The contradiction at the heart of Tony Blair’s foreign policy lies in its combination of firm support for the US with an obsessive desire to take the UK deeper into the EU. Such an entanglement with ‘Europe’ would make a repeat performance of Britain’s current stand alongside this country quite impossible. The shambles of the last few weeks should have led Blair to realize that the EU was not all that he had hoped. Unfortunately, this may not be the case. Here are some comments from Peter Mandelson, the individual most often credited with the rise of ‘new’ Labour and the creation of ‘Tony Blair’. Mandelson, by many accounts still a confidant of Blair, is now suggesting that the Prime Minister should use any post-war popularity to propel Britain into the Euro. Such a step would be a disaster, a defeat stolen from the jaws of victory. Blair should know better than to listen to his old friend.

Perhaps his new friend, George, could have a few words.