and while the philosophy is sort of red, the air was apparently blue in Downing Street as Tony and his great mate Gordon worked through the finer points of a leadership succession strategy.

Today, the political commentators were having another field day.

I’d quite like to be a political commentator one day, incidentally.

Unless I’ve completely misunderstood the way it works, you can say almost anything and put it down to ‘a source close to . . .’ that you never have to name, just so long as you can say it with enough bravado and look confident.

And so long as everyone else in the media is prepared to agree, it’s the truth.

Sometimes, however, you can clearly see from where the truth arises. Tom Watson, pictured, the Labour MP for West Bromwich East, is famously the MP with the blog – a web-based diary of his thought and deed.

If you want to plainly see why he resigned as Parliamentary Under Secretary at State at the Ministry of Defence, he’ll tell you, in his own write, at www.tom-watson.co.uk.

And, what’s more, he’ll tell you what the Prime Minister thought of his decision, because that’s there, too.

Both Tom Watson’s resignation letter and Tony Blair’s response are available for you to view untainted by spin and with no-one’s notes in the margin.

There is a hint of the MP’s leanings in a previous blog entry, in which he names Labour’s potential bright young things of the future:

“Ed Balls, Jacqui Smith, David Miliband, Pat McFadden, James Purnell, Andy Burnham, Liam Byrne, Yvette Cooper, Douglas Alexander, Caroline Flint and others – these are all ministers under 45. All of them are cooking on gas with policy ideas.”

That list doesn’t however, include MP John McDonnell, who is launching a campaign for the Labour Party leadership this very evening.

Frankly, however, Mr McDonnell’s blog at www.john-mcdonnell.net is a pale shadow of Tom Watson’s.

It does have a similar style, but where it does differ is in content.

The first, last and only entry on the home page is dated July 20, but it does tempt us with more on the leadership thing, which may explain the lack of activity here.

At the campaign website www.john4leader.org.uk, Mr McDonnell promises us that: “Another World Is Possible”, which is all well and good, but surely even the most rabid anti-Blairite was only looking for a change of leader, not some kind of religious experience.

Tonight, the Mechanics Institute in Manchester is the place to be, where: “We are to be the first off the starting blocks in the election campaign to determine the future leader and therefore the future of our party.”

Him and Tony Benn. He’s seen the future on another world and it’s populated by Tony Benn. Take me to your leader.

Someone should warn Gordon who, by the way, is completely blogless. The nearest you get is what’s called a “miniprofile” on the HM Treasury site at www.hm-treasury.gov.uk.

Tiny Blur, the fast-disappearing leader doesn’t have his own website either, mind.

Meanwhile, back at Tom Watson’s blog, a genuine prediction: “West Bromwich has an unexpected spin-off to the smoking ban.

“Tansun, a highly respected company in my constituency are world beaters at producing electric patio heaters. Good on them. They’ve also developed the most ingenious electric barbeques. Coming to a gas-free city balcony near you. Mark my words, they’re the future.”

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