[Gayle]

As it happens, I didn't vote for him when he first came in (although technically neither did you Chav).

Anyway, that aside, I know what you mean. I didn't vote at all that year because I didn't respect John Major or trust Tony Blair. My views on Blair have actually changed over the years and I tend to think he's done an ok job of it.

I've pulled this off Labour's website

• Britain now has the lowest inflation for thirty years and the lowest mortgage rates for forty years - saving homeowners an average of £3,700 a year compared to the Tory years. We have the longest period of sustained growth for 200 years.
• The number of people in work is at a record level, up by over 2 million since 1997.
• Over 1.5 million working people are better off thanks to the National Minimum Wage.
• Hospital waiting lists in England are at their lowest since 1987.
• In the NHS there are 19,300 more doctors and over 77,500 more nurses working with modern equipment, giving faster access to more people, all free at the point of need.
• Standards are up across the board including the best ever primary school results. More teachers are in our schools than at any point in last 20 years - 28,500 more than in 1997.
• Police numbers are at record levels - up over 12,500 since 1997, and are assisted by over 4,000 new Community Support Officers.


People who believe in the Labour party will read this with interest, people who are opposed to the Labour party will think it's all spin and lies.

The fact is that people have got bored of Blair, bored of his holidays and of his style, they got cross because he took us to war (despite the fact that it was the whole of parliament that took us to war - including the Conservatives and that Cameron did vote for the war), essentially he's had his day.

But, they have not necessarily failed. We always believe that the grass is greener on the other side and that the party in control is failing when in fact, that's never usually the case but that we look back on history with rose tinted spectacles.