This placed Mr. Arafat in difficulty with some segments of hisownside, not to mention Arab states that have no interest in a final peace between Palestinians and Israel.
When he joined the race for Speaker, he was thought to have the backing of many Labour MPs - but it was thought by many pundits that he may not have been popular enough with hisownside to stand a chance.
While the recession was paramount, the economic literacy he accrued in his decade as chancellor marked him out not only from Mr Cameron but also from rivals on hisownside.
General Musharraf may not have a coalition to worry about, but he certainly has two powerful and in practice not entirely distinct groups to keep on the right side of: hisown fellow-officers, and the jihadis, who even before they heard of the collapse of the summit were threatening a return to war.