23 June, 2004
Blair shifts the agenda
So Blair has decided he doesn't want to talk about Iraq anymore.
I think he may find that particular shift may not be quite so easy,
that aside there is an interesting couple of paragraphs at the end
of the article.
But, as always, everything depends on events in Iraq.
An upsurge in violence after the handover period will shatter any hopes Blair has of moving on.
And he still has to contend with a report into the intelligence he received on Iraq's weaponry -- conducted by top former civil servant Lord Butler -- which is due by mid-July.
Blair justified war on Iraq on the grounds that Saddam Hussein had banned weapons primed for use. None has been found.
"We would all like to talk about the health service but will we be allowed to?" one Labour MP pondered.
Blair's government is reeling from heavy losses in European and local government elections, earlier this month.
More tough electoral tests loom large, probably in July.
Labour MP Terry Davis said on Tuesday he would resign as member for the Hodge Hill seat in the city of Birmingham, forcing a by-election. Nearby Leicester South is also up for grabs following the recent death of sitting MP Jim Marshall.
Both should be safe Labour seats but have significant Muslim populations, making them candidates for an anti-war backlash.
Anyone out there living in either of these wards? If so get in touch
¶ Wednesday, June 23, 2004
I think he may find that particular shift may not be quite so easy,
that aside there is an interesting couple of paragraphs at the end
of the article.
But, as always, everything depends on events in Iraq.
An upsurge in violence after the handover period will shatter any hopes Blair has of moving on.
And he still has to contend with a report into the intelligence he received on Iraq's weaponry -- conducted by top former civil servant Lord Butler -- which is due by mid-July.
Blair justified war on Iraq on the grounds that Saddam Hussein had banned weapons primed for use. None has been found.
"We would all like to talk about the health service but will we be allowed to?" one Labour MP pondered.
Blair's government is reeling from heavy losses in European and local government elections, earlier this month.
More tough electoral tests loom large, probably in July.
Labour MP Terry Davis said on Tuesday he would resign as member for the Hodge Hill seat in the city of Birmingham, forcing a by-election. Nearby Leicester South is also up for grabs following the recent death of sitting MP Jim Marshall.
Both should be safe Labour seats but have significant Muslim populations, making them candidates for an anti-war backlash.
Anyone out there living in either of these wards? If so get in touch
¶ Wednesday, June 23, 2004
