As Britain prepares to vote, Blair faces uneasy issue of Iraq
The honesty of the prime minister has been questioned as he seeks a third term.
By BILL ADAIR, Times Washington Bureau Chief
Published April 27, 2005
[AP photo]
Prime Minister Tony Blair takes a photograph of himself with local children during a campaign stop this month. TONY BLAIR AGE: He'll turn 52 on May 6, the day after the election. POLITICAL CAREER: First elected to the House of Commons in 1983. Elected Labour Party leader in 1994. Became prime minister when Labour Party won general election in 1997.
LONDON - For many British voters, the central question in next month's election is whether Prime Minister Tony Blair lied about Iraq.
But Blair has said little about the war and focused instead on issues for "school-gate mums" - cutting fatty foods in schools and getting tough against young bullies.
Michael Howard, his challenger from the Conservative Party, also has been making a pitch for the mums. He proposed a five-point plan against binge drinking and vowed to crack down on "yobs," rowdy young men who get drunk and vandalize property.
The emphasis on close-to-home issues is not unusual in Britain, where the national government plays a huge role in education and health care. But it is surprising that Blair's support of the war - a sore point with many voters - has not been a bigger campaign issue. It wasn't until Sunday, just 11 days before the election, that the challengers said much about Iraq.
Howard said that in eight years as prime minister, the war was the only thing on which Blair had taken a stand - and "he didn't even tell the truth on that." But Howard is in the same predicament as Sen. John Kerry: He supported Blair on Iraq, so he can't be too critical.
Charles Kennedy, the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, has said more about Iraq, but the "Lib Dems" rank third in Parliament and have little chance of taking control.
Blair's truthfulness is an important issue for lots of voters. Though his Labor Party has a solid lead for the May 5 election, Blair himself is less popular. When pollsters asked people which candidate they most would trust selling a used car, only 11 percent said Blair.
His critics even "Google-bombed" him, so that Internet searches for liar bring up Blair's official biography.
Many voters are wary about him.
"He's quite a slick politician," said David Geraghty, 27, an administrative worker for a London charity. "It would be a lot easier to vote for him if it weren't for the war."
Brian Abell, 54, a derivatives trader in London, said Blair uses "seductive language" to mislead people. "He lied to this country about the reasons for going to war."
When Labor took over in 1997, Blair was the youngest prime minister in 185 years and probably the only one who had played guitar in a college rock band (the Ugly Rumors). He pushed the Labor Party to the political center and broadened its appeal by emphasizing education and promoting business. Now 51, he has been likened to Bill Clinton so much that he has been dubbed "Tony Blinton."
Accustomed to the sharp knives in the British media, Blair doesn't appear rattled by the criticism. He removed his jacket at the beginning of a campaign rally last week in Birmingham - one columnist likened it to a boxer tearing off his robe - and delivered a 35-minute speech about the government health service and his legacy.
"We have managed to change this country," he said, strolling confidently in the theater-in-the-round. "And for all the difficulties and the disappointments - and there are always are those in government - we've changed it for the better. This election is about whether we can change it for good."
With just more than a week to go, interest in the election is high. It dominates newscasts and conversations at local pubs. Blair's biggest concern is complacency by his supporters and the possibility they will defect to the Liberal Democratic Party because they are so confident Labor will win.
"Don't stay at home, don't float off to parties that have no chance winning," Blair told the Birmingham crowd.
Labor Party supporters in the Birmingham crowd said they found him inspiring.
"He speaks with conviction," said Parminder Dhani, 44, a college administrator in Oldbury. "He knows his stuff."
Blair's right-wing critics talk of him the same way Republicans described Clinton, as a slick con artist. They even doubt his suntan. After he got color in his face last week, the conservative Daily Express wrote a full-page story that speculated his "mysterious bright orange suntan" was sprayed on at a salon.
Blair said he got it gardening.
As with Clinton, the criticism is an acknowledgement that Blair has outmaneuvered his opponents, moved to the political middle, stolen their issues - and their voters.
Like Clinton, he also faces critics from the left. "He is about as right-wing as George Bush is," groused Tariq Mufti, 47, an information technology consultant in London who plans to vote for the Liberal Democrats.
Howard, a serious man whose policies are similar to the Republican Party, is hamstrung because he supported the war. But he has tried to capitalize on voters' distrust of Blair in attacking him on other issues. He has said Blair's promises on health care are "based on lies" and has reminded reporters that Gordon Brown, who serves as Blair's finance chief, allegedly said, "You can't believe a word Mr. Blair says." (Blair has denied Brown made such a comment.)
Blair's aides say he may have lost credibility over the war but that voters are happy with him in other areas. Voters in Britain don't choose the prime minister, they select members of Parliament. The leader of the winning party becomes prime minister.
The parties are increasing their appeals to school-gate mums, the British version of American soccer moms. The mums are considered important swing voters who have been skeptical about Blair but unsure about Howard.
Blair and other Labor leaders have offered the mums a smorgasbord of goodies - better maternity leave, less waiting time for breast cancer treatment and a crackdown "on alcohol-fueled yobbish behavior." One proposal last week called for "naming and shaming of convicted hooligans."
Still, many voters - women and men - have mixed feelings about the prime minister.
"Decent enough chap," said Paul Kelliher, 65, a retired attorney. "Bit of an airhead, though."
AGE: He'll turn 52 on May 6, the day after the election.
POLITICAL CAREER: First elected to House of Commons in 1983. Elected Labour Party leader in 1994. Became prime minister when Labour Party won general election in 1997.
SHARP WORDS
British newspapers have covered the campaign with sharp words and irreverence. The Sun, a tabloid that publishes photos of topless women every day, called attention to its election endorsement by building a chimney above its headquarters. Colored smoke indicated when the editors were voting (black) and when they had decided to back Tony Blair for a third term (red). In the British papers, news stories are often so slanted that it's difficult to distinguish news from editorials. Here are a few examples from the British coverage:
THE DAILY MAIL
NO IDEA! - 20 times Tony Blair was asked how many illegal immigrants are still in Britain. 20 times he was unwilling to say
Tony Blair was reduced to near-incoherence by Jeremy Paxman last night as he admitted he has no idea how many illegal immigrants are in this country.
THE TIMES (OF LONDON)
Crooner Tony tries old favourites
The king of cheesy listening is reluctant to play big gigs these days and, for this first night, opted for a stripped down set in front of a few hundred of the faithful.
THE DAILY EXPRESS
Tan Downing Street
The Prime Minister appeared to have developed a mysterious bright orange suntan over the weekend. Political observers who have been trailing him during the election campaign were stunned to see he had turned almost tangerine. And beauty experts were forced to conclude that the PM had succumbed to fake tanning in a bid to improve his electoral chances.
