Treaty takes unassailable position

There is a boat called Treaty of Rome outside the Justus Lipsius building of the Council of Ministers this week. It belongs to the Sail for Europe organisation that aims to “promote the European Union through the medium of sail”. Robert Madelin, the European Commission's director-general for health and consumer protection, said at a European Voice conference on Monday (20 March) that the boat was “a good metaphor for our work together – we are all ‘in the same boat' in many ways and it is up to us to chart the course”. Looked at another way, the boat is aground and has no wind in its sails. Take your choice.