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The London office of Goldman Sachs is always a good place to spot slightly scary looking men in smart suits who are whispering down their sleeves. Usually these people are perfectly harmless traders. But one Monday morning in late March, even more of these characters than usual were to be found in the bank's swanky corridors. It wasn't "bring your secret service officer to work day", but because security had been beefed up for a visit from UK prime minister Tony Blair.
The bank invited senior staff, favoured clients and even a few respected competitors to hear Blair speak about the economy. The assembled captains of industry were probably expecting to hear crucial information about euro entry, pension scandals and senior executive pay packets ? three issues that pop up in the British press almost weekly.
They will have been disappointed. Blair talked about education, health and globalization, all of which are less directly related to the country's economy but nonetheless important.
And he drew on some interesting facts, such as that Goldman Sachs employs people from 66 nations.