Things can only get better...Rt Hon Tony Blair MP

Today, the Prime Minister announced his decision to resign as Leader of the Labour Party and his intention to tender his resignation to the Queen on June 27.

What will Blair be remembered for?

His commitment to peace in Northern Ireland.

His oversight of a continued period of growth within the British economy.

The introduction of the National Minimum Wage.

The expulsion of the Hereditary Peers from the House of Lords.

The return of democracy to Scotland and Wales.

The civil partnership act.

The handling of the death of the Princess of Wales.



The war in Iraq.

Massive investment in Education, but cuts to budget in Northern Ireland.



The dossier describing Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.



Attacks on public services, nurses with no jobs, too many doctors in training. The crisis in the National Health Service.



Blair likes to remind us about the Winter Fuel Payments, which was £50 in 1997 and £300 in 2007. Yet £110 would have bought 1,100 litres of fuel in 1997 whereas it would cost in excess of £400 today. You might get more but it buys you less.


Tony has been a good Prime Minister but at times it has seemed like style over substance.

This selection of photos are a reminder of his journey. The first taken of the Blairs arriving at No 10 in 1997, the second when he announced the birth of his son (the first time a Prime Minister became a father in decades) and the last on his way to PMQ's on 9 May 2007.

What next? The dour Gordon Brown. It will be a different and dull time.

If only Northern Ireland had a politican of skill like Blair, outside of Cuba I don't know of any country which has a Octogenarian Leader.

Things can only get better........