It seems clear to me that Tony Blair does not really care whether Labour gets in at the next election. He cares about his legacy and if Labour fails withou thim what better testimony to his authority and popularity. He has made sure that apart from Gordon Brown there is no one of stature and popularity to succeed him, and he seems intent on undermining Brown whom many people are worried out in any case. Blair should go giving enough time for Brown to establish himself as a safe pair of hands before the next election. David Manson, London

May I suggest Tony's exit strategy includes an application for the Tory party leadership? After all, they are struggling to find anyone credible and he has a laudable pedigree in adopting Conservative policy. A win/win situation for all. Steve Proud, Dunedin, New Zealand

Blair, like Brown, is clever tactically but not so good when it comes to strategy. His original statement regarding his effective abdication begged awkward questions and bore inevitable lame duck implictaions. If truth were known, it was probably an impetuous impulse brought about by realisation of his own unpopularity - rather like the time he announced on TV that Britain was going to spend as much on health as mainland European nations - most likely without any particular prior consultation. The best metaphor for Blair is that his attention and focus on any issuue is like a lighthouse beam - illuminating the issue of the moment for a fleeting instant and swiftly moving on, leaving it (and us) in the dark. Alan Taylor, Wivelsfield, West Sussex

Tony Blair doesn't want an exit strategy, let alone need one at the moment. Funny that after eight years of Blair, people still think that him saying something will happen, means it's actually going to happen. And Gordon Brown has the same talent for promising what's "going to happen"; he's going to produce a society we can all be proud of, apparently. Let me guess how: by a good bit of tax-and-spend social engineering, maybe? This is a tired old-new party promising a tired old-new leader with exhausted new-old policies. Hang on to your wallets. Jonathan Jones, London

Tony Blair will cling on until the bitter end - to hear him wittering on about his "legacy" is laughable. I don't think he should go now however as I don't fancy Gordon Brown as PM either - they're both as smug and useless as each other. Why should Blair be open about his intentions now? He never has been before. Carole Tyrrell, London

He must make an honorable exit and must plan it in a way that the transition is smooth and doesn't hurt the process of governance and policy-making. With Gordon Brown making his intentions clear, Blair should start preparing for exit from 10 Downing Street and at the same time provide Brown with appropriate advice and counseling in the best interest of nation and the people of Great Britain. Ahson Saeed Hasan, Rockville, USA

Blair has had his chance and made a complete mess of it. Nothing he can do now will rescue his reputation so the sooner he goes the better. However I am not convinced that Gordon Brown is fit for the position. He had more than one chance in the past few years and ducked out each time, not the conduct of a real leader. Robert MacDonald-Mair, Portsoy

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