Visit from his Tonyness

The Prime Minister popped in to see us at work today.

It was all very hush hush, no one new anything about it until about 2 hours before the event. The first I new anything was happening was when I saw an ITV film crew turn up this morning - parked in our car park right across from where I sit. No one really new why it was there. Well I'm sure some people did, but no one in my office did put it that way. Then after about an hour there was a new news item on the corporate Intranet to say that Granada Report was broadcasting live from our building for their usual 6pm slot on ITV.

Then about mid-day, lots of police with sniffer dogs turned up outside the building, and lots of other official looking people were milling about outside and in the lobby.

It wasn't until about 3pm that word got round that TB was visiting. There was then another news item confirming it on the Intranet, saying that the Granada Report broadcast would be a live Q&A with Tony Blair, focusing on the work-life balance, which the company I'm working for is supposedly a leading advocate of.

It was all very exciting! Well, not really. I didn't even get to see him in the end. I was on my phone standing in the lobby when one of the security guards asked me to clear the area. Just as I was walking back into my office I heard the police sirens as the motorcade turned up. A massive entourage then quickly walked past my office, which I presume TB was in the middle of, but I never saw him.

Anyway it turns out my office wasn't just on Granada Report, it was also on the main ITV News as they did an interview with him prior to the Granada Report broadcast.

As I left the office I walked straight past the motorcade and thought about taking some pictures, but bottled it because of all the police and what looked like Close Protection Team. Which on retrospect was quite stupid of me, I'm sure they're used to get photographed by Japanese tourists all the time!