Candidates for what is arguably the EU’s top job (President of the Commission) are jostling for position. Even with one foot out the door, the UK should pay attention. Politicians govern in prose but they campaign in poetry. Before November and during the next stage of UK-EU negotiations, potential Presidents will set out their wares with sometimes real-world effect. The tech industry, for example, now has 1.5bn new reasons to get to grips with Margrethe Vestager’s manifesto after the would-be successor to Juncker fined Google. UK negotiators must understand their opponents’ motives from April.