Should Tony Blair be Sacked as Middle East Peace Envoy?

The Office of Tony Blair has responded to a call for him to be sacked as Middle East peace envoy by claiming that it has been made by "an alliance of hard right and hard left views". Given that Ken Livingstone and George Galloway are amongst those demanding his head it is neither surprising nor unfair of Mr Blair to point out that these are the usual suspects.

However despite the fact that the messengers are hardly ideal the message their bear is a valid one.

Mr Blair has been Middle East peace envoy for seven years. But what has he achieved in that time? Is the Middle East a safer and more peaceful place as a result of his seven years in the role?

Israel and Palestine do not appear to be going at each other with as much ferocity as they have done in the past. Is that due to Mr Blair's calming influence or is it more to do with Israel's security wall and blockade of Gaza?

The problem with the role is that there is very little apparent accountability for what is a very public role, something that only adds to the feeling that it's a case of "jobs for the boys" and a way of salving the ego of a national leader whose time had run out at home.

Was anyone else, for example, considered for the role? If so why was Blair chosen? If not, why not?

What criteria are used to determine whether he is doing a good job or not? Is Tony Blair fulfilling these criteria?

Can we expect Mr Blair to remain in post for the rest of his life or until peace is achieved and at what point will "peace" be deemed to have arrived?

These are all questions which not only have not been answered but appear never to have even been asked.

Perhaps if the role went to some unknown career diplomat from Luxembourg, Ecuador or wherever it would not seem so important but the fact is Tony Blair is an internationally known former statesman. Not only that, but his time in office is now almost completely defined by the actions of his government in the Middle East.

Mr Blair may be doing tremendous work in promoting peace in the Middle East but there needs to be some level of accountability. Peace in the Middle East is too valuable a prize to be given away as a retirement gift.