Return of the king?

In his book ‘A Journey’, Tony Blair describes his horror at the thought of being compared with Neville Chamberlain, the PM who chose to appease Hitler by conceding the Sudetenland region - a policy seen as displaying a lack of foresight when war appeared inevitable.

But since the Iraq war, a more suitable comparison with Blair is that of Anthony Eden, the PM who - despite displaying capability in domestic policy - is remembered for an abortive military intervention at the Suez Canal in Egypt. This move ended his premiership and damaged his reputation for years to come.

Little wonder then, that Blair, a Prime Minister who never lost an election, who engineered the Good Friday Agreement, devolved the Welsh and Scottish parliaments and who oversaw unprecedented public service reform - may feel his legacy is sorely misrepresented.

A return to front-line politics would not only give him a chance to ‘set the record straight’, but also bolster a Labour Party who, despite a five point poll lead, remain essentially unelectable under Ed Miliband.

So Blair’s recent appointment on giving advice on the Olympic legacy could be the first move in his return. His role, advising how to "maximise both its economic and its sporting legacies" reflects Blair's part in the successful bid to host the Games, as well as his sporting foundation, one of the key charitable causes in his retirement.

But this is complicated. Blair remains an unbridled force in the Labour Party, and at 59, he is still young in political terms. He could lead again, and will not want to spend his political capital on Ed Miliband, after backing his brother David in the leadership run-off.

Similarly, Ed risks being undermined after he was elected on a more Left-wing platform than his Blairite brother.

The weighty legacies of the war on terror hang round Blair’s neck. Can we forgive Tony Blair? Can we let him back in?  He has always been - and remains - defiant on the issue.

Maybe one day the lesson of Eden will come back to help him - opinions may change on Iraq as they did for Eden and Suez. As Blair writes in A Journey: “I am unable to satisfy the desire even of some of my supporters, who would like me to say: it was a mistake but one made in good faith.

"Friends opposed to the war think I'm being obstinate; others, less friendly, think I'm delusional. To both I may say: keep an open mind.”