The Irish in Britain, including those of Irish descent, make up a significant part of the UK population. Here, you will find news, entertainment, events, sports and features from the local Irish Post newspaper.

THERE is an old saying along the lines of: Beware of wanting something too much because you might just get it.

Sulky Gordon Brown could not wait to get Tony Blair out of 10 Downing Street and I can’t help wondering if he is regretting it just a little bit now.

I can remember many years ago a friend telling me about an exchange of comments that he witnessed between Big Tom — who was doing great business at the time — and a couple of music heads from a trendy pop band.

The lads were sniggering at Tom who simply said: “Who is laughing at who?”

Game, set and match to the Castleblayney man who probably could have bought and sold the pop band several times over.

It is a bit like that with Blair and Brown.

Tony is raking in the cash while Gordon is finding out what being the frontman really means.

While Tony Blair’s position as Middle East envoy is not a paid job it keeps his profile high and enables him to earn loads of money as an after-dinner speaker.

He is probably wondering why he did not do it sooner. The figure being bandied about is reputed to be in the region of £200,000 pounds per gig so who is laughing at who now?

If he does a few gigs a month then Tony is in superstar territory. Is this what it was all about? Is this the payoff that made the entire hassle and strife of public office worthwhile?

I can almost see him laughing along with Cherie saying: “Where did it all go wrong?”

He is reputed to be an even bigger draw than Bill Clinton.

I suppose Bill might catch up again if wife Hillary succeeds in her ambition to become the first woman to become President — but that’s another story for another day.

And then there is Gordon Brown. Reputed to be way behind Tory leader David Cameron in the popularity stakes with women — that just about sums up the depth of English politics — he is struggling to recover from the fiasco surrounding the election that never was.

He does not look comfortable at any stage during his House of Commons exchanges with David Cameron whereas Tony Blair actually seemed to enjoy the banter.

It is almost too easy for David Cameron who needs to be wary of coming across as a bully by putting the boot in too much.

It might backfire with a sympathy swing to Brown.

I can’t help wondering if Gordon Brown resents Tony Blair even more now?