Blair leaves big boots to fill.
Well, the Labour and Conservative conferences are over and have left Britain in a saddened lull.
Tony Blair has on the whole been the best Labour Prime Minister Britain has seen, perhaps even the best Prime Minister from any party. He grabbed a nation out of control and reeled it back in. The economy was stagnating; unemployment and crime were soaring; social polarisation the strongest it had ever been.
Do not get me wrong, I am not totally against the Thatcher administration. Her ideas were sound and grounded firmly in what the nation needed at that given time, but she went too far and began reversing and positives she had created.
It is the same for any government: you cannot please everyone all of the time.
But this does nôt distract not from the fact that Labour have helped cut unemployment in creating two million more jobs since 1997; halved the number of failing schools (a five-fold increase in the best ones); they introduced the New Deal and Sure Start programmes that are directed right at the heart of the poorest and most deprived communities, the former of which has already helped draw one million young people into employment; the minimum wage.
Are you seeing a trend here?
New Labour, since its inception in 1997, has been clear about its direction: mixing old left-wing goals of equal rights, inclusion, and egalitarianism, with the right-wing structures of community and the economy, in order to better the lives of everyone – especially the disenfranchised and impoverished. This third way is rightly becoming a popular mode of governance across the West and has been highly beneficial to the wealth of the nation in general, and the health of the poor in particular.
It is true that there are still failings. We are by no means a perfect nation. Waiting times are still long and crimes rates high, but they are improved and improving. By current trends, Tony Blair valiantly proposes that by the end of 2008 for the first time in decades Britain will be investing twice as much in school children and three times as much in the NHS than ten years previously.
So what of Cameron?
In spite a number of poor decisions, Tony Blair’s oratorical splendour and political passion has kept the party in line in even the toughest moments. He has always been clear about his and the party’s direction. Though he’s often stood by ludicrous legislation, he has similarly been open to negotiation and transition.
Cameron, however, is not quite the same character. This is admittedly the first time that the young man has been in such a position of power but the party are currently in limbo with no direction or true policies of which to speak. So out of touch the Conservatives have been over the past many years, that Cameron is finally trying to remarket the party. Though what image he is looking for does not seem certain. Since he came to power he has been trying every mask available, and still there’s not one that clearly fits him. Is he an environmentalist? Is he tough on crime? Does he favour social justice or social control?
The party defends itself in saying that it’s got at least two years in order to find a new direction until the general elections come fast on the horizon. Cameron seems rightly determined to ensure the party is prepared. He will set up an “implementation office” early in the New Year. It will recruit businessmen and former civil servants who will work closely with shadow cabinet members on their policy proposals. Shadow ministers will also receive training about how government works and how to run their departments. But I cannot help but worry that a party lost touch with the nation in the first place. It would seem, judging by a recent poll, that the nation itself agrees.
Despite an attempted coup against Tony Blair and turmoil at the top of the Government, the Conservatives saw their lead over Labour cut from four points in August to three points last month. Cameron’s bland, drab, and unexciting party conference will not have helped public opinion toward their party in the slightest.
I don’t think much of the man, especially in such powerful company as Blair, but I’d love to see Cameron create a real competitive force against Labour in the coming general elections.
Comments
4 Responses to “Blair leaves big boots to fill.”
Leave a Reply
I fear I might sound too much like a school teacher, but that’s a very well written analysis Mr CK.
Let’s hope someone somewhere emerges from the ranks of UK politicians that can inspire and lead.
I’m in favour of cloning Blair. Or inviting Will Smith to become PM. With Wayne Rooney as Defence Minister. And Jack Straw as head of race relations.
I think after the Conservative conference, the polls dipped to neck-and-neck, didn’t they?
Sexiest. Redesign. Ever.
Hopefully some actual posts will follow…