Waning Blair

Waning Blair: Not the End of the Beginning, But the Beginning of the End

PEJ News - C. L. Cook - Tony Blair's lame pronouncement on losing New Labour's first House of Commons vote in more than eight years sums up both his myopic world view, and his moral bankruptcy. With a somewhat less than stiff upper lip, Tony imparted this: "Sometimes it is better to lose and do the right thing than to win and do the wrong thing."

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Waning Blair:
Not the End of the Beginning,
But the Beginning of the End
C. L. Cook

PEJ News
November 9, 2005

The right thing in question was his government's attempt to further strengthen what many already see as Britain's draconian "anti-terror" laws. Blair tabled legislation to extend the period the state can hold "terror suspects" in detention without trial or representation to 90 days. The House's rejection did not go so far as to repeal the nullification of Habeas Corpus, a power Blair's government previously granted itself, instead limiting the length of such detentions to 28 days. But, Blair's defeat is more significant than a single reversal, it signals the defection of Labour party members, effectively ending Blair's majority rule in parliament.

Undaunted, today Blair chided not only his own turncoat MP's, but the House as a whole, saying the thumbs down on his proposed legislation signalled a "worrying gap" between dissenting members and the public will. Defying irony, Blair's criticism denies his own massive loss of credibility among British voters.

Blair never recovered from the so-called "Downing Street Memos" (DSM) scandal that broke as front page news in Britain earlier this year. The memos of 2002 meetings held in the run-up to the Iraq invasion record British intelligence's extreme scepticism about reports of Saddam Hussein's ability to threaten either his neighbours or the U.K., suggesting the file was exaggerated to support the American determination to topple Iraq's government.

Opposition leader, Michael Howard used the loss in the House to again call for the Prime Minister's resignation, while "rebel" Labour MP, Paul Flynn warned back-benchers would not play Blair's "poodles," a not so subtle reference to Blair sobriquet "Bush's Poodle."

Despite the limiting of Blair's initiative, an amended version of the bill finally passed has Muslim in Britain expressing concern. They worry that the proposed banning of religious organizations and clamping down on Muslim websites and publications effect media freedoms and could prove further fuel for resentments and serve to push fanatical organizations underground.

A working group of Muslim experts simultaneously released the finding of their months long study of the July 7th tube bombings in London, saying British foreign policy was a "key contributory factor" to that act of terrorism and possible future attacks within England.

Party loyalists are playing down Blair's reversal, saying it's a "one-off," but with controversial policy bills on welfare, private pensions, and healthcare due to be read in the House in the new year, Blair will have a busy Christmas trying to bring his party to heel.

Blair's motion lost by 31 votes, despite Labour's 66 seat majority in parliament.



Chris Cook is a contributing editor at PEJ News. He also hosts Gorilla Radio, a weekly public affairs program, broad/webcast from the University of Victoria, Canada.

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