well

Who'd have thought it? Just as Blair thought he was standing alone against the massed hordes, a Valkyrie rides to the rescue. Merkel may not be Germany's leader yet, but she's the strongest contender - and by admitting that Britain's budget rebate should only be reconsidered in the context of a whole EU budget review, she's just become the Cabinet's best pal in Berlin. Could this mark the start of something many EU wonks have been wondering about for a while - a British-German alliance at the heart of Europe, rather than a French jockey riding the German horse?
In addition, it's looking like Chirac's efforts to portray Britain as the Constitution wreckers haven't worked - the French public have seen through it, and the EU's leaders have quietly laid the tome to rest. ("For review within two years" translates as "dead as a doughnut.")
Credit where credit's due: Blair's made the best of a very tough EU meeting. And boding well for the UK presidency next month.