Thoughts on Tony Blair's Departure

So our esteemed, beloved, reviled leader [delete as applicable] has announced his resignation. I refer of course to Prime Minister Tony Blair. This is as much of a surprise to everyone as it is to see day follow night and in a matter of a few weeks, after a leadership election worthy of the salad days of the USSR, the Chancellor, Gordon Brown, will be the new Prime Minister!

Now I don't want you to get the impression I'm being cynical about this whole process; we here in the UK, have known this was going to happen ever since Blair announced some two years ago, after the last election in 2005, that he would stand down before the next one. All that has changed is that he has been given that little shove towards the exit door sooner than expected.

I, for one, will be sorry to see him go. Ok, he has become a figure of hatred for some over his stance on the Iraq War and has been Poodleised by some for standing 'Shoulder to shoulder ...' with the US on the Iraq War and the War Against Terror. But he has, in my opinion, been one of the better if not great leaders of this country.

I remember well the Thatcher years and the 18 years of Tory (Conservative) rule. Britain used to lead the world, or at least was up there with the best, in terms of the manufacturing and engineering industries, but under Thatcher, this was all but destroyed in her warped vision of a better society. I recall, during the Miner's Strike of the early 80's, being stopped by the Police on my way to University so they could check I wasn't hiding any Flying Pickets in my car - the union activists I mean and not the 80's Acapella group!

The last thing I want to see is David Cameron, the Eton educated leader of the Tories - who reminds me of Sir Hiss in Disney's Robin Hood - becoming Prime Minister at the next election because, whatever the Tories may say, they are still the same party at heart that Thatcher led in the 80's.

So, Blair's departure was a necessary step to ensure the re-election of Labour come the next election and save us from the Right Wing resurgence. For my part, I am somewhat sanguine about the outcome of the next election though; taking the stats for the last one, Blair and the Labour party won that election on the lowest popular vote since universal franchise, or something like that. But that's the benefit of living in a democracy: to exercise your right to vote, or not. I think it was Thomas Jefferson who is reputed to have said, "In a democracy the people get [or, elect] the leaders they deserve."