Skipper

After the blood letting of the autumn I thought it would have quietened those calling for Blair to go right now and not wait for the decent interval which seemed to have been agreed. But the loans for peerages interview with Inspector Knacker of the Yard has brought out a few more such calls out of the woodwork.

Jackie Ashley is often characterized a member of the Brown camp and maybe, just, this is what prompts her suggestion. She rehearses the infamy of buying or selling seats in the legislature and suggests the resultant vacuum of authority is now so bad that Tony should pack up his bags and, in effect, help Gordon move into Number 10 at once. She may be right, and expect more such clarion calls, but I don't think that in any way it will happen. Nor should it.

All this about Blair was rolled out and inspected in damaging detail last September. The interview was damaging, of course, but he has not been charged and the offence is one of which all PMs have been guilty since Robert Walpole. He is also engaged in an unseemly frenetic and unproductive last minute dash around the world to scare up a legacy of which he can be proud. That is to be expected too, given his passion of 'making a difference' so let him get on with it and stand down as it seems was agreed, in late spring- early summer.