All this "unprecedented" praise and applause for the departing Blair in the Commons - and "unprecedented" clapping led by Cameron??? - proves only one thing.... rogues, vagabonds and p*ssartists mutually adore each other.

Even sleazy operators like Blair, it seems, "can stand tall" and "pursue noble causes" in our House of Commons (in Blair's words).

Yuk!!!

Yorker, bit unfair to have a pop at our man there. I'm sure he was clapping as it was clearly the right thing to do at the time.
I imagine DC would also like to see the man arrested over misleading parliament over Iraq and his involvement in cash for honours - but let's be realistic here - whilst he probably thinks that, he would not vocalise it.

Clapping is not done in the House, I heard, and DC broke with tradition. If so it seems a rather unnecessarily generous gesture towards someone he should have impeached. It just reinforces the impression that today's Parliament is nothing more than a mutual admiration society for like-minded confidence tricksters.

So DC is our new prince of PCness.


Is that not what he should be doing. If he cannot voice his or a lot of the public's concerns then what use is he as a leader?
It would have been completely justified for him to do so, Tony has only resigned its not as though we have to show our condolences for his loss either.

There are a few "traditions" they could do with breaking away from Yorker. As for the mutual admiration society - there was a few years during the Blair tenure that I would have agreed wholeheartedly with your sentiment. With DC I am rapidly reaching the conclusion that this is no longer the case. I certainly hope so - if not he is the best confidence trickster to date. It is very rare for anyone to pull the wool over my eyes - which is why I didn't bother voting in either the 97 election or 2001. This time round I do believe we have the opportunity to vote for a man of principle. I will be gutted if I'm proven wrong.

Spat, it would be wholly innappropriate for the leader of the opposition to call the PM of the day a criminal unless there was proof.

You said yourself that DC would like to see him arrested.
I agree you need proof & evidence of a crime happening and who did before you can accuse someone. But why are you suggesting that Cameron, in his own mind, believes there has been a crime and that Blair done it (by suggest he be arrested) when it is highly inappropriate for the opposition leader to think such thoughts when he has supposedly not seen any evidence of the said crime being carried out by said person.

How much more proof do you want that the creep is a war crim?

I was as sickened as anyone while listening to the fulsome speeches.

But in defence of DC I feel that it is good manners to acknowledge Blair. I may not like it but he was a class act.

I personally think the standing ovation was a bit much and home that the Cash For Honours prosecution will be launched before the bugger hoofs it for Jerusalem and away from the clutches of Inspector Yates.

... Where he might be driven to seek sanctuary holed up with his Zionist pals in an illegal settlement surrounded by hopping-mad Hamas and Hezbollah guerrillas... A more fitting end than the blaze of glory and all-is-forgotten standing ovation given him by Cameron & Co at Westminster.

Betty Boothroyd got a standing ovation from the House when she announced her retirement.

If the *Speaker* doesn't say it's wrong, it isn't!

Like him or not, Blair has devoted 10 years of his life to serving his country. I respect Cameron for acknowledging that and feel it would have been perhaps more inappropriate for him and his party to be the only ones that didn't give Blair the standing ovation. It was a sign of respect and I think it was the right thing to do in the situation.