Blair has been a truly great Prime Minister of this country - I miss him already.

Brown or Cameron will never be thought of as highly as Blair.

James, Manchester, UK

Iraq,unfettered immigration of the good the bad and the indifferent,Destruction of final salary pension schemes(but not his),i1st nail in the coffin of the United Kingdom with the devolution debacle,Billions poured into public services with little or no gain,cash for honours,total surrender of the Police to the PC mafia and finally a permanent state of war with his chancellor which left the country at the mercy of two power bases indulging in internecine political warfare at the expense of the nations wellbeing.Blair was an absolute disaster for this country.

Philip, Ipswich,

Well, when financial and moral corruption, and war-mongering, are regarded as achievements...

Julia Iskandar, London, England

I'm so pleased to be reading these comments! Blair was a great man and a great primiister; one of our finest. He will be sorely missed.

Is it sinking in yet? Horrible

Henrietta Forbes Hamilton, London, UK

Anti-Labour bias from the media? The hostility of the press to John Major's government in the 90s would suggest that the press is even handed in its criticism of egocentric politicians. Blair's legacy is spin and more spin, which he will continue to do until his last day in office. Why doesn't he just shut up and go - we have all had enough of him.

t cullen, Rayleigh,

Any Labour Prime Minister who can survive the Parliamentary Opposition , the opposition from within the Labour Party and the vagueries of Cherie should be congratulated not condemned,

grant watt, Glenning Valley, australia

I have been dusgysted by the churlish response by the UK media to the huge achievement of the settlement of affairs in Ireland, a nightmare that bedevilled every British Prime Minister in the 19th and 20th centuries. Their omission could be called spin doctoring - but by the media.

As Jeffery Archer said when he came here some weeks ago, I hope the Labour Party knows what it's doing.

Jean Abbey, Sydney NSW, Australia

I find myself wondering if the article is the product of Labour spin and if most of the supportive comments are orchestrated by the Labour party.
Such is Blair's legacy to UK politics.

jasper, chelmsford,

Really great guy. I am impressed, and he only reinforces the relationship and kin-ness we Americans oldly feel about Britian. He was a Foreign Policy asset for you, just being himself. Revisit this in 50 years and you will know what I am talking about.

SJ, South Bend, USA

I concur with the article.

Any man/woman in the the shoes of the Prime Minister has taken on, quite possibly, the most difficult job in the world. Being yanked across the Atlantic while at the same time being pulled across the English Channel as well as dealing with his critics at home.

I believe Mr Blair will leave a legacy any Premier will be proud of, however, I do also acknowledge that he has been quite contreversial during his 10yrs as leader.

Well done Tony Blair, I wish you all the best in the future.

Nilesh, Bangkok, Thailand

If Mr. Blair had lived up to his best speeches, he would have been a very great Prime Minister. As it was, we have had ten years of busy, busy, busy mess after mess after mess (except in the management of the economy). It is an overdue but very great relief to see him moving out of flailing about trying to produce results, and into the role of an elder statesman who inspires with speeches that bring ideas and concepts into focus. Unless he actually gets convicted for selling honours (which I judge is very unlikely) he has a great future before him; as well as an admirable wife at his side.

David Heigham, Madrid, Spain

We talking about the same guy, here?

Andrew Milner, Karuizawa, Nagano

Ten years at No. 10 is, indeed a true achievement, and worthy of note. But let us not lose sight of the fact that in 1997 New Labour totally confused British Politics. For the first two years of administration, the Chancellor maintained the previous Tory fiscal policy. This had the effect of moving the party into a more central area of the political spectrum. By succeeding with this massive gamble, without loosing too much support, it was able to muster enough "new supporters" form the other two parties to compensate for the loss of the "die-hard" left, who had turned their backs on the Blair / Brown model.

In the meantime Tories tried many subtle shifts to both right of centre and now erring back towards centre. Lib Dems were always centre in the policy stakes, but were sharing the ground with a now, very polished, Labour Party.

The overall effect of this was to foster apathy, and is the reason that we currently have a government voted in by only 22% of the electorate.

Michael J. Nye, Colnbrook, Slough, U.K.

As a Brit living abroad what is telling from these comments on Blair's premiership is the vast support overseas and the vast disappointment at home. Thatcher experienced a similar reaction - highyl unpopular at home but seen abroad as a visionary and a strong leader. Well Thatcher's ideas outlasted her detractors - she is now copied throughout the EU, west and east - even now by France. My guess if Blair will be appreciated more with time - like a good wine. The domestic dust will settle. The big questions is, If one day a nuclear bomb ends up in the hands of the enemy will his actions have hastened or delayed this ?

andy anderson, rousse, bulgaria

For me, the situation for low-paid families sums up what is wrong on so many levels with this government: How can it be better to tax these people more, and then require them to fill in a form (several pages long) so that they can reclaim a tax credit, and then have to inform the administrators (yet thousands more public servants required) should their situation change? I thought that the PAYE system was supposed to do that automatically? No tax system can be truly fair to every situation, but can it be fair to anyone that we are ALL paying for such complications to the system?

It is this house of cards on which our economic “growth” has been built: the massive increase in the number of public sector jobs has ensured that unemployment has stayed low and the economy has not dipped into recession as everyone keeps spending their way into debt. All this has been funded by the taxes on our pension funds, which at a stroke made all of these schemes loss-making. We'll all pay for that now!

Karl, Henley, UK

He was dammed when he acted and dammed when he failed to act.
All of this is thanks to a lack of an effective opposition party,leaving the media and press to promote questions and debate his government.
Its not surprising that after ten years of this nonsense this silverback has found it so easy to turn his rump to the tribe and go away for a change of scene.
All the best to the man !!!! and I hope he will continue to impact from afar for the interests of this Country.
As for us....."we know not what we had until we lost it through our own stupidity"

Denis Tighe, Glenrothes, UK

It is good to see more support for Blair. This debate is indeed a great example of how our country has advanced. It is fairness and equal opportunities that allow this - not a "banana republic". People like Sorab, who are (no offence) obviously either foreign or second/third generation foreign (as I am), can have a voice, and furthermore respect what Blair has done. That would have been impossible under a hypocratic Thatcher government. Incidentally, why no criticism of the Falklands - we don't have any right to own them, and yet we fight for them.

Ben, York,

Chris from London, I will assume you are a non Labour voter and that when Major took over from Thatcher you were of the same opinion then. However, memories are short and you probably hadn't thought back to that situation.

David Leslie, Perth, Scotland

I agree with the tone of most of the article. I find Blair's case similar to Clinton: a smart, pragmatic president who did an excellent job, burned out in terms of domestic opinion towards the end of his term in office. And then look at what came after him (both in terms of leadership and in terms of the team of collaborators around him). In my opinion, Blair has been the most decent leader Europe has had in the past decade-and he has shortcomings, of course, as everybody else. But his moderate mixture of pragmatism and vision has been unique. We need more leaders like Blair, not just for Britain, but for Europe too.

Jose Maria, Granada,

Bravo! We generally are bad at praise in Britain. Blair showed us that centre right economy can still be progressive. 10 years of Labour led to a ban on handguns, the minimum wage, more gay equality, civil partnerships, measurably more buses and schools, the first black cabinet minister, ending the reign of the Taliban and for preventing a genocide in Kosovo and Sierra Leone. I am so proud of Blair and Britain

Sorab Shroff, London,

While all your observations may well be true, one just can't get past the feeling that we've been had. Blair has sold the family silver and much of British treasure store of goodwill to finance his high class version of keeping up with the Joneses, i.e. the Bushes. Britain may not have had as much as its wealthier American cousins, but it had a high reputation worldwide, remarkably even among the majority former colonial countries. Blair frittered much of that away to pay for his relationship with Bush. We still don't know why, or what our country got in return. His profligate waste of Britain's reputation will never be forgiven. The Queen's dignified demeanour in America should provide a template for Brown and any future British Prime Minster. The Queen never got carried away for one instant by American flattery and flummery. She ignored Bushes War on Terror rap, paid recognition to the special relationship while keeping the interests of Britain left and right, front and center.

Exo, New York, New York

This piece from Alice Miles is welcome. The Times bears its share of responsibility for shaping the opinions expressed in its interminable polls. With a few exceptions, including Miles, Aaronovitch and an invariably fair first leader writer, most of its columnists betray a degree of prejudice, disrespect and personal animus towards the Prime Minister that is unworthy of talented writers and honest commentators. To those who admire Mr. Blair and many of his achievements, the vituperations of the likes of Matthew Parris are offensive and diminish his stature as a responsible journalist. Perhaps he regrets the piece entitled 'Suddenly I got it - he's mad' that was republished in the Times of 10th May. Of the many quotes that have appeared in recent issues, that of the Swedish Prime Minister on 11th May is perhaps the most pertinent: "Staying in office for ten years was a major accomplishment. And to do it ... with the British press is an accomplishment in its own right."

Shaw, Newcastle upon Tyne,

Dear Ms. Miles,

Shortly after Mr. Blair was elected, he came to Hong Kong and went walkabout with Chris Patten, probably our most popular governor. I remember vividly how Mr Blair was waving to the enthusiastic crowds in the completely mistaken - and egotistical - belief that they were there to greet him, when in reality tmost of them neither knew nor cared who he was. Nothing that has occurred in the subsequent ten years has led me to change my opinion that he is a half wit. If his administration had shown the most basic indications of competence, I would be able to hope that I was wrong. I am glad that the US citizens who have written to this page like him, but sad that their comments tend to indicate a misunderstanding of the problems their country faces, their causes and their possible solutions, if any still remain

Steve Evans, Hong Kong,

Message to the Queen.

Ma'am, if you read this, could you please tell Gordon Brown (as and when he comes to see you) that he needs to go to the polls. Surely the electorate should chose who takes over from Mister Blair, not the members of the Labour Party.

Chris, London,

To other USA commentors: It's not about us. Pay your respects to a great British leader and be done with it. Are you so intrenched in our politics that you cannot acknowledge the point of the article? We will feel the void Prime Minister Blair 's style of leadership and influence around the world. It is clear that history will judge him very favorably. His children can be very proud of their father.

Croisan, Salem, Oregon, USA

within a year the calls for him to return will begin. the countries' first PM in the 24/7 media culture will be seen as a genuis with the passing of time and as one smaller, lesser man after another faILS TO ADEQUATELY SUCCEED HIM.

aLL kNOWING, PALM SPRINGS, CA

My, you people have short memories. What about when Saddam killed and maimed thousands of Kurds with chemical weapons, or when Polish troops FOUND chemical weapons in Iraq AFTER the invasion?

Ben, York,

I am an American against the Iraq war. Our country has a President who shouldn't have taken us to war; in addition, he has provided poor leadership at home. At least Tony Blair, who listened to George Bush's misinformation, tried to do something to help the poorest of this country through better health care, education, senior living, etc. George Bush has no such compassion. Both countries are teaching their two leaders about the Iraq War; only Tony Blair is listening. We are stuck with George Bush til January, 2009.

Dave jansen, Galena, IL, USA

As is expected, many people are extraordinarily mean spirited. That is why Thatcher is remebered in Scotland for the Poll Tax and not for council house sales or reform of the trades union movement. Tony Blair and the Labour government have done much since 1997. I was a Tory voter up to that point and may well be a Tory voter again in the future. If people can only find one thing to comment on (Iraq) that is probably no bad thing. To do something because you feel it is right must surely be better than doing something because it fits in with some political ideology. We may well have a couple of years to reflect, because Brown is certainly no Blair, but Blair has changed the face of British politics forever, David Cameron shows every day that presentation is at least as important as policy.

David Leslie, Perth, Scotland

alice He ststes he has cooked the goose wrongly? Why defend him.
‘I did what I thought was right’
Tony Blair’s resignation speech...
I read the speech, I heard him on the TVs.
My question is, is it not the fact that the politicians departures are always like this. Even Mohamed Ali resigned saying he had done the best. Iddi Amin killing millions in Uganda said, “I thought I did my best for my people”.
The question I have is “Who are my people”?
Tony Blaire led the wrong war. He should be apologetic and state this very clearly that I am sorry I went to the Ira q war with false information following some powerful nation blindly. I am sorry many British youths died because of this. I am sorry I could not do much fro Africa although I had promised.
His speech is a general good bye and few tears that are produced by the pharmacists.
No malice but he has certainly changed the history of Great Britain with the WMD.

Firozali A. Mulla MBA PhD, DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania

"the hatred displayed by some towards him is inexplicable, and unpleasant. "

You've clearly never been at the receiving end of Labour hatred! There are tens if not hundreds of thousands of people in this country who didn't give a stuff about politics before 1997, but now loathe this govt, purely because of the way it's treated them.

Alex Swanson, Milton Keynes, UK

We'll be sorry when he's gone? Quite possibly we might some day pine for the Blair régime.

That will be when we have to put up with the Brown sequel.

With luck, within two years we can be shut of the lot of them.

Michael Bruce, Selby, Yorkshire

Can we PLEASE give up with the "Iraq was just a mistake" line? No it was NOT. The Iraqi war was DELIBERATELY engineered, by Bush, with Bliar's total connivance. The people - AND the electedf institutions of both countries were lied to (now, my mummy and daddy taught me it is WRONG to lie, when I was really quite little - clear Bush & Blair Srs failed in their parenting), evidence was fabricated, and people call this venture a MISTAKE?

Blair should stand trial in the Hague. That's the bottom line. In the meantime, send bars of soap to Sedgefield, so that he, like Lady MacBeth, can spend the rest of his life washing the blood of innocents of his hands.

Jeremy Poynton, Fromeville, 51st State

Starling...At least we don't spend a number of years electing our President then spend another few years trying to assassinate him.

kirk, rotherham, UK

For most of us I think...I think its quite easy to see where Alice Miles is coming from.

Its from a similar universe to the one inhabited by the likes of Blair and the vast majority of the labour party.

Not the same universe as the one inhabited by the vast majority of the Electorate.

A prime example of why 40% + of the electorate choose not to vote.

Blair's legacy?..As far as I am concerned..The leader of a party who has made me,.as an Englishmen wish I could vote "Yes" in a referendum to divorce Scotland from the union.

N Wilson, Bourne, Lincs

The Blair era will become the good old days in the near distant future. No one can rightly judge the wisdom or otherwise of the Iraqi venture because the alternative can never be tested. Politics is a game and Tony played his part well. Government is a responsibility, Mr.Blair discharged his with wisdom and conviction. Great leaders become great because their predecessors and successors failed more. Tony Blair will be judged a great leaders.

VICTOR NWOKO, ELKINS PARK, pennsylvania, U.S

It saddens me to have watched a young, promising man with grand ideals and ideas, lose his way. To have strectched himself between the US and Europe and forget about Britain. To become obsessed with foreign policy and ignore the people he was meant to help -the British public. True, he has become disillusioned and it probably is time for him to step down, but I for one will feel a sense of loss when he goes. Especially, if Northerners and people earning less the 40k fail to realise that a Conservative Government will do nothing for them and end up voting Cameron in. Brown has his work cut out. I hope to God he suprises us all.

Chris Dobie, Manchester, UK

Tony Blair has created a major problem for both the Labour and Conservative Parties. If he were judged historically, purely on his actions, he would be classified as a left-liberal conservative, who went into real-life politics before he had outgrown his socialist student phase. OK, that's fine for putting a historical label on a past politician. But the big problem now is for the future: how we are to classify Gordon Brown and his team-mates? There is nothing for them to gain within the Labour Party by continuing to follow the Blair lead. Meanwhile, David Cameron is wearing Blair's left-liberal open-neck shirt...

Edmund Burke, Kingston upon Thames, England

Being Prime Minister must be the hardest job in the world. Blair has made huge mistakes but he has governed us for a decade and we as a nation should appreciate that. I am eighteen and perhaps do not fully understand all that Blair did, but with what I know the least we can do is respect him for the ten years he stood. We've all seen what happened. We all know it was wrong. But theres no going back. And today hold your criticism and just appreciate his achievement -ten years of owning the hardest job in the world.

sejal, london, england

Mr. Blair,
I want to thank you for everything you have done in support of the USA in it's efforts to fight terrorism. Not alot of people are happy with the war in Iraq nor with our president. But I am thankful for our mother country England and her support for our soldiersand yours, and stopping Saddam Hussein in his tracks, he truly got what he deserved...And I hope that after you leave office, that you will stay a close friend of us here in the USA. God Bless you and your family.

Mary, Abilene, USA/Tx

For goodness' sake why do we invest such expectation in only one man.

Even Prime Ministers can only do so much. We invest our hope in them and then fail to do our bit. I think Blair has done his bit given all of the circumstances and fear for the future. We do not live in times in which we can afford weak leaders.

'You don't miss your water until your well runs dry..' (Sam Cooke)

I cannot see as special a one as Blair on the horizon. Brown is a control-freak, non-communicator who will loose the next election and in doing so will put back this country back years despite what Cameron thinks he has learned from Blair.

In three months time this country will know what we have lost. The least we can do is give him a good send off.

God bless him!!

paul martin, Wargrave,

Good article and nice to see Mr Blair given some fair treatment. But he did fail in one important regard: lowering the moral tone of the country through the 'cool' Britannia idea (for that read 'anything goes' licentiousness), the Civil Partnerships Bill and the cash for honours scandal. Politicians must pass moral laws and must uphold morality. That's why they're leaders.

Ted, Rome, Italy

Alice Miles must have been living on another planet the past 10 years. The local election results must have told her something about people’s attitude to Blair and his legacy. Only a fool would regard the last 10 years of Labour rule as successful. His invasion of Iraq, the blood on his hands and his toadying to Bush will haunt him to his grave.

Alan, Bristol, UK

One thing that the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan has taught us is that the Armed Forces are not safe in Labours hands. Gordon Brown will reduce the forces at the cost of even more lives. I used to hate the Conservatives but they're looking increasingly a safer bet.

kirk, rotherham, UK

As a non-British observer I have to agree that the criticism of Blair has been excessive and often bordering on the hysterical. Far from being deceitful, from my perspective, the 'left' never forgave him for keeping his word; the right because he out-thought and out-fought them!

Labour selected him as leader because there was no real alternative. Despite making clear his intentions of changing the party's direction, they assumed that he would be forced to steer to the left once in power. When he refused to turn their rage needed a standard and they now they have it in Iraq. But even here there is selective memory at work.

There were few people who did not believe that Saddam had WMD in 2003. The arguments against invasion were based on there being a better way to deal with that fact. Indeed it's ironic on a grand scale that his bluff gave the cause for the invasion. Bush screwed up the occupation and now we have a blooody mess. But to reduce 10 years to just that!

Declan Rice, Kilkenny, Ireland

Well, no metion of an illegal war then?
cash for honours?
eccelstone affair?
spin, etc, and so on.
I'll celebrate his departure.

Douglas , Crawley, W Sussex UK

No, I'll be very happy when he's gone actually. This government's record is mixed with some great achievements, but the bottom line is he should have resigned over Iraq 4 years ago. His legacy is a poisonous lack of trust in politicians and anything they say, for which Gordon Brown will no doubt reap the whirlwind.

Owen, London, UK

I have always believed Mr. Blair to be an honest, dedicated, and effective prime minister, who, sadly, allowed himself to be taken in by President Bush regarding Iraq, a war that never needed to have been waged. Saddam Hussein was not a kind and generous man. But none of the dictators the US and Great Britain support now, and have supported in the past, are in any way. It is, however, the US government that bears the greatest responsibilty for crimes against humanity in its conduct of the war against Iraq going back to 1991.

Charles Marshall McGhee, Jr., Richton Park, USA / Illinois

Mr. Blair....I thank you and your family for all of your sacrifices of a normal family that had to be endured for your country..In every country there are those that are never happy about anything...including their own life..so please continue to walk talk with your head up high. You are a good man and again I thank you.

brenda, jena, usa

Take it from me, being a leader is difficult, adjudicating between different views and opinions and presenting it to the whole world is a big task.

Thus let give credit where it is due.

Kemi, London

kemi, london, england

To be honest, I've never liked Blair. One of the things which annoyed me was him selling us down the EU river, and adopting all the nonsense legislation Brussels could dream up, and more. Come on, we won the war. The intent to withdraw us from the EU shoud, in my opinon, be a requisite of Blair's successor.

One of the few things I think Blair 'got right' was the decision to go to war in Iraq. You can say what you want about this, but the fact is that Hussein had committed atrocities against his own people, and deserved 'what he got', which might not have taken place were it not for the Iraqi war.

Andrew, Aberdeen,

Hello Father Bryan! Long time no see! Or maybe I just haven't been paying attention.

Abroad the Brits are infamous for/sniggered at for always hating their current government and then voting for another one that's just as bad, if not worse.

starling, Lancaster,

Winning 3 elections is only good for the person winning the election if when he or she assumes the mantle of power, and with it responsibility and accountability, does his or her best for the nation and its people putting them before other countries is paramount. Mr Blair, and his wife, have strutted the world stage but being friends with America, and appealing to Americans, does little or nothing for the people, and by that I mean the indigenous population of Britain and not the massive influx of immigrants who are placing enormous stresses and strains on our public services. Dispensing largesse to other countries whilst our own social services, health services and systems disintegrate is not good national politics. I remain unconvinced that whatever Mr Blair did he did for this country, Britain, rather he sought to raise his own profile and in the process gradually became distant, arrogant and ignorant of the needs of the people of this once great nation.

Kenneth Armitage, Suffolk, England

He will be remembered for his lies, deceit and being led by Bush into an illegal invasion of Iraq that has resulted in the death of thousands of innocent people. He has undermined all respect for politicians, embroiled his party in corruption, failed to cap immigration, deport illegals, sold us out to Brussels, promoted a daft climate of political-correctness, failed on law & order, undermined our education system, bled us dry through stealth taxes and then proceeded to waste £billions of our money through sheer financial incompetence. The last ten years have been purgatory for many who once thought Britain great. Good riddance.

David Thomas, Bournemouth, UK

Alice Miles seriously over-rates Tony Blair.

Blair believed in Iraq's weapons of mass destruction because he needed and wanted to. He got a liking for throwing his weight around. The rush to war had more to do with the ensuing Iraqi summer heat.

Let us not forget that the Conservatives were led by an eager military type at the time. Not all of them voted for the war.

Dennis Wills, Havant, Hampshire UK

Well, it is very tempting to say: "You never had it so good." Name another country with a better leader in the last decade. Seriously, would you have traded Blair for Chirac? Berlusconi? Shroder? Fischer? Either Bush? Just like Clinton here in the U.S., Blair will be sorely missed when he is gone. Every leader for the next 5 years will somehow seem smaller, less impressive and much paler in comparison. The vehement and even poisoned opprobrium currently being heaped upon him from some quarters is testament that the love affair with this leader is far from over. It may well be headed for an acrimonious breakup with the harsh words currently being spoken but inevitably regret will creep in and there will be a pervasive sense of loss. I am not talking about the loss of what was hoped might be achieved in the early heady honeymoon days of a new youthful PM but the loss of such an incredible leader and their capacity to meet and face the challenges that are yet to come

Andrew Clark, San Diego, CA

As a Briton I won't say the Prime Minister has been correct on every domestic issue. He has however been correct towards foreign policy: combating terrorism; not being a fashionable anti-Americanite!

J, London, U.K.

Perhaps the circle you move in ,they don't want to speak ill of the dead.And that is his worth as a Politician .With the majority he has had in Parliament ,his achievements are pitiful .And the many mistakes will cost this Country dearly for years to come.
Who have we to take over,the other part of the deadly duo, Gordan Brown who should go with him.if not, he should put his manifesto to the people.

A Walton, Leicester, England

Tony Blair has certainly benefited from large dollups of good fortune during his ten years as PM: being in the right place at the right time with the NI peace process; there hasn't been an economic downturn with high unemployment ( luck or judgment?); rising property prices (no crash yet) for those who can afford a 6*salary mortgage; no effective opposition for most of the ten years; no repeat of 7/7 (thanks to MI5). Most of the changes seem to have been the result of extenal events. The last ten years have probably not been bad for most people but I'm having difficulty in thinking of some big improvement they have made happen.

Cirep G Nol, London,

Ok so maybe Blair has done a fair job, but after all thats what he and his colleagues are very well paid, by us, to do! Now he can go off and make further millions by talking about it!
Re Northern Ireland, does anyone remember the phrase 'Terrorism will never win in Northern Ireland' because I do!

Mike Asacret, Cambridge, England

This Yankee finds it amusing that the Brits are ready to turn on a most intelligent, articulate, thoughtful, moderate and accomplished head of government such a Tony Blair. Perhaps you would have preferred six-years-and-counting of moronic, inarticulate, thoughtless, immoderate and disasterous "leadership" from George W. Bush. I seriously doubt that a single Tory in Britian would make a straight up Blair for Bush trade. You have better sense than that!

Cheers,

John, Tokyo, Japan

I worked with a public figure who was universally disliked. Two years' after his retirement, he was more and more accepted and praised.

Father Bryan Storey , Tintagel, UK

Have you noticed that most of Bliar's fan club don't live in GB and are sure he's a nice, patriotic chap?

It isn't the media who have made his mistakes: Iraq, BAE, pensions, NHS, education, cash for privileges and so on ad nauseam.

Handsome is as handsome does, my Grandma used to say.

wokrightinn, Rudkøbing, Denmark

Unfair? Spot on more like. Who gives a stuff whether we're 'cooler' now than 10 years ago - thats what teenagers worry about. Foot and Mouth - Blair went on holiday abroad. Devolved government overspends, devolution inequalities, too much US poodling, throwing cash at public services for no real improvement, regions of the UK with more state sector employees that communist Hungary, unsavoury lecture/charity tours by Cherie, off balance sheet PPI accounting, pensions mess, hundreds of dead UK soldiers in a failed state. Do I need to go on? Being in power for 10 years and winning three elections on the trot is an achievement. But as to what he has done with the time and whether he made a real difference to the UK, I somehow doubt it.

Al, Newcastle,

The House of Commons voted for war, because MPs believed Blair. If they'd have known the facts, then most would have voted against. However, it's more interesting to note Blair's position today : he'd still have led the country to war even if he'd known there were no WMDs. He still thinks he's right, despite all evidence to the contrary.

Other things that have gone badly wrong under his watch are too numerous to mention, but perhaps the most damaging in the long term will be the public attitude towards politics and politicians. This means that politicians are now seen as even less trustworthy than journalists. That will be the true legacy of the glib maestro of spin.

Chris, Chesterfield, UK

Thank you Alice for this article, and the contributors to it for their kind words of support, which I completely agree with. I think Tony Blair has been a fine PM, who did his best in very trying times, and in most often incredibly difficult circumstances, and I’m proud to have been able to meet him briefly and shake his hand. I suppose that due to his length of office, it’s inevitable that he excites very strong feelings, but I think Tulsa Conservative put it perfectly when he stated ‘Everything Mr. Blair did was for the love of Great Britain, and he did what needed to be done to secure your safety’ I believe that very strongly too, and I’ve always kept faith with him.

I expect that as the day goes on there will be plenty of home grown vitriol expressed on these pages, and so far I do take issue with the expectation that a PM or a Governments job is to ensure our ‘happiness’. I think that under whatever set of circumstances that is for us personally to aim for, to the benefit of our loved ones.
Whatever Tony Blair and his family undertake in their future, I wish them all the best of luck and send them my best wishes.

Ann, Notts,

How can you give credit to someone for staying in office after they have grossly abused the position ( misleading parliament and people ), and further damaged peoples respect for the parliamentry system, causing diminishing particpation in democracy!

Phil, Falmouth, Cornwall

Can we take off the rose tinted spectacles and the soft focus off the camera now?? Britain is now taxed more heavily than any comparable society. The local authorities are out of control. I know of one post of 'Legionnaire's Disease Prevention Officer' carrying a salary of 25K in the least populated authority in the country. The Police service is a joke, arresting juveniles for chalking hopscotch grids on the pavement and old ladies for Council Tax evasion. Those waiting lists are massaged heavily, if the Trust can't make your appointment in the requisite time, they merely reschedule to avoid running over. Few people have a NHS dentist. Bullying in schools is endemic, obesity is at record levels, because sport and exercise have become extra curricular and the Health and Safety vultures circle menacingly overhead. The National assets have largely been sold. The prisons are full of risk criminals and the streets are awash with thugs and armed gangsters.

Big round of applause for Tony.

Pu Li, Guangxi, china

Suely another huge failing is our Beloved Leaders treatment of our Armed Services? I personally will never forgive him for the deaths of our under-funded, under-equipped and under-appreciated soldiers in his illegal wars. And yes, I do believe the buck stops with him! And his lack of care for our wounded, coupled with his total lack of respect for our dead lads leaves me speechless with anger, he is a disaster.
Ms Mills can find few people who dislike him, I can find few who do anything but despise him.

M.P, Nth Lincs., England

It's a poisoned chalice, and any one who takes it has to develop the thickest of skins. Sure the intoxification of power and a name in our history is probably reward enough, but most of us do not relish that flak that goes with it, and therefore are not tempted by the rise up the greasy pole. It's much easier to sit back and criticise everything, (or many things), because that way we know that we are right, and we are superior. That Blair is prepared to tackle other issues and not use his retirement from politics to earn himself a fortune perhaps says something about the character, and I wish him well in his future endeavours. The final success in Northern Ireland, after the contribution of so many before him, (including Major, Mowlem, Clinton and the two main protagonists Paisley and McGuinness), will be a welcome incentive to make the next phase of his life something that he can look forward to. Bon voyage!

samtam, Bangkok, Thailand

Most of the Blair bashers have a very short memory. Would there be any industry left in the UK if the Tories were still in power? They decimated the heavy manufacturing and coal industries which are still in place in France and Germany. Mortgage payments were running in excess of 15% & at one stage we had inflation rates running at banana republic levels. They sold off state assets and wasted North Sea Oil revenues on keeping 4 million people out of work. The NHS and Education systems were in ruins due to years of underinvestment. What benefits did the Tories bring to the average person. They were a complete shambles.

Tony Blair is rightly unpopular for siding with the Americans over the Gulf War. Would Thatcher have acted differently considering the Tories supported the invasion of Iraq.

What the Tory supporters don't get is that Dave 'Compassionate Tory' Cameron is going to keep going with Labour policies. If he ever gets in to power what changes will we see? Probably none.

A Thomas, Durham,

Sorry for a second bite in this debate, but I've not read anything that shows me that I have any agreement that it is the social duty of anyone, in any job, to be able to say with complete honesty that he is personally capable of carrying out the requirements of that job, to standards that could reasonably be expected of him. And that for the position of Prime Minister of the UK, we, the public, should be able to take for granted that anyone accepting this office:-

(a) has a sound understanding of social construction so as to be able to confirm moral, ethical and social rightness in policies proposed.

(b) can understand intellectually the need to consider all the indirect implications of particular policies, and to be able thereby to value, in totality, their rights and wrongs.

(c) as custodian of public funds, accepts his duty to ensure that all expenditure is efficiently and optimally undertaken.

Can we tick these for Mr Blair? Perhaps (a), at a pinch, but (b) and (c)?

Simon Stephenson, Windermere, UK

I am sure Alice Miles is right. The country has much to thank him for. .The constant criticism of him and Cherie must have been appalling.
We may well regret in the coming years the passing of the past ten years..
With criticism so inevitable. How can we expect the best brains and finest people to take up such responsible positions. .
I believe Tony Blair will show up in history as one of the best Prime Ministers this country has ever had.

Pete Trenear, Hook, UK

Where is Iraq on your radar screen, dropped off?.

simon, leeds, u.k.

Tony Blair has his faults, and Iraq was a huge misjudgement. Yet the hatred displayed by some towards him is inexplicable, and unpleasant. There needs to be a balanced judgement, and this applies to Cherie too - one of the leading employment/human rights lawyers of her generation.

Cathy, Bristol, UK

Whatever one may think of Blair - and I don't share all the sentiments of this article, it is a very British thing to build up someone, and then take great pleasure in knocking them down. That's whether they are prime ministers, footballers, actors, royalty etc. The treatment of Blair is no different. The kicking them down seems to be particularly favoured when they are experiencing some difficulty. The media in Britain are largely responsible for this, so I suppose it's nice to read a different pint of view. In Blair's case, he is a competent intelligent man, (and a genius compared to his counterpart in the White House). I think he was well-intentioned by and large, but the spin, the short-sightedness, the quick-fix solutions that caught the imagination of headlines, have not been the best of British policy. I think in the end we don't like any of our PMs in their immediate aftermath, but history judges them better. We are a very cynical and very disgruntled lot.

samtam, Bangkok, Thailand

I agree with Alice Miles, it is interesting that she is the third journo to say good things about Tony Blair. The first two grudgingly being Mathew Parrish and the other Michael Portillo. It all confirms my view that there are two different countries in these islands. The one we the public inhabit and the other the one described in the newspapers. One example, we are told endlessly that we are a grasping greedy race, if that is so how come we raise larger and larger amounts for charity through the efforts of the general public every year. Remember the tsunami appeal!,

Geoff Douglas, Feock,Truro, Cornwall, UK

After the last war Winston Churchill was voted out of office by a landslide. Margaret Thatcher was removed from office by a very British 'coup detat'. Ronald Reagan suffered all time lows in popularity in the months before he left office.

I think that great leaders generate very high expectations, that is why they are great leaders. When such expectations are inevitably not met they are villified by press and public. Tony Blair is no different. He was what we needed at the time and he did a good job of managing the country.

Donovan Wright, Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom

Blair is what made Britain the centre of Europe, the second capital of the globe. I have spent five years in the country, left last year and really want to come back. He proved how barriers can be irrelevant and in the end, accomplishment is what really counts

Yiorgos de diaspora, Athens,

The simple fact is no Prime Minister is going to be hugely popular after 10 years in office, you can please some of the people some of the time but not all of the people all of the time. Tony Blair has undoubtedly moved this country forward over the last 10 years, he's made a few mistakes and done many things i dislike or disagree with, yet i still have the intellectual honesty, unlike some, to give him his dues for the much good he has done. Most people in this country are just ungrateful and don't understand how good they have it, nor will they until it is too late.

J W Randall, Edinburgh,

As a general rule, we Brits expect everyone and everything to be 100% perfect. Take the position of Prime Minister. Can you imagine a more difficult job? I suggest the most we can reasonably expect from anyone who takes up residence at No. 10 is that for most of the time, they will be satisfactory in the decisions they make and the actions they take. Lets be honest; if Tony Blair had not supported the Americans in Iraq, he would have been criticised. The spread of a Prime Minister's responsibilities is so wide and diverse, that something, somewhere can always be criticised. Stacking shelves in a supermarket is a little different - and no-one is likely to be seen on the front page of The Sun if a tin of beans falls on the floor. I am no fan of Tony Blair but I accept that in years to come, he will be recognised as one of the most effective leaders this country has had since Winston Churchill!

Keith Downer, London, UK

Alice Miles has clearly spent very little time consulting the opinion of the farming/hunting community if she is finding it "hard to discern anyone... who actively dislikes the Prime Minister".

A. Cobbold, Marlborough,

Politicians are just the diplomatic representatives of the slick socio-economic machine that is Britain.

To give them credit or discredit for achievements is to gloss over the capabilities of a well structured system that allows the best to do their best (and the worst to be ignored).

Go us!

Mark, Woking, UK

Alice, you may move in the kind of rarified circles where everything important is purchased privately, and riches can be moved out of the Chancellor's reach, but for those of us who have to operate in the real world, the Blair years have been a disaster. He has been very lucky that the world situation has been good for the globalised UK economy (thanks Mrs. T.) otherwise he would have been out on his ear years ago. Credit where credit is due though, Blair has certainly been good for the richest of this nation...

Syd, Cambridge,

I certainly sympathise with a family under such pressure for so long but politicians must have some idea after any length of time in Parliament as a constituency MP that the whole world is not going to be their friend?
I don't hate him but many of us had hopes for even greater achievements than those you have listed but have been disappointed from the very beginning:
1) the Bernie Ecclestone debacle
2) the decision to stick with tuition fees
3) the culture that was revealed through the sponsorship of the Dome
4) the bullying attitude from press secretaries
5) the self orientation revealed in the memo requesting that projects be found with which he could be linked
6) cash for peerages and
7) the war, which some contributors here seem to treat as a minor matter
We really thought things would change after 18 years of the previous government

Steve, Preston, UK

I don't despise Tony Blair. But I do think he's got practically everything wrong since he came to office. Northern Ireland, for example - yes, we've got peace, but at the expense of alienating the moderates on both sides. And that's just something he's got not quite right; what about, for example, the milennium dome, the widening social gulf, the abandoning of the rebate to Europe in return for, er, nothing at all.
Nor does he - or did he ever - articulate the national mood. Yes, people voted for him in 1997, but hardly in great numbers; he won because those who had previously voted Conservative stayed at home. A few excitable commentators in London may declare a new zeitgeist; the rest of us carry on much as before; sullen and resentful.

John, Manchester, UK

She is having a laugh.

isn't she?

Meade, cheshire,

I for one respect Mr Blair for his legacy in gay rights.

I am going to the wedding of some close friends this year, and just a few years ago that would not have been possible.

Thanks Tony!

Alicia, London,

Much of what Alice Mills writes is fair - raising a family in the public eye can't be easy. More money for NHS, OK that's good. Peace in Northern Ireland, good one Tony. However, what about Iraq? What about the crazy way we rushed into what is an undoubted mess. That was disgraceful. Some good points on his 10 year report card but Iraq is one huge black mark. Whatever good TB has done for Britain, Iraq will be how he will be remembered. Will we be sorry when he's gone? No idea, but I think we will be sorry about what he helped to engineer in Iraq.

Rob Innes, Edinburgh,

Great to read something by someone who feels like I (and the old man) do. When Labour came to power our younger daughter, born in 1979, had lived through nothing but Tory administrations. Tony Blair made the Labour party electable then and twice more. I dread to think what this country would have been like in the last ten years if the Tories had not been kicked out. I just hope Gordon Brown can continue the good work.

Janet C, Southport, UK

As usual, we forget that politics and politicians can never be assessed objectively as the nature of it is polarising. Some people will see the past ten years as (mostly) positive, some no doubt will see the past ten years as completely disastrous. It is the people who don't care that we should be worried about.

The Prime Minister (respect the office if not the man) has been successful in some areas and not in others. What we should not doubt is that at least he made the tough decisions. We may disagree with them, but they had to be made.

I think we should also realise that no government or Prime Minister is popular after a certain length of time, it is just human nature. This is why parties are becoming more centrist.

What is irritating when I read or hear people constantly moaning about politicians when they are so apathetic with respect to voting.

Neil Pickles, Wirral, UK

Sorry to disagree, Tulsa, but compared to Winston Churchill, who secured our safety in World War 2, Blair is an ignominious puppet who has reduced the UK to but a shadow of its former self. He actively HATES Great Britain, its traditions and its institutions, and in many areas has reduced the country to that of a banana republic.

D.Peake, Exeter, , England

These personal comments are inappropriate in the context of a PM's record. The war in Iraq is sufficient reason in itself to wish to see Mr Blair out of No.10. We need to be interested in policies rather than personalities in respect of those who make such vital decisions on behalf of the nationsas a whole.

Gerald Morgan, Dublin/Lydbrook, Ireland/England

Socialists of the Alice Miles variety are fine since we all need our consciences pricking now and then. The tragedy occurs when they are given political power, as the last 10 disastrous years demonstrate.

Michael, The Wirral, UK

I think Tony Blair has been a good Prime Minister in many respects. As a man of faith, I think he has wanted to do what he thought was the best. Iraq has not been his finest moment but world politics is as complex as ever and no one has all the right answers. He will have to live with his decision - and history will judge. I feel he has been well judged and kicked by the public and the media - so it is time to move on and let him go with dignity. Rember the good he has done and the polite, dignified and at times humourous way he has engaged with others on the public stage. He has had great courage to live through 24/7 hostile media for months on end. It will be interesting to see how future P.M.'s cope with media bashing, once the honeymoon period is over.
I shall miss Tony Blair and wish him all the best for the future.

Lindsay, Glenrothes, Scotland

"The relentless criticism of Tony and Cherie Blair is grossly unfair"...ha ha ha ha ha!!!!

j, Solihull, UK

If i have the misfortune to have to visit an A+E dept again i will reflect during my 4 hour wait instead of 5 hour wait (at a cost of £30 billion) that all this seems petty against 650,000 civilians killed in Iraq, six times the number of people killed when the atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in WW2, or the equivalent of the entire population of Birmingham. Nice one Tony? (i think not).

Don, leeds, u.k.

"I am finding it hard to discern anyone outside the media, Westminster and the blogosphere – the people who dominate public debate – who actively dislikes the Prime Minister"

I read this and had a good laugh. It's hard nowadays to find a single person who doesn't hate Bliar. Alice it's time to move outside your circle of obviously lefty liberals and smell the roses. When Bliar finally goes (and please god let it be soon) there will be celebrations and in years to come we will look at his "legacy" and know definitely that he and Brown ruined this formerly great country forever.

Stephanie, London, England

Tony Blair has been a brilliant PM and changed Britain (positively) for ever. The Iraq war was mismanaged, but the reasons were right. The mismanagement was the General's/ military planner's fault.

Ben, York,

Oh dear oh dear yet another with no sense of what is happening in the real world. If you want to find out the true feelings about TB then go to any reasonably affluent area and listen to the pub banter. Alternatively have a read through the unofficial forces websites.
He is despised country wide my dear.
TB has throughout his tenure systematically deconstructed this once great country with a backbone any country would be proud of into a place where the white majority have no voice should we be dubbed racist/bigoted. Angry? Me? You bet ma'am.

AndyG, Bristol, UK

"this is a man who has shifted the culture of Britain and the centre of gravity of its politics"

But not in a good way.

Martin , Hereford, England

Tony Blair has turned a party that was unelectable into a party that was once acceptable to the voters.
With his departure I have no doubt that the Labour party will return to it old ways and let the Tories in by the back door.
It is not so much that the Tories will win the next election rather than Labour losing it.

Bernard Parke, GUILDFORD,

Amazed to see this article in the times ... more worthy of the Sun ! Is this paper going the way of the BBC ?

Benzo, Nr Chelmsford,

For all his faults, I would rather brave another 10 years of Tony Blair as PM than see Gordon Brown at the head of the UK for 5 minutes, now there is a thought which is truly terrifying.

Sofia, Birmingham, West Mids - UK

"you’ ll be sorry when they’re gone"

OH NO I WON'T !

Mike Bibby, St Albans, England -not EU

If you are delusional to the point of mendacity; if you ruthlessly manipulate friends as well as foes; if your aim is not good governance but the creation of a theatrical "legacy"; if you have people around you who are forced to take the rap when things go wrong; if celebrity rather than solidity is your motivation; if your idea of administration is to create a fog of muddle in which no one actually takes responsibility for anything - why, yes, of course you can survive scrutiny; indefinitely, if you want.

No doubt the past decade has indeed been hell for the children (perhaps we shall learn some interesting things soon?). But nor has it been a good time for anyone who has displeased the Blair regime...

In Vino Veritas, London,

Let the record speak its proverbial volumes! On Bliar's watch we have witnessed war without justification, decimation of pensions and (allegedly) corruption at no. 10. Otherwise, yes, he's been acredit to his cause - whatever that was. can anybody say?

wokrightinn, Rudkøbing, Denmark

If Tony Blair is so good at 'enunciating the national mood' why did he ignore the millions of people (including members of his own party and the intelligence services) who were vigorously opposed to the war in Iraq? His lies over WMD have contributed to a public distrust of politicians which manifests in ever lower voter turnout at elections. Some legacy.

JP, London,

Are any of the 'would be' political commentators who have written before me old enough to remember exactly what this country was like under Tory rule?
I am only just the'right' age but I have witnessed first hand the economic growth of the UK since good ol' Tony took up the immense challenge of turning round 18 years of Conservative mismanagement.
Was it John Major or the old Battleaxe that is Lady Thatcher that implemented the minimum wage? Was it a tory idea to top up families on low incomes so that they could offer their children a slightly better level of comfortable living?
Ok so Tony has made some mistakes, Iraq being a major blunder, but at least he has the courage of his convictions. A quality that most 'human sheep' seem to lack these days. Besides, you name just one PM that hasn't succumbed to errors of judgement. They are all human not Gods and I defy any one on here to do a better job and still remain relatively sane after ten years.
Well done Tony!

Rebecca Pavia, LINCOLN, UK

"You'll be sorry when they're gone".

No I damn well won't. I am only sorry that they are likely to depart into a life of wealth and comfort rather than being tried for their crimes, their illegal war, their corruption, and the rest.

They deserve prison - or worse - not Connaught Square and the lionising of the after-dinner circuit.

Martin , Hereford, England

Either Alice Miles is exceptionally disingenuous, or this article is written with tongue firmly in - possibly even stapled to - cheek. To state that she is "unable to discern anyone outside the media, Westminster and the blogosphere ... who actively dislikes the Prime Minister" implies that she has not asked anyone outside a circle of increasingly narrow social opinion still in awe of Blair. Yes, a solution to Northern Ireland is to be welcomed, but the hard work was done long before he came to office, and the timing of the restoration of devolution is just the latest example of cynical media manipulation and spin. If the NHS is so much better, why is everyone who works for it so unhappy? And as for Iraq, words are unnecessary. We will be paying the price for that short-sighted foreign policy disaster for years, if not decades, to come.

Yes, there have been successes, but not many, and certainly not recently. My only sadness is that his successor will probably be even worse.

Andrew Norris, London, UK

People who keep mentioning Iraq as Blair's legacy, seem to conveniently forget that if it had been a Conservative PM, they would still side with USA and go to war.

Max, Manchester, UK

if you don't know anyone who dislikes tony blair ,alice,then you need to get away from your circle of "media" friends and talk to some ordinary working class people .as someone who was normally a labour voter ,when i voted labour in19997 i did not vote for;
mass immigration,
a debt based economy,
stratospheric house prices,
a doubling of council tax,
going to war,
losing my wheelie bin collection,
losing my anologue t.v signals,
raising the retirement age to 68,
introducing i.d cards,
mobile phone masts near houses,
i'm sure i could think of more but 'd better stop now.i won't vote labour again until they assure me they are going to help the working class-not attack it. blair has been the worst prime minister ever.
dave

dave brown, barton-on-humber, n.lincs,england

It is clearly much easier to paint a picture of a successful prime minister if you forget to mention all his shortcomings.

In my view Tony Blair and his government have robbed this country of its moral sense. As a nation we bend over backwards to accommodate everyone else's views and "rights" - our prisons are better equipped than most of our houses/local communities, political correctness has gone so far that it undermines religions, education and business, there is no respect for the law and no-one takes responsibility for anything.

A government that came in on the promise of contrast with the "Tory sleaze" has now been embroiled in loans for peerages, the BAE backdown and innumerable attempts to reduce MPs accountability for anything they do.

And I haven't even mentioned Iraq yet!

Tony Blair has undoubtedly done some good things over the last 10 years but he has undermined his own premiership by the overuse of spin and the inability to admit when things go wrong.

Claire, Newbury, UK

The change in Northern Ireland had little to do with Tony Bliar and everything to do with atrocities like the Omagh Bombing, which finally made the majority of the society there realise it was time to stop. It stopped because was time.

Andy Iddon, London, UK

War and Waste - that's all

S, London,

Tony Blair has disappointed hugely in the areas of lies and white lies - i.e. in using smoke and screen...and spin. I believe that that is why he is disliked. He treated us as idiots and in the end we saw through him. It could have been very different.

Paul, Steyning, West Sussex

The bottom line is that the UK is more prosperous and more influential on the international stage than it was 10 years ago and Tony Blair should be given much of the credit . Not by most Times readers, apparently. Presumably you would have preferred a Bush, a Putin, a Mugabe?

The hatred Blair is unreasonable but predictable. The British have a tendency to despise public figures, especially politicians, which is fine (certainly preferable to the Americans' blind adoration of their President), but I wish we could overcome our most unnactractive trait - the media-driven, sheep-like participation in a witch-hunt.

The presscreate a target for our opprobrium and then, to our delight, pursue them relentlessly (be it Margaret Thatcher, David Beckham ('98), Tony Blair, Cherie Blair etc etc). It's not rational, it's downright ugly, and it shames us as a nation.

Sabremesh, London,

Excellent and brave article Alice Miles - these days it's quite courageous for anyone to stand up to the bullying of the media and blogosphere and general schadenfreude punditry that exist amongst the ignorant ranks of bandwagon chasing disgruntled tories and tory sympathisers, who have been moaning and on an on since May 2, 1997. Mr Blair has his faults, but he has left a much better society in his wake. Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland devolutions on their own would be enough. His other great achievement is the improvement of anti-discrimination laws and the equal status of same sex partners in the eyes of the Law through civil partnerships.

Max, Manchester, UK

Blair viewed with "red rose" tinted sunglasses! We have had 10 years and more of lies, dammed lies and spin. Through incompetence and deviousness we now have a country with even less trust in politicians and our political system. A proper analysis of the successes claimed in this article show positions little improved from pre Blair tinkering and no mention is made of the dismal failures that have been the hall mark of this government. We are now a country that is over taxed and over regulated. The only hope is that, on retirement, Blair will be over there, chasing the bucks!
Good riddance to him.

W R Tinch, Kinross, UK

Congratulations to Alice on coming to the defence of Tony Blair. It's high time more commentators gave him credit for his achievements. And as for Iraq, it's pathetic to see so many trying to be wise after the event.

Glyn James, Bournemouth,

Thank you Alice Miles. You have put my thoughts into words.
There have never been so many people better off in any 10 year period as in the last. Trouble is, most don't recognise the fact.
Yes, Iraq was the big mistake. Bigger than any would have anticipated. But what a coup it would have been if they had pulled it off.
I am waiting to hear the cry, "come back Tony, all is forgiven". I miss him already.!

Ken, Bedford. UK

Ken R., Bedford, UK

Funny how the further you go away from the UK the more people seem to think he's done a good job. Rose tinted glasses. The thing the international commentators dont appreciate is how insufferable it is to actually live with all the half-arsed, spin-lead policies he's tried, which are charcterised by grand words, terrible delivery and a huge moneytary bottom line funded by higher taxes (actual and stealth). He hates the parlimentary process, ignores any advice that contradicts his view and fights tooth and nail to defend his view long after its obvious to all around its baloney. Great skills if you are barrister, disasterous for democracy and the people of the UK. In my opinion. As said, Major started the process in N.I. Others could have finished it, but I believe nobody but Blair could have led us down the path so uniquely disasterously.

Chris , London,

I will not be sorry when he has gone - and his awful wife too. Blair in fact used his family for political purposes / photo oportunities when it suited him. He and she then became indignant when the press peered into some of the less attractive aspects of their behaviour !
Blair inherited a benign economic situation from the ghastly Major and has frittered it all away over the decade. I cannot think of any aspect of the bloated public sector which is better - from education, via the police to the NHS.

In deciding not to upset big business Blair has allowed Maxwellian greed and corruption to flourish whilst the bulk of employees have had only average increases and have seen their jobs offshored by the million. Only the public sector with its gold plated final salary pensions, paid for by those who have lost theirs, have prospered.

But Labour will continue in office ad infinitum as long as Cameron is a mere mirror image of the great deceiver !

Mike, Leatherhead, England

New Labour came to be very effective in opposition. Sadly, when they achieved power, they continued to act as if they were still there, saying what should be done, but expecting others to do it. When, inevitably, things began to go wrong and all the promises failed to deliver, again New Labour were always ready to point the finger of blame; it was the civil service, it was the people. It never seemed to dawn that government has to do more than just promise and make speeches, it really does have to roll up its sleeves and 'manage' and deliver the goods itself.

And then, sadly, there was the sleaze....

John, London,

It is striking that of these few comments - all of the valedictory praise comes from people who have not apparently lived in this country and experienced at first hand the consistent waste and incompetence of Blair's administration. Spending four times Bill Gates personal wealth every year on the NHS has produced some marginal improvements on waiting lists but what about A&E closures?; postcode drug and treatment lotteries? Hospital Trust deficit caused waiting lists? the difficulty in accessing GP's despite their disproportionate income increases? The only constant theme in our supposedly reformed public services is absurdly expensive and irrelevant IT systems rather than genuine and cost effective improvement. The fact that Blair is left desperately scratching around looking for his will'o'the wisp heritage while keeping absolutely mum about Iraq, says it all.

Alan Tayler, Wivelsfield, England

I disagree with Alice Miles. I really think that someone who believes he is an appropriate person to be Prime Minister of 60 million people should be judged on how little he gets wrong rather than on what he gets right. There have, indeed, been decisions made since 1997 that can be shown to have been right at the time, and have also turned out right. But this is not the point. There is also a long list of decisions made that were quite clearly not right at the time, and which have not turned out right. Surely we should not be comparing Mr Blair's record with what Joe Bloggs would have achieved, but with the sustained record of excellence that we would expect in a precise intellectual environment. Contrary to what we're increasingly being led to believe, it's not actually very difficult to get virtually everything right, as long as you have the best minds making the decisions. Ought not the most important part of our political process to be that these minds actually rise to the top?

Simon Stephenson, Windermere, UK

Blair's overseas reputation appears to mirror that of Margaret Thacher - who was respected abroad, when at home we had had enough of her. Blair is a decent man - but his government has not had the competence to match its ambition - nor the humility to admit this. The exalted economy may founder when the borrowing has to stop. We can only judge results.

Peter York, Tonbridge, Kent

Where would we be without Tony?
He's such a nice kinda' guy
There's no way he's a phoney!
Look at the peerages you can buy!

George Byron, Athens, Greece

All these foreigners who think our lousy Prime Minister has done a good job should come over here and try to buy a house, or find an NHS dentist.Blair is a disaster;his War has cost us billions and he is a control freak without equal.
The sooner he is gone,the better.

Edwina Rigby, Chorley Lancashire, England

Alice ,sack your researchers .this is the UK
we have lost 65% OF OUR MANUFACTURING TO CHINA
AND THE FAR EAST IN 10 YEARS and the government is
still sitting on its backside and doing nothing ,question for
you where are all our young people of below normal intelligent levels going to work in the future if all our factories and mills get sent to china there are not enough
vacancies at MacDonald's and Burger king .

george william taylor, hull, uk

"I am finding it hard to discern anyone outside the media, Westminster and the blogosphere – the people who dominate public debate – who actively dislikes the Prime Minister"
Well, my circle of acquaintance is just as extensive as yours, Alice - probably more so, except I live and work in the provinces and my friends and acquaintances don't include media or Westminster people. Yet, I can't remember the last time I heard anyone with a good word for Blair.
You really can't be trying very hard, can you?

Steve, Ipswich,

"You’ ll be sorry when they’re gone"

No I won't

Bruce, UK, Malvern,

Alice Miles must have been doing a marvellous Ostrich impression for the last 10 years.

Tom, Uppingham,

Tony Blair has been a brilliant PM and this will become painfully evident in the near future.Watch out for harder times which will soon follow.

Phil, Waltham Abbey,

Well Done Ms Miles.
A poem of praise to Tony Blair and not one word - repeat not one word - about Iraq.
You have taken the words "rose tinted" and "spectacles" to new heights or is that lows?
Shame on you.

Paul Allkins, Chelmsford, Essex

"I am sure there were people who were sorry to see Stalin,. Hitler and Mao go but that does not mean that these leaders did well by their people.
Blair has made the English natives untermensch"

Another Have Your Say, another facile and histrionic comparison with Nazism. There's plenty to loathe about Blair and Blairism without fumbling for these politically and morally illiterate comparisons

Mark, Worthing, UK

Yes, Blair was good in many ways, and I know of many who would say they believed him to be sincere and well meaning. However, he is / was supposed to be the man in charge of government, so I also hold him responsible for all the problems of the past ten years: private pensions problems, the waste of tax and spend, excessive council tax increases, Iraq, excessive political correctness, unselective immigration, youth crime, social breakdown, stealth... this is not an exhaustive list. Yes, Blair has had many wonderful achievements, of which Northern Ireland is an example, but these have been offset by constant spin, real problems such as those that I have just listed, and the tendency to bury the introduction of unpopular new policies and laws. The net result is more towards criticism than praise, I'm afraid, but I believe for good reason.

Christopher Hall, Sheffield,

I agree. The behaviour of the press towards the pm and his wife is generally appalling. As an immigrant to this country [from Zimbabwe] I would like to say, you don't know you're born, folks!
Here the politicians are, with very few exceptions, honorable and hardworking. Some of them are even smart!
The worst thing about this country is the vicious, thoughtless, and lazy press. Please - think before you destroy what we are so lucky to have.

CP, London , UK

It was John Major who boldly started the peace process in Northern Ireland, thanks to the security services who persuaded the militants that they couldn't win the 'Long War'. Tony Blair just slowed the process down, sending incompetent and/or uninterested ministers like Mo Mowlam and Peter Mandelson to the province in the early years of his incumbency. These ministers sabotaged the serious politicians on both sides - David Trimble and the SDLP - and ensured that the former bombers and rabble-rousers took power.

Frank Upton, Solihull,

Goodness me Alice , We`ve seen the NHS slide into chaos , Immigration everywhere , most State Schools sl;idng into knife-ridden cess pits etc ,etc -the sooner we see the back of this man the better will be the verdict I`m sure ...

T Bates, Warrington,

AI agree with alice Miles: Tony Blair has failed the expectations that he raised but he has done the job of being Prime Minister with confidence and optimism. He has achieved some good things.
About a year ago I thought of getting the rights to the phrase "Say what you like about Tony Blair, but at least...." once he had gone. At a £1 per use I reckon I woulld be a very rich person in twelve months time

j pullen, st ives, uk

Sadly the Iraq fiasco wrecked his premiership and has forced Blair from office. I voted Labour in 1997 but my hopes were dashed when i see the carnage he helped bring about in Iraq. A sad deluded corrupt sleazy liar is what he will remebered as.

Michael Riley, London, England

What a worthless article... for me Blair is a dangerous entity. I seriously believe the changes made by this government over the past ten years have crippled this countries social conhesion. People are made to feel scared of any class of people different from their own, which creates massive social fracturing and increases the governements power , safe in the knowledge that people will not unite for the common good.
Blair is charasmatic and has prooved that this can be a significant advantage. The conservatives have sensed and broke their own mould by electing Cameron.
I will remember Blair for putting CCTV, loud speakers and hyper-sensitive voice recorders on streets - this I find truly concerning.

Dean, London, UK

Funny how Blair is continually blamed for Iraq when Parliament voted in favour of the war, and the British people re-elected a Labour government thereafter. The Conservatives supported the war from the very start, too.

What is more surprising is that more of the Iraq-Blair bashers haven't migrated to the only party that opposed the Iraq war from the outset - the Liberal Democrats.

But that would only be logical, wouldn't