Posted on 06/27/2007 5:35:07 AM PDT by Brit_Guy
Tony Blair has left Downing Street and travelled to Buckingham Palace, where he will hand in his resignation as prime minister to the Queen. Earlier, he received a standing ovation from MPs in the House of Commons in unprecedented scenes at the end of his final prime minister's questions.
Politicians from all sides dropped their usual jibes to pay tribute to Mr Blair during the half hour session.
His long-serving chancellor, Gordon Brown, succeeds him as PM later.
Mr Blair and his wife Cherie made the short journey from Downing Street to the Palace by ministerial Jaguar - a car which will stay at the Palace for Mr Brown to use after he is confirmed in the post.
As they left Downing Street the Blair family - including their four children - posed for the gathered world media.
Mr Blair said nothing to the press as they got in the car, but wife Cherie smiled and waved at the press and said she would not "miss" them.
Earlier MPs from all side called a halt to the usual hostilities to pay tribute to him during Mr Blair's final half hour question time.
Mr Blair admitted he had "never pretended to be a great House of Commons man" but he paid tribute to the "noble" work of MPs and - in his final words to Parliament - said: "I wish everyone, friend or foe, well and that is that, the end."
Mr Blair, who was being watched from the public gallery by his family, paid tribute to troops killed in Iraq, saying he was "truly sorry about the dangers they face today" and praised their bravery.
There will be many who poke fun at him, many who deride him, many who hate him. Despite everything, I'll always admire him.
He belongs to a party whose soul is an athema to me. He is surrounded and has had to lead a party of socialist idiots, and yet, and yet, he has done so in a benign way - the economy has gone strength to strength, I disagree with the tax burden he has imposed but will conceed the mismanagement of those funds has not hit the depths I expected. Not ruining Britain as a Labour Prime Minister is a worthy achievement in iteself!
But the real admiration for me is not the domestic policy or the contaiment of the nutters in his midst - it is the strength of Character and pursuation that made this country put its values up on show, and to face up and join in on the greatest battle of ideas that humanity has faced for the past 70 years on the side of good. A debate about the implementation of the battle is seperate to the debate about joining the battle. Joining the battle was the right thing to do, and he took the country there by himself. Most others would have wobbled in this point, but he sacrificed his massive support to do the important thing, not the popular thing. On 9/11 he grew ten foot tall - I am not a sentimental man, but when the country needed leadership at that moment - he excelled.
So policy differences aside - farewell Mr Blair... you leave big shoes to fill, and I fear we may not fill them for many a year.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Agreed. He’s still a Third Way socialist, but he’s been a stalwart ally in Afghanistan and Iraq, and an eloquent defender of why we’ve had to do what we’ve done since 9/11. For that, if nothing else, he deserves our sincere thanks.
}:-)4
What’s this Queen crap? You mean they still haven’t dumped this outmoded, elitist, useless institution?
Careful - the view point you are expressing is one more normally associated with the left in those nations where the British Monarchy persists - and by your definitions must be deranged. :)
Seriously, there are advantages to having an apolitical Head of State, raised from birth in a tradition of service with a family heritage of loyalty to country going back centuries, as a ultimate control on the power of government.
And even many who might agree that in principle the Monarchy is outdated, will not support a change while the current Queen is on the throne. She has served her nation and her Commonwealth with honour, loyalty, and distinction for over eighty years, fifty five years of that as Queen.
For me - one important factor is that I swore allegiance to my Queen. And my oaths matter to me.
And it will take only a couple of weeks of Queen Hillary I to make you wish we had a Queen with the class of Lizzie Mountbatten, nee Windsor.
Oh, why don’t you crawl back into the woodwork.
Couldn't have said it better myself. If you look at the political values of republicans in the English speaking world. They look more like Bill Clinton or DU than Free Republic.
Admiration? No.
But I pay former Prime Minister Tony Blair deep respect for his achievements while in offie. Mr. Blair was a good European (well, for a Brit ;-), a loyal ally and a person of honorable character.
I really wish him and his family very, very well!
‘What’s this Queen crap? You mean they still haven’t dumped this outmoded, elitist, useless institution?’
Hmmm, Outmoded? Elitist? Useless? You sound like a left winger describing the US constitution! :)
The concept of elected presidents is far too socialist for us Brits. We’ll stick with our old-fashioned right-wing monarchy if it’s all the same to you lest we might end up with a Carter or a Clinton as head of state. If your system is still working in a millenia like ours has, get back to us and we’ll have another look at it. . . . . :)
Mr Blair was the best Conservative Prime Minister the Labour party ever had.
From abroad he looks very impressive. From home his wholesale reliance on spin instead of content and the gradual removal of centuries old and hard won personal freedoms from the British people is appalling.
History will judge him as a man who excelled in expressing his international principles whilst having nought but padding and stealth tax on the domestic front.
‘I swore allegiance to my Queen. And my oaths matter to me.’
Good on yer, digger.
So did I. And likewise.
In effect they have. The queen's roll is essentially ceremonial. However, there is strength in tradition, culture and national identity. Soon, you will get to see first hand the impact of dumping tradition, culture and national identity.
You mean the same Queen who oderded the Guards to play the Star Spangled Banner after 9/11? She really is out of touch.
Well said!
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