Pressure on Blair Mounts as 8 Aides Resign
By ALAN COWELL
New York Times
LONDON, Sept. 6 — In a mood of gathering crisis, Prime Minister Tony Blair sought Wednesday to face down a revolt within his Labor Party as an extraordinary procession of eight junior aides resigned to protest his refusal to set a date to leave office soon.
The spectacle of Mr. Blair fighting off such challenges, in sharp contrast to the euphoria of his rise to power nine years ago, recalled Margaret Thatcher’s final days as her authority seeped away in 1990. Even as the chorus of dissent mounted, however, Mr. Blair was still scheduling Middle East diplomacy, with a planned visit to Lebanon on Monday.
British news reports late Wednesday said Mr. Blair would make some kind of announcement on Thursday about his intentions, apparently bending to the growing pressure.
Mr. Blair has dismissed challenges in the past — he was once nicknamed Teflon Tony — but British political analysts said the mood seemed more venomous this time. Some analysts depicted the public pressure as a renewed effort by supporters of Gordon Brown, the chancellor of the Exchequer and Mr. Blair’s heir apparent, to force the prime minister from office within the next few months.
But with the Labor Party’s annual conference scheduled for later this month and local elections next May likely to punish Mr. Blair’s party, legislators have become increasingly restless that they might lose their seats to a growing threat from the opposition Conservatives.
(There's more...)
New York Times
LONDON, Sept. 6 — In a mood of gathering crisis, Prime Minister Tony Blair sought Wednesday to face down a revolt within his Labor Party as an extraordinary procession of eight junior aides resigned to protest his refusal to set a date to leave office soon.
The spectacle of Mr. Blair fighting off such challenges, in sharp contrast to the euphoria of his rise to power nine years ago, recalled Margaret Thatcher’s final days as her authority seeped away in 1990. Even as the chorus of dissent mounted, however, Mr. Blair was still scheduling Middle East diplomacy, with a planned visit to Lebanon on Monday.
British news reports late Wednesday said Mr. Blair would make some kind of announcement on Thursday about his intentions, apparently bending to the growing pressure.
Mr. Blair has dismissed challenges in the past — he was once nicknamed Teflon Tony — but British political analysts said the mood seemed more venomous this time. Some analysts depicted the public pressure as a renewed effort by supporters of Gordon Brown, the chancellor of the Exchequer and Mr. Blair’s heir apparent, to force the prime minister from office within the next few months.
But with the Labor Party’s annual conference scheduled for later this month and local elections next May likely to punish Mr. Blair’s party, legislators have become increasingly restless that they might lose their seats to a growing threat from the opposition Conservatives.
(There's more...)
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