by Nicholas Beaudrot of Electoral Math
With the news that Blair will be stepping down soon, I was planning to write a piece comparing the political fortunes of the Clinton/Gore team and the Blair/Brown team, noting that both New Labour and the New Democrats were correct to drag their parties towards the center, but neither knew when to stop tacking to the right, lest they alienate too many supporters on the left flank or generally sell progressive economics down the river.
But it turns out that Blair's major problem, perhaps unsurprisingly, hasn't been moderation on crime or the economy; it's been Iraq. A new poll by the UK's Independent shows that 69% of Britons think Blair will be remembered for the war in Iraq. Despite numerous other accomplishements,--a peaceful settlement in Northern Ireland, reviving the British NHS, quality economic stewardship, and acting as a de facto leader of the free world when it comes to Africa and global warming. On the plus side, Blair gets high marks as PM overall, so maybe the British public really does want Blairism with less war.
