Elections in Britain
Tony Blair is serving Britain as Prime Minister for the third consecutive term. And he is only 53! Rather than keeping his probable successor Gordon Brown, the Finance Secretary in suspense Blair has declared that he does not intend to be a candidate for the fourth term. In fact everything seems to be going according to plan for him.
The toughest time that Blair has faced so far is the now famous Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) with which fallen dictator Saddam Hussein of Iraq was capable of striking at targets including as far away as Britain. Of course this turned out to be a figment of imagination of the people surrounding Blair. The epithet of 'liar' has unfortunately stuck with Blair.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. What has given Tony Blair a relatively smooth sailing is the absence of a credible opposition. Lately the main opposition party, the Tory, has fielded a leader, who is very young, appears forceful. In all likelihood he will face Gordon Brown in 2010, if Blair does not choose to step down earlier. In fact pressure is rising inexorably for Tony Blair to step down.
Tony Blair has been Prime Minister of Britain for more than twelve years. In the nineties when Tony Blair appeared on the political horizon of Britain he was in his early forties and full of vigour. He brought a young team with him and literally reinvented what came to be known as New Labour. It meant effectively doing away with the usual left wing jargons associated with leftist ideas of the traditional Labour. What Blair has done successfully is that he has brought his party in the centre ground, which after all is the most fertile ground in any country that practices election politics.
The local election results is due to the inevitable wear and tear with time. Added to this is several scandals that have reared their heads. Tony Blair has rightly brought about important changes within his Cabinet. These are inevitable cosmetic changes. However it seems unlikely that he will be able to completely silence his detractors. Interestingly not much is being heard about Blair the 'poodle' of Bush. The truth is that there are very special friendship between Britain and the US. In fact when the chips are down British tilt towards the US is noticeable vis a vis the European Union (EU). Can we forget former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher coming out of 10 Downing Street, bag in hand and announcing loud and clear her support for her friend US President Ronald Reagan?
The local elections debacle is no signal that Britain is about to turn to the Conservative Tory. For the last two general elections the Tories have failed to field a credible candidate against Tony Blair, who has proved himself a master campaigner and leader of high stature. Between now and 2010 the young Conservative leader Cameron will have to prove that he can be handed over the reins of power. The contest is bound to be tough and would be very engaging. This is no time to bet.