Mar 16

　　Once upon a time Britain had a long-serving Labour prime minister, one who had won four general elections. He showed no signs of quitting. But suddenly, on March 16th 1976, Harold Wilson surprised everyone by announcing his resignation. Thirty years later, today's even longer-serving Labour prime minister, Tony Blair, also shows no sign of quitting, even though on the eve of the Wilson-resignation anniversary. Unlike Wilson, Mr Blair remains young and in good health. But he too may be thinking of springing a surprise.

　　There is Iraq, the invasion of which has its third anniversary on March 19th: Mr Blair's decision to take part in that venture is the single biggest reason why he is loathed by many Labour MPs but also the main reason why he is so admired across the Atlantic. Little by little, British troops are being withdrawn from the relatively peaceful areas of southern Iraq in which they have been based. No doubt Mr Blair would prefer to stay on until he can say that the British job has been done and the withdrawal has been a success.