Foreign affair gives rise to Biffo Dynasty

THEY met near the Temple of Heaven, for Brian Cowen it was an encounter worth flying halfway across the globe for, for his Chinese host it was just another diplomatic speed date.

The dramatic Stalinist-style grandeur of the Great Hall of the People was the suitably imposing setting for Mr Cowen’s allotted 20-minute audience with the Red Emperor, Wen Jiabao, squeezed in between visiting premiers from Singapore and the Netherlands.

As the day unfolded it would showcase the two contrasting sides of Mr Cowen’s perplexing political character — the statesman and the grump, unfortunately for the Chinese leader he got the grump.