Sir, While describing the resolution in N. Ireland, it becomes easy to overlook the fundamental equation, foreseeable for some time, as Catholics have simply out reproduced the Protestants. When comparing it to Iraq, we call it, "Apples and Oranges." God bless you.

Mr Melman's evaluation of TB is the most generous and wide-ranging. I hope that the Mr Blair's achievements outweigh his Iraqi blunder. That's a big hope.

Regarding the conviviality of the Northern Irish rapprochement--it reminds me of something Gandhi said about the English. To paraphrase, 'We could never had won our freedom as we did if the English were not gentlemen.' The other peoples of the British Isles are also gentlemanly. Without this gentlemanliness the conviviality wouldn't exist.

I agree with Yossi Melman with regards to Ireland, but is there is a major contradiction in what he says. Surely, the premise for Ireland was a determination to settle differences through negotiation and communication, not through guns, bombs and death squads. And although this happened on Blair's watch and because talking had already begun, it would never have succeeded if Blair had used military tactics to achieve peace. War can never achieve peace, it's a contradiction in terms!

Saddam Hussein was never a threat to Britain and the western world, led by the US, should leave the Middle East alone and stop meddling in the affairs of others. One day, when there is no more oil, that may well happen!

If there is anything to learn here, it is that peace in Ireland would not have come about, had both sides not been willing to set aside violence, something that the US, Israel and the Palestinians don't seem to understand. It takes brains I guess, not bullets!

Tony Blair is a tragic figure forever linked to Buhs's Iraq War failure. Tony Blair will be remembered as Bush's poodle.

Why yes, we should salute Blair, with the blood of how many tens of thousands of Iraqis dripping
from our elbows as we do so?
It's like Mussoulini made the trains run on time and there was that guy in
Germany who revived the economy, etc...
Somethings overwhelm other things. Blood and torn bodies and reputations of states. But
then the blood of Arabs doesn't weigh too heavily on your hands, does it.

At present we here in Britain cannot see Blair for Iraq, and we cannot assess him in consequence. That won't be possible until all our troops have left Iraq, and Bush has left the White House, and Iraqis have left our news bulletins.

He has been surrounded by some very inadequate ministers, and has taken an over-prominent role himself. We're overdue for a change.