Guardian: Angela Merkel arrived in Brussels last night a lonely figure. For years, German chancellors have been consensual participants at EU summits, drawing on Germany’s formidable status as the paymaster of Europe and the powerhouse of its economy. Not any more. The pastor’s daughter from east Germany suddenly finds herself isolated on the biggest issues of the times – economic gloom and global warming. She is out of step with her partners on Nato expansion and Afghanistan. She disagrees …