And so it ended where it began. The last time Tony Blair was surrounded on a Thamesside stage by his people was to celebrate winning office. It was a heady occasion of post-Tory optimism and premillennial excitement as hundreds of thrilled Labour supporters revelled in the new dawn.
Ten years on, it felt as if half of London had turned out to bid the Prime Minister farewell as he sat proudly on a royal barge borrowed from the King of Thailand. They hung from bridges, packed the banks, bobbed in the flotilla that had followed in procession from Hampton Court as Mr Blair stood on the prow of the festooned vessel. And, then, suddenly, reality intrudes and disgruntled, ungrateful Labour MPs in a rubber dinghy shout obscenities and wave placards.
There was a hint of mob rule about Westminster yesterday. Three separate groups of irked “plotters” were wanting the Prime Minister to name a day for his departure, if not describe the festivities that would accompany the final farewell. Mr Blair could have ever so simply quieted the malcontents by stating in his interview with The Times last week that this autumn would mark his last party conference as leader. Instead, events have eluded him and fractious MPs have continued to make mischief.
The embarrassment has been compounded by his gushing memo-writers at Downing Street. Their scenario certainly has its attractions. Yet a foundation in reality is not one of its qualities. Not since Mr Blair’s appeal for “eye-catching initiatives” with which he could be linked have the inner musings of inner government provided such a reason to squirm.
There are grounds for some sympathy. Like a sausage factory, the machinations of government can be distasteful when viewed too closely. Controversial memos between friends have to be exchanged. Just because they are, it does not follow that they will be enacted in full. The memo also provides further proof, as do the statements of senior Labour figures, notably David Miliband, the Environment Secretary, that Mr Blair is indeed planning his leave. Unfortunately, the planning of the planning has been sloppy.
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Yet the essence of the memo, that the Prime Minister’s departure must be spun, massaged and generally micromanaged to death, shows how his exit could be wrecked by those who have his best interests at heart. At its centre, there appears a misguided belief that going out on a high is central to cementing Mr Blair’s legacy, and that, without a last hurrah, that legacy is threatened. Apart from offering a somewhat shallow reflection of his achievements, this is also misguided since it casts the public as dupes.
The revelation of the memo may do Mr Blair a favour, but only if the word “legacy” is henceforth utterly banned in Downing Street. It is impossible for the Prime Minister to determine what will be thought of him after he has left office and he must not even try.
There are many far more important issues, such as the entrenched social alienation of some 2.5 per cent of the population that Mr Blair addressed yesterday in a speech bristling with characteristic zeal for the challenge. In his remaining days, the Prime Minister should look to the horizon and provide definition for the challenges that will confront the country. The balloons, the confetti, the fireworks and the party hats should be sent back to the props cupboard at central casting.