Someone we all will miss.

I had planned to write a comment on the day that Tony Blair announced his plans to step down as leader of the Labour Party and as Prime Minister, but found that I didn't know how to express my disappointment at something I knew was inevitable, and had known it, like many others, for a long time. He has certainly been my main political hero for the last ten years, and I had fervently hoped that he would stay in office long enough to break Margaret Thatcher's record. Sadly, it was not to be.

I have had the privilege of seeing him 'live' and in person once in my life and, despite the fact that I was already a huge fan, was amazed by his speaking ability, political reasoning and incredible charm. He is, quite simply, the best politician I have ever seen, and I have met Bill Clinton, Colin Powell and George W. Bush. Tony Blair was better and more impressive than all of them.

It is rare to come across a leading politician where one finds that one agrees with the vast majority of their beliefs. Such was, and is, my relation to Tony Blair. It is only on the spiritual question where I would say our paths diverge. Critics would no doubt pose the question: How can you be a fan of his policies when so much of their design is based in Blair's Christian beliefs?

I would answer that his ideas of communitarianism are grounded not only with his Christianity, but also in my beliefs in secular humanism and the joint belief that human values and rights are universal. There is hope for a meeting of the minds when it comes to shared values between those who believe and those who don't, and, in my opinion, Blair is where they met.

As I thought of what I would want to say about his time in office, I found that the posting would be too long. Leave it to the man himself to write a piece in the Economist that covers his ideas far better than I ever could.

Tony Blair will be missed and I suspect far more than his detractors would ever believe. Regardless of who wins the next election in the UK, there will be a noticeable void in British politics. I hope that Tony Blair takes an influential global role that suits his abilities. He may not be Prime Minister for much longer, but the world still needs him.