Needed: something to shake this summit up

Just off the PM’s plane in sunny Rome.

Brown relaxed and on good form. The worst month of his premiership behind him? Though of course this could be his last G8, with election next year.

Downing St is seemingly determined to combat any sense of complacency that the worst of recession is over and wants G8 to send message to oil producers not to get greedy and choke off growth.

Will there still be tremors when our bus gets to earthquake zone? A BBC colleague says the Beeb has offered him this advice: if you are in bed during an earthquake, stay there, only put a pillow over your head.

Let’s hope the G8 exceeds expectations, as there is already an impending sense that the appearance of progress on climate change and helping Africa will matter more than progress itself.

I know earthquakes are terrible things, but we could do with something – new photos of goings on at Berlusconi”s villa perhaps? – to shake this summit up.