The end of the road?

Tony Blair's announcement on Thursday that he will step down as Prime Minister within the next year is too little, too late.

Blair has been desperately hanging onto the reins of power for more than a year, and his controlling grasp on British politics has been loosening with each passing day.

Almost everyone in the country has had their say on when Tony's tenure as PM should end, but the man himself has been conspicuously reluctant to step down, or even to set a date for his departure.

But how many of us, when push came to shove, would REALLY be willing to step down from the most powerful position in the country?

One of Blair's forebears in the post, Margaret Thatcher, refused to believe that she was not indestructible, and was finally toppled by rebellion from within her own ranks. That Blair has yet to set a specific date for a handover of power may yet be his undoing, and the man hailed as the country's most popular post-war PM when first elected in 1997 could find a red-handled knife buried deep within his shoulder blades.

The desire to stay on in positions of power applies not only to those in politics, but to almost every walk of life. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has long since been replaced as the country's premier football manager, his side now a poor imitation of the European Cup winning squad of 1999. Had Ferguson resigned as manager the day after lifting the trophy, his legacy would have been assured and his career would have climaxed with club football's highest high.

With each passing season he remains at the helm of Britain's biggest club, Fergie's previously untouchable reputation takes further knocks, whether through cack-handed transfer dealings or miserable performances at home and abroad.

The same rules apply in the music world, where supposed 'farewell' tours by rock gods from the past continue to highlight these bands' inability to know when to stop. The Rolling Stones, Eagles, Paul McCartney, Ozzy Osbourne and even Take That continue to dine out on their past glories, instead of retiring and leaving their reputations unsullied.

It may be a cliche, but perhaps the rock'n'roll code of "it's better to burn out that to fade away" is true.

Maybe Mr Blair should start playing with matches.