Firstly, I, too, will be away for the rest of today so there will be no column for Tuesday. This is Monday's column, admittedly a little late due to various problems.

The Conservative Party must be highly amused. If the TUC and Labour carry on at their present rate, even the Tories cannot fail to get elected at the next general election. It seems that despite being supposedly on the same side, and in the presence of close ties that have linked the two organisations for decades, the TUC and Labour can no longer agree on anything. Most recently, the TUC has attacked Labour over Iraq and Union executive Bob Crow has done little, if anything, to further the cause of either side, pinning obscure and unworkable deadlines to his demands. Now, the TUC conference is being billed as a contest rather than a progressive debate, Blair versus the TUC at high noon.

Frankly, Blair has better things to worry about. Yes, domestic policy is of course crucial and the TUC, for all its whingeing, is representing the people. Yes, obviously, the Prime Minister has a duty to pay very close attention to the people, and the unions, and act quickly and efficiently upon their whims. But not in the immediate build-up to a war with Iraq and possibly the whole Arab world, surely. Understandably the TUC want to push their points home, but Blair is hardly going to stand or fall on their every word whilst he is busy sorting out impending military strikes with the world's only remaining superpower. If I was Prime Minister, I know where my concerns would lie.

On the other hand, there is a little suspicion in my mind that Blair would quite fancy a war right about now. Last year, the TUC conference was cancelled due to the attacks on the World Trade Center. Even then, before it was cancelled, it was being billed as the unions against Blair. This time round, the unions have had a whole extra year to simmer away and gather their thoughts, whilst Blair is unlikely to have been pre-occupied with the TUC for a whole twelve months. Blair is at a definite disadvantage, and a war with Iraq would probably be a very welcome distraction. It would most likely perk up manufacturing and the defence industry for obvious reasons, it would give the country a cause to unite and would shove the concerns of the unions very firmly into the back of the collective consciousness. Again, if I were in the PM's shoes, I would be quietly hoping the US declares full-scale war some time soon. Monday? A 4.0.