The best Blair can hope for is that the real bloodbath within the Labour Party happens after he leaves #10 rather than before. Having explicitly modeled his political career in so many ways on Lady Thatcher's, he shouldn't be too surprised if it came to the same of messy end--at the hands of supposed "allies"--as hers did.

But even if he does avoid that fate, it's still "apres moi, le deluge." Despite the longstanding conventional wisdom about a smooth succession for Gordon Brown, there are plenty of Labour MP's itching for a leadership fight. I'd still bet heavily on Brown to get through, but he'll be badly beat up before he ever fights his first general election as PM. If the Tories then manage a majority or even merely a plurality in England, with Labour (or, even worse, a Labour-Lib Dem coalition) staying in power solely on the votes of Scottish and Welsh MP's, and Brown representing a Scottish seat, then you'll see a real constitutional crisis as well.

Tony Blair did an amazingly good of suspending British "politics as usual" for as long as he did, but things are now getting much more interesting.

You do a disservice to Urquehart.

I know he is a big lefty, But for all the support Blair gave us, I would love to shake his hand and buy him a beer. I would probably spit on all the other euro trash leaders. (Was that too harsh?)

I am thrilled that there are other FU fans out there!

You might think that. I couldn't possibly comment.

'Nothing lasts forever...'
Perhaps we will see Cherie morph into a Lady Macbeth/Elizabeth Urquhart and cull 'our Tone' before he is pushed. Here's hoping!

Tony Blair a 'big leftie'?! What next - Margaret Thatcher 'very moderate'?

Perhaps we should get Ian Richardson to be the next PM. Imagine FU dealing with George W! That's one conversation I'd like to see...