Stress, Prime Minister

There was a state of alert in the Shropshire Star newsroom this week.

At the beginning of the week there were rumours that President Blair, sorry, the Prime Minister would be gracing us with his presence, but try as we may we couldn’t get confirmation.

Until the night before.

So, yesterday was, shall we say, a little fraught.

Especially as we were told Mr Blair would not be in Telford until 2pm - right on deadline.

Now given the battering the Government has been taking over, well, everything lately there was always the remotest of remote possibilities that Tone might step up to the lecturn and casually announce: “So long and thanks for all the fish.”

Normally, we would react to this if and when it happened, but given the tight times, we decided to take the boy scout approach and be prepared.

And so it was that my colleague Kirsty Marston spend most of the late morning writing Mr Blair’s political obituary.

Of course, he didn’t quit (or if he did we may have just dropped a clanger, cos we missed it) and all Kirsty’s hard work was for nought. For now…

Experience has also taught me these things never run to plan, and true to form at 2.05pm photographer Andrew “OJ” Cunningham phoned to say Tone was delayed. How long…?

“He’s expected between 2.15 and 3pm”. Oh. Dear.

Fortunately, Mr Blair didn’t keep us waiting too long and our last edition left the presses just a few minutes late.

On Wednesday Princess Anne is coming to the county. Stand by your beds…