Well said, Gareth!
I too did my bit of footslogging as a paid-up party member, and the general reaction I found on the doorstep (from those who could be arsed to vote - but don't get me on that one, or you'll get the full rant...) was that Blair as a person may have shortcomings, and certainly isn't the messiah, but what the Labour government has done since 1997 meant it deserved another go.
The minimum wage may not be as much as is needed, but it's better than what didn't exist earlier. Then there's the working families tax credit, the new deal, the winter fuel allowance....but maybe all you Blair-hating cynics out there are just too comfortable to benefit from such things.
And, for most people, the alternatives didn't bear thinking about. Ann Widdecombe may be the stuff taht wet dreams are made of for paid-up Tory party die-hards, but to most reasonable people her views are grotesque.