Clarke criticises Blair's romance with Berlusconi

In an interview with the Guardian Charles Clarke claims that Tony Blair "really damaged" Britain's relations with Europe by forging such close links with Berlusconi and Aznar. He says Blair's "personal relationships with Berlusconi and Aznar, going to weddings and holidaying in houses, has really damaged relations with the successors of Berlusconi and Aznar - Prodi and Zapatero". Perhaps it is dawning on Clarke that under the Brown dispensation it is unlikely he will be restored to high office (recently Clarke has questioned the need to waste zillions on Trident, whereas Brown is gung-ho on this, and not so long ago Clarke was musing that Brown had "psychological isues" and is a "control freak". Brown is not, I think, a very forgiving man). Clarke is right about Trident, has a point vis-a-vis Brown, and is spot-on vis-a-vis Blair and Berlusconi. I suspect many Labour Ministers, and many more MP's, held their heads in despair at the shameful spectacle of Blair consorting with Berlusconi. And God knows what Prodi must have thought.