Back in May, days before Blair’s resignation, BBC Parliament replayed the BBC’s 1997 Election Night coverage in its entirety. Watching the cheering crowds (and a clearly audible “wanker!” directed at John Major as he drove away from Buckingham Palace), I remembered the genuine excitement and optimism about Labour’s landslide victory. This wasn’t false hope, it seemed oh-so-real at the time.
However, I can’t help but feel that many people were cheering just as loudly today, when he left office.