"Prodi declines Putin's offer of top post at South Stream"

Gerard Batten MEP (UKIP, London) is known to have called for an inquiry into Alexander Litvinenko's allegations that "Italian Prime Minister and former President of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, had been the KGB's man in Italy."

Hmm. I filed that factoid away under 'conspiracy theory' when I first read it.

But what do we read in today's FT?* Why on earth would a natural gas company want to employ a 68 year old failed life-long politician? Alan Duncan MP or Dr Vince Cable MP**, sure, they know about this stuff. But Romano Prodi? WTF does he know about oil or gas pipelines?

That Gerhard Schröder was Moscow's Man In Berlin*** is well known, also that he did not, repeat not, dye his hair black while Bundezkanzler (and he will sue your arse off if you suggest otherwise).

* The post title is taken from the print version.

** Is he a politician turned oil-man turned politician, or oil-man turned politician?

*** Obviously, he started life as Moscow's Man In Bonn, but that doesn't sound as menacing, somehow...