Gordon hits Washington
On the show today: as Gordon Brown for talks with Barack Obama, we look at what the Prime Minister hopes to achieve in his half-hour White House chat with the President. Mr Brown has been busy talking up his plans for a 'Grand Global Bargain' which he hopes will be agreed at a special summit of 20 world leaders in London next month. Today's discussions with Mr Obama are seen as smoothing the path to an agreement which will take in reform of the IMF and World Bank, greater global regulation, further 'fiscal stimuli' and measures against protectionism.
But nobody is sure if the President will pay more than lip service to any of this -- given his domestic woes -- and Downing Street is already in a tizz over reports that Mr Obama won't even do a joint press conference with the PM after their meeting. Indeed Mr Brown isn't even being given lunch. Three thousand miles is a long way to go for 30 minutes with the president but Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, whose poll ratings are even worse than Mr Brown's, got the same Obama-lite treatment. This is what the Japan Times had to say:
"Some analysts said the hidden message from Washington was that, while it recognizes the importance of maintaining the strong alliance with Japan to rebuild the global economy and deal with Afghanistan and , it is also fully aware that mounting pressures may force Aso out of power soon."
We'll see if the Brown trip produces similar sort of comment and we'll hear today from Mr Brown's former Trade Minister Digby Jones.
Also today, just (or Private Finance Initiative) schemes? There are plenty of reports this morning that the Treasury will announce a £2bn bailout of schemes to build hospitals and widen roads - because the private companies involved have run out of money.
We'll discuss whether aid to developing countries helps or hinders with writer and economist .
And the British Medical Association is warning being passed to insurance and research companies - we'll try to get to the bottom of their concerns.
All that from noon on Ö÷²¥´óÐã2.
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