So Tony Blair has gone

And boy am I pleased.

It was quite correct for David Cameron to be complimentary to Tony Blair yesterday at Prime Ministers Questions. Love him or loath him Tony Blair was one of the best political communicators there has been in modern times. I was never convinced by his sincerity but all to many were.

He is quick witted, humorous and I have no doubt would make good company on a long journey.

He is gone now, as as David Milliband said, "people will be saying 'wouldn't it be great to have that Blair back because we can't stand that Gordon Brown."

And yes they will. I am so pleased Tony has gone because it will make the Conservative party's job of winning the next election a bit easier.

That said Gordon Brown is no walk over, he is a political operator of some skill, quote possibly one of the best. He can play all sorts of games and stymie internal opposition like no other, hence being elected unopposed. However he is nothing like as electable as Tony Blair and will not appeal to the general public as well.

I do wish Tony Blair well on his mission in the Middle East. Regrettably the best way of telling if an international envoy is making some progress is how many assassination attempts there are on them.