Apart from one area of agreement with Blair, his staunch support for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (his support for his own military another matter entirely), his tenure as Prime Minister has been short on successes and heavy on avoidable disasters. Admirably he pushed and pushed for peace deals in Northern Ireland, not so admirably, he’s reformed the UK by copying Canada at its worst.

Taking advantage of the vast powers that accrue to the Queen’s first minister under the Westminster system, Mr. Blair has set about remaking the United Kingdom with an unprecedented zeal. For example, he’s abolished the old hereditary House of Lords and replaced it with an all-appointed upper chamber of cronies and has-beens. He’s introduced “asymmetrical federalism” to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, allowing the last to maintain privileged relations with foreign governments (the Irish Republic), as Quebec does with France. An Ottawa-style Upper House of pliant deadbeats, “distinct society” status for problematic territories, the introduction to Scotland of a local Parliament divided between separatists and “soft nationalists,” the unceasing demand that ancient institutions and symbols “modernize” themselves for the needs of a multicultural society … After four years, it seems pretty clear that what Tone’s exciting “New Britain” boils down to in practice is boring old Canada. “Cool Britannia” (as the Blair regime dubbed itself) is cool mainly in the sense that Nunavut in February is. One assumes that New Labour is remodelling the mother country along the lines of its forgotten lion cub mostly unintentionally. But nonetheless, when a Blairite think-tank proposes replacing the Union flag with some designer logo, they are, consciously or not, searching for a British Maple Leaf.

Here are four interesting pieces on what is supposedly The Queen’s take: Blairs gone none too soon, but dinner for Queen? maybe … maybe not; New Labour reforms are progressive prattle and not in the Britain’s best interest; Mrs. Blair is a wench; and, seemingly, Tony’s constitutional duties are a chore, which is unfortunate since all his predecessors thought them helpful and good for the country.