"Governments are already signalling that it is dead in the water.
By reverting to gestures, British politicians are already signalling strategic disengagement with Europe's migration crisis, which itself is feeding in to the negative popular perception of the EU.
Public-sector trade union leaders are already signalling implacable opposition to job cuts they see as driven wholly by political expediency.
Iran is already signalling its readiness to help Saudi Arabia make the necessary transition, as the latest appointment of Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani – well known to King Abdullah for his earlier mediation – as national security adviser clearly signals.
As I understand it, countries that defaulted in the past were almost always downgraded well before the default happened; but in all such cases, the markets were already signalling big trouble before the rating agencies moved.
Ostrikov's mistake, which came after probably the best move of the first half – a clever lineout from Beaumont and Tommy Taylor setting up a swooping move which almost got Mark Cueto home – was not that expensive either, the referee already signalling the penalty, which Cipriani landed.
