article_snippet: For many of the greatest leaders in our history, one word was simply beyond many of the greatest leaders in our history.
article_snippet: the solemn goodbye in an address to the nation.
article_snippet: The Victorian titan William Gladstone led the Liberals to victory in 1892 at the staggering age of 82, long after most of William Gladstone colleagues thought William Gladstone should have stepped down.
article_snippet: Winston Churchill, too, had to be prised from office like an oyster from a shell.
article_snippet: Winston Churchill should have resigned in glory after winning World War II and losing the 1945 general election.
article_snippet: Instead, Winston Churchill refused to budge, even though Winston Churchill was increasingly debilitated by old age and a series of strokes.
article_snippet: From that moment, Mr Blair aura of leadership began to seep away.
article_snippet: So Wilson’s resignation, at the age of 60, stunned the nation.