Don’t be silly

Sometimes, a little cheesiness is a good thing. This year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit host, Japan, has decided to do away with the ritual “silly shirt” photo featuring leaders in local attire such as kimonos, batik shirts and ponchos. It may be a wise sartorial decision, but it strips more character off a body already so characterless that a former Australian minister once described it as “four adjectives in search of a noun”. In ordinary attire, Apec leaders will now be yet another posse of statesmen at yet another summit.