Blair has ceased to govern. Douglas Hurd.

The prime minister tells the Labour party to stop playing petty politics and let him get back to governing the country. The distinction he makes between petty politics and governing is real, but he draws the wrong conclusion. The atmosphere of decay around government is unmistakable. He still has room for manoeuvre in the sphere of petty politics, but his days of real governing are over. What lies before Tony Blair is a period during which Labour party politics will dominate his scene as he tries to organise a graceful exit.

It is strange how often distinguished leaders get this wrong. Winston Churchill stayed too long for his own reputation; so did Margaret Thatcher; so does Tony Blair. Such leaders are surrounded by courtiers who tell them that they are indispensable: "Prime minister, if I may say so, that last speech of yours was one of your very best ... " But the appetite for power outlasts the ability to wield it effectively or with dignity. There are dire examples in Europe today. Gerhard Schröder and Silvio Berlusconi had to be dragged almost physically from office. Jacques Chirac remains a basically empty figure while others sort out the poisonous rivalries of succession.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,1777206,00.html

circuit. Money, money, money - it's all so funny in a rich man's world..