The last time
Just a few minutes ago, just behind me in the central lobby, Cherie Blair with her children. Here today to watch, from the public gallery, their father perform for the last time in PMQs.
There's great expectation, and a great buzz, in the corridors here. I bumped into one Labour MP who jokingly had removed the (that's the way you book your seat in the House of Commons) belonging to Dennis Skinner - who of course always sits right at the front - and put the new convert, Quentin Davies, in his place. Somehow I don't think Mr Skinner will allow that to go on.
The same MP was telling me that he'd just had a call from Downing Street in the last few hours, asking what he was going to ask Mr Blair, as his position on the order paper was low enough to raise concerns - it could, possibly, be the last question. This MP said to me, "if they think I'm going to ask him a nice question now, after 10 years, they can think again".
I've no doubt Mr Blair will feel nervous. Any great performer - and whether you love him or loathe him he is one of the truly great political performers - gets nervous before an occasion like this. He knows this is the moment he bows out. He knows the clips from this will be shown not just on tonight's news, but endlessly as part of the archive of the Blair years. He'll want to enjoy it, and to get it right. And, of course, he'll seek to embarrass David Cameron the day after he lost an MP. and Mr Cameron will have to do his best to look straight back, and to look calm, even when he isn't.
I'm 
Comments
It seems clear from Quentin Davies' performance on Newsnight that he is out to cause as much damage to his old party as he can.
What should Cameron say if Blair taunts him with Davies? Easy - he should tell Blair that if Labour wants someone who has turned on his colleagues and stabbed them in the back then Labour's welcome to him. Good riddance.
What happens if something major happens between the time when Tony Blair resigns and Gordon Brown is asked to become the next PM? Who takes responsibility?
'he is one of the truly great political performers'
Really, well it seems the only people who think so are those inside the political establishment.
Everyone I speak to out here sees a weak, bumbling incompetent fool, uncomfortable in his own skin who tries obviously and unconvincingly to act his way out of crisis but in the end has to rely on one crisis overtaking another.
His performances at the death of Princess Dianna’s and the 'manly, hands in pocket' performance at Bush's ranch before the war were quite possibly the worst I’ve ever seen from ANYBODY, in politics or outside of it.
Some PM's have made me angry, others have made me furious, but never have I had a PM make me cringe with embarrassment, like Blair and his 'great political performances' do.
brian (#1): Winston Churchill crossed the floor not once, but twice; whilst I'm quite sure that the cries of "backstabber" were just as venal then, it didn't stop him leading his (final) party, or the country, twice. Might Quentin Davies have a future yet as a Conservative PM?
On the other hand, Shaun Woodward's achievements thus far have been slightly less noteworthy - although given his successor, maybe his departure was service enough...
LOOKING FORWARD TO THE 'CAMPBELL' DIARIES! SAD TO SEE T.B DEPART IN THIS WAY BUT PEOPLE WERE AWARE OF HIS TOO TRUSTING APPROACH ON THE FAULTY INT'(45 MINUTES ETC) WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO HIS PREMATURE EXIT.
SCORED A GOOD RESULT IN N.IRELAND- VERY MUCH A WORK IN PROGRESS!
UNFORTUNATELY DID NOT GET THE DESIRED RESULT WITH SOCA-THE NEWLY FORMED AGENCY SET UP TO TACKLE DRUG RELATED CRIME. A LOT OF RHETORIC BUT A SLOW START AND UNDER ACHIEVEMENT!
SCORED A WINNER WITH THE NHS WALKIN'S
THOUGH! THE DEPUTYSHIP 'PROPHET PREZZA' WAS RAILROADED ... VERY HEAVY HANDED TO RELIEVE THE DEPUTY P.M OF HIS PORTFOLIO AFTER THE TEAM BUILDING @ DORNEYWOOD!
ONE WONDERS WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR TAKING & PUBLISHING THOSE PICTURES IN THE BUSHES AT THE CROQUET EVENT!
JUST WHERE WAS SECURITY??
THIS LED TO THE PARALYSIS OF THE OFFICE OF DEPUTY!
DID PROMISE THE TROOPS WOULD GET ALL THEY NEEDED BUT ALAS... THEY ARE STILL AWAITING MORE HELICOPTORS AND ARMOURED VEHICLES!
THE NAVY DESPERATELY REQUIRE MORE FRIGATES TO PATROL THE SEAS IN ORDER TO TACKLE THE DRUG WARS!
THE CONTROL OF OUR BORDERS AND IMMIGRATION REMAINS TO BE TACKLED EFFECTIVELY!
WISH YOU WELL TONY- SURE YOU WILL BE A GREAT ASSET TO ANY FUTURE INTERNATIONAL VENTURE!
eNJOY YOUR RETIREMENT J.PRESCOTT.
ALASTAIR C' ON WITH THE SHOW!!
Good to see that the telegram-to-Internet gateway is up and running...