I was in Geneva for a family wedding over the weekend and was struck by how much more expensive everything is compared to the last time I was there two years ago. One reason is obviously the exchange rate difference with sterling a quarter down. Why is sterling down? Surely not having had the genius Gordon Brown running their economy might be an answer?

How could Tony Blair still maintain that Gordon Brown is brilliant when all the evidence points to the disastrous handling of the economy over 13 years? Is it because Tony Blair believes he has to say this as otherwise people will ask why he did not remove Gordon Brown even more insistently than they are doing already? If so Tony Blair is wrong as it will not change the opinion of those who consider he was one of the weakest and worst Prime Ministers we have ever had. A bad Prime Minister because he thought the end justifies the means (as demonstrated by his devolution policy and by his war strategy or lack of it) and weak because he constantly felt the need to show he was strong (as demonstrated by the introduction of a whole spate of crime legislation). My old Granny used to say never trust a man who claims integrity ("I'm a pretty straight kinda guy") as you know he has none. We shall probably never know but exactly how did Tony Blair manage to amass his fortune and when was the groundwork for doing so begun?