Time to go Tony

Is there a less than edifying sight, than seeing someone in a position of power or responsibility clearly not taking the hint that it is time to depart - oblivious to fact that they have lost the trust of those close and more importantly to those that they serve.

For the past few months the rumblings of dissent and a timetable for his removal/resignation have been a convenient distraction for Tony Blair, from the business of government both domestically and abroad.

It is clear now that Tony Blair has outstayed his welcome as PM. The arrogance and the gall of the man is hard to take. He’s a PM who is clearly hanging on for some last year lap of honour/dishonour (depending on what you opinions might be). He has even lined up heavyweight interviews with Chris Evans and Lorraine Kelly – to pronounce his achievements!

He talks about his legacy and how he’ll be remembered. There is a desire to be remembered in the pantheon of great Prime Ministers but his minimal successes at home have been discredited by the cosying up to a despotic American leader, whose policies, in tackling the War on Terror have brought on the increase in terrorist atrocities all over the world.

Blair knows he’ll be remembered as BLIAR - the man who took this country into a war on the back of a Neo-Con agenda on the spurious claims of WMD. Claims based on the spin that has been prevalent throughout his administration and the spin that ultimately led to the death of David Kelly, the unwitting victim, in the government trying to win the hearts and minds of the public with a discredited agenda.

Given that his departure will take place sometime in the future, what makes last week so bad is the that fact that the battle to be Prime Minister or leader of the party won’t be an ideological battle but a battle of the careerists who make up the modern day Labour Party. They have no clear idea of how to shape the future.

At least Blair had a vision – a watered down version of Thatcherism. All we’ll get in the future is a watered down Blairism or Gordon Brown’s own brand, which at least has some foundation in the ethos of the Labour movement.

Last week, the Party was ‘rocked’ by the resignation of eight junior ministers, but the other careerists have clung on to see what they will get out of it when the Blarites and Brownites lock horns at a later date.

It is clearly time to go or else David Cameron – Blair-lite waits in the background. A politician with as much substance as Casper The Ghost and whose whole idea is aping the early days of Blair – he’ll probably be getting the Spice Girls to reform so he can ride on the crest of Cool Britannia II.

It’s time to go Tony…and take that numptie Prescott with you too.