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NEW ZEALAND: Thanks for all your comments. I do read them, you know, even when I'm on my travels. Earlier today Matthew Hill wrote this about the speculation Tony Blair is contending with:
What is wrong with journalists, don't they like any suprises at all? I bet they all spoilt Christmas for themselves by looking for their presents. Blair's already indicated he will stay until pretty-much-the-end of his term; that's quite a long time away! Why isn't that enough information?
The answer's simple - it's because no-one in Westminster believed he meant to serve a full term and a growing number in his own party don't want him to. The events of recent weeks have highlighted that the question of when he stands down might not be for him alone to answer .
I'm 
Comments
Sorry for the loss of some comments which were published here earlier. It happened because of a technical problem - not I assure you because they were censored! If you made a point which has been lost, please feel free to re-post it.
It's because no-one in Westminster believed he meant to serve a full term
Can't speak for anyone else but neither did I. And I've never even visited the Westminster village.
Thanks Nick.
My earlier comment was lost, but such are the shifting sands that my rant about the endless press speculation regarding the PM's departure is no longer timely.
Firstly, there has been an attack on the media by Hoon. I broadly agree that they have their part to play in the decline and debasement of politics. However, they often cater to our own base desire for debasement, so what else do we expect!
The only solution I can think of is for a trial moratorium on talking directly to the press: All statements, questions and answers from politicians should for one week take place only in the chambers of parliament. The press can report and comment, but could not directly ask or be told. How does that sound? Wrench the function of accountability from the press and restore it to elected members of parliament, maybe?
However, after my initial rant about press appetite for 'when will he go' stories, we get a Labour MP standing up and saying 'Blair needs to tell us when he is going'. Argh. This MP's Andy Warhol style 5 minutes is at the expense of us all; it will generate another mindless news cycle on process not policy. Et tu Parliamentary Labour Party? Then get more exasperated Caesar!
Oh yes, and maybe fall...
All we get from the press is speculation about when Blair will go or some other story that they think will be the next big headline.What we the people want/need is for the press to start doing there main job,start asking questions about the effects of high density/high compressed housing that the government seems so wedded to i.e.does this sort of housing bring about more mental illness/depression/crime/drug taking etc.What studies have been carried out that confirm this will happen etc.What about asking how britain will fair as a country that relies on the world to feed it and with climate change,regime change,world population increasing will britain be facing starvation in the coming years?.There are indeed many things that the press can do for us the people to get people aware of what is going on in the world but they fail to do there main job just like our politicians.I wonder if this is one of the causes of people being disengaged from politics hence low turnout at polling times?.