Wednesday, June 19, 2013

G8 Leaders Under a Black Cloud

Via New York Magazine:

 ENNISKILLEN, NORTHERN IRELAND - JUNE 18:  (L-R) President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Russia's President Vladimir Putin, Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron, US President Barack Obama, French President Francois Hollande, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta and European Council President Herman Van Rumpuy, arrive for the 'family' group photograph at the G8 venue of Lough Erne on June 18, 2013 in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland. The two day G8 summit, hosted by UK Prime Minister David Cameron, is being held in Northern Ireland for the first time. Leaders from the G8 nations have gathered to discuss numerous topics with the situation in Syria expected to dominate the talks.  (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
They apparently brought the cloud with them as it wasn't there when they came out to prove they can't even wave in unison:

G8 leaders line up for a photocall
No sun: this is a wonderfully Northern Irish image – the kind that makes you pine for ... the south of France. 
No wonder Hollande (1) looks as if he wishes he were somewhere else. The blokes at the ends: could be greenkeepers, or José Manuel Barroso (2) and Herman van Rompuy (3): the EU bureaucrats who always get invited to these things, then made to stand at the end of the line looking silly. To wave or not to wave? My guess is Obama (4) waved first, Cameron (5) and Putin (6) followed him, but Merkel (7) looked the other way. Japanese PM Shinzo Abe (8) seems to have misinterpreted smart casual. Grey trousers and deck shoes? A bit too informal.
Oh, and if you're wondering, the other two are Canadian PM Stephen Harper (9) and Italian PM Enrico Letta (10).
Here's another version: