THURSDAY, May, 10, 2007 was a bad day for news as the only thing that it would appear happened was that Tony Blair flew all the way up to the North-East and back to London to tell a handful of supporters that he was standing down as Prime Minister.

Why he increased his carbon footprint by flying both ways to tell Labour Party members of his decision is beyond me, as the Sedgefield Constituency only voted him into the House of Commons as its MP, a position he never fulfilled; the Parliamentary Labour Party chose him as Prime Minister.

It made my blood boil listening to some of the Blairite MPs waffling on about what he achieved - basically nothing - and to give him credit for the Northern Ireland peace treaty dishonours the memory of the late Redcar MP, Mo Mowlam, who went into the prisons to meet and talk to hardened terrorists in pursuit of peace.

He's slowly privatising the NHS and his attempt at claiming glory for the minimum wage is beyond belief when he should be talking about a living wage, not minimum wage plus income support.

Peter Dolan, Newton Aycliffe, Co Durham.

MAY 10, 2007 - a historic day, or so it seems. Our Prime Minister is retiring and handing the post, apparently, to his loyal and trusted colleague, Gordon Brown, the unelected Mr Brown.

Does it not seem quite ironic that the SNP is crying out for Scottish independence while we are going to have yet another Scotsman at the helm with a fairly substantial number of his countrymen in the Cabinet?

I leave you with this whimsical thought: these gentlemen appear to be managing to do to England, peacefully it has to be said, what Robert Bruce and William Wallace couldn't. Only joking folks - I think?

John Cunningham, Willington, Crook, Co Durham.

THE report by Professor Fred Robinson, of Durham University, on the Blair years in government made heartening reading (Echo, May 1).

The report "Never Had It So Good? The North-East Under New Labour", refers to undoubted prosperity in the North-East.

It contrasts greatly with the doom-laden years of the 1960s, 70s and 80s when it was virtually accepted that the region was one without hope.

In the ten-year period covered by the report, one of the most pleasing findings has been the steady fall of unemployment.

Its success in this regard is an indication that the Blair Government has kept faith with the region.

LD Wilson, Guisborough, East Cleveland.

TONY Blair has finally announced he is to step down as leader of this country. I thought he already had, handing over the reins of international policy to George Bush and domestic policy to the EU.

I can't say that he will be greatly missed, but it was not a coincidence he announced his resignation only minutes after an interest rate rise was announced - spinning to the last, burying bad news.

His only future appearances I look forward to are if his cronies implicated in the "cash for honours"

scandal come to trial and his ultimate appearance at a tribunal for war crimes.

Colin T Mortimer, Pity Me, Durham City.