Good luck Gordon

TONY Blair's farewell visit to the White House showed that the transition of power is well under way. And Gordon Brown's unanimous election as leader of the Labour Party and, by extension, as Prime Minister elect, is the indication that the old order is on the way out.

Mr Brown's aim is to restore public trust in government and the Government. And not before time. John Major's time in office led to a massive turn off in politics and politians. And after a brief flirtation with the bright promise of a new beginning with Tony Blair, the voters soon became disillusioned again with all the spin, reannouncements of stale policy, and arrogance for parliament and the institutions of Britain.

The stage is set for Brown to change all that. Let's wish him well. He'll have to tread carefully now that Alex Salmond has taken charge in Ediburgh. A falling out could be a calamity for the union. And whatever our individual politics, surely the maintenance of the United Kingdom should be our main concern.

Mr Brown is far more Eurosceptic than Blair. In Nicolas Sarkosy, the new French president, he'll find someone who wants put his country's interest before that of the all-choking EU.