Free Republic

MANCHESTER, England -- Former President Bill Clinton sought today to boost Britain's badly divided Labor Party, warning supporters not to let it suffer the same fate as America's defeated Democrats. Delegates at Labor?s annual conference gave a celebrity's welcome to a leader they love far better than President Bush, who is widely despised in the party. Mr. Clinton charmed a packed auditorium with a 40-minute speech in which he lavished praise on Prime Minister Tony Blair and Treasury chief Gordon Brown, Mr. Blair's likely successor. In a reference to the political damage Mr. Blair suffered at home because of his...

Scotland Yard has been called in to investigate Britain's Labour Party after allegations that Prime Minister Tony Blair organised multi-million-dollar loans and then rewarded those lending the money with peerages. For a week, Mr Blair has been caught up in the 'loans for Lordships' scandal after revelations he arranged loans to the Labour Party totalling $34 million. The loans were kept secret and shortly afterwards Mr Blair recommended some of those big party lenders for peerages. Most of the party, including the Chancellor Gordon Brown and senior leaders in the Parliamentary wing, were kept in the dark. Mr Blair has...