Final opinion on Blair

As the final day is now upon us what do the Nationals have to say as the Blair era finally draws to a close.

Charles Moore writing in the Telegraph claims that he will leave little of a legacy

"It is much harder to sum up Tony Blair in terms of
what he has actually done, for good or ill. He inherited a successful, but
over-regulated and overtaxed economy. That is what he leaves behind. He
inherited educational failure. No change there, either. He inherited a health
service struggling half-heartedly with reform. That is still the case.
In
1997, there was economic inequality, too much crime, anxiety about immigration,
a battle about “multi-culturalism”, and indecision about Europe. Ten years
later, snap. Even the famed peace process in Northern Ireland flowed naturally
from the earlier work of John Major. "

A view summed up in the papers leader

"It ends today as it began, stage-managed to the last detail. From the "new
dawn" he spoke of just as the sun rose on that May morning a decade ago through
to today's meticulously choreographed exit, Tony Blair has not had a spontaneous
public moment.
His cringe-making, seven-week farewell tour, with walk-on
roles for everybody from Nelson Mandela to Arnold Schwarzenegger, may be a
demeaning end to a premiership, but in many ways it encapsulates the
quintessence of New Labour. For if the Blair era has been marked by anything, it
is the triumph of image over substance.
Our departing Prime Minister promised
so much and has, in truth, delivered so little. No leader of any political
stripe has taken office with such a powerful mandate, such overwhelming popular
approval. Yet how carelessly he squandered the opportunity to effect real
change. "

Jonathan Freedland in the Guardian maintains that

"Tony Blair will leave today not with his head bowed, or drummed out of
office, but on a day and in a manner of his choosing. He has choreographed his
exit with a thousand send-offs: cheers at Sedgefield, a last hug at the White
House, a final round of backslapping from European leaders last week and yet
another ovation from a Labour conference on Sunday. No hint of a leader made to
dip his head for a fateful, lethal mistake."

The Times under its leader"Too Soon to Potter About" says

"Tony Blair leaves office today at a time broadly of his choosing (give or take
12 months or so), at a comparatively youthful age and with his health intact.
This is a remarkable achievement for a prime minister. "

adding that

"Mr Blair is right, nonetheless, to believe that there is more that he can
offer public life and that the international stage provides him with that
opportunity"

Max Hastings writing in the Mail says "May God judge Blair more kindly than British history"

The past few months have been like some nightmare party staged by David Brent at
which the speeches never end, the principal guest keeps thrusting his grinning
features around the door one more time, the drink ran out long ago and the
washrooms are full of people looking green and clutching basins.

adding that

The smart way to leave a job is suddenly.

For the Sun's leader

Love him or loathe him — and there are plenty on both sides — this PM has
given Britain a genuine lift in ten years at Number 10.
This country is more
tolerant and at ease with itself than at any time in its post-war
history.
We’ve enjoyed unprecedented prosperity and social
stability.
Despite recriminations over Iraq, immigration and rising crime, he
can rightly claim that as a remarkable achievement.