The wonder that was Blair

To wistful Labour supporters, watching the five-hour documentary series about Blair and Brown has been a strange blend of pleasure and pain. Winning elections? Remember that? But then to see how much potential and goodwill was frittered away on macho rivalry and trivial disputes.

They have this deal, and Tony knows he ought to give way - but then there’s his transformation agenda, which only he fully understands, so he has to stay on for as long as possible, because he’s the only one who can do it. And it is, of course, nothing to do with the Labour Party, or the cabinet - it’s just what Tony knows is right. But it involves fragmenting education and the NHS to give as much room as possible for choice - i.e. private profit.

And that’s what got us into the Iraq War, about which he’s still sure he was right. The nearest he’ll get to any sign of a rethink is his wondering amazement that Saddam’s dictatorship was holding together a country riven by religious factions, which without him might implode in sectarian violence. Well, who knew? Quite a lot of people, actually, who’d done the groundwork of learning about the area, knowing the history and talking to people who lived in it. But Tony didn’t have time for any of that. He knew he was right, so he just trusted his gut.