For all those who think that Tony Blair should be re-elected (an election is likely on May 5) because he has “got the big things right”:

“Tony Blair’s plans for defence cuts are a “stab in the back” for the men and women he has sent to war, Michael Howard, the Tory leader, has said. Infantry battalions are being reduced from 40 to 36 under a shake-up which will create a new Scottish “super regiment”. But the Conservatives have pledged to spend £2.7 billion to save the regiments if they are elected.Mr Howard today accused the Prime Minister of taking a “gamble with our national security”. He said: “Anybody who has given serious thought to the threats we face today could not conclude that we currently have enough soldiers in the infantry.”But Labour have let Armed Forces’ manning levels drop 3,000 below establishment. On top of that, the Government has announced a further cut in our infantry levels of four battalions.”What a stab in the back for the men and women Mr Blair sent into the line of fire.” Mr Blair’s “obsession” with Europe was also damaging Britain’s defence capability, Mr Howard said. EU proposals to lift the arms embargo on China, opposed by the US, are a prime example of the way Europe was working against British interests, he said. George W Bush, the US president, has signalled that UK and European defence contracts could lose contracts while EU forces could be denied US technology if the embargo is lifted. “The attitude of Mr Blair’s Government at best has been ambivalent,” Mr Howard said. “Let us remember this is an arms embargo – not a trade embargo.”

The Tories are terrible, but Tony Blair is far, far worse. Chuck him out.