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During a speech on immigration and asylum, Mr Howard said those who dared to criticise groups that bent the rules were "intimidated into silence". But no one stood up for British values which were "being trashed", he added. Mr Blair said Mr Howard was playing on people's fears. The Lib Dems said he had a problem with his own Britishness. Mr Howard said he had been "attacked ferociously" by Labour ministers when he said a "small minority of travellers" were abusing planning rules to set up illegal encampments. These reactions went to "the very heart of what's gone wrong in...

It was no surprise when British Prime Minister Tony Blair earlier this month called an election for May 5. He could have waited a while, since British elections are usually called about a year before they have to be. The incumbents see this as good tactics. One thing about this election is surprising, though. Blair has got a fight on his hands. The odds strongly favor a third successive Labor victory, but it is going to be a closer contest than last time — and it is no longer inconceivable that the Tories, who recently looked crippled as a political...

Labour is heading for a third General Election victory, according to a clutch of recently-published polls. But the projected margin of Tony Blair's victory varied as pollsters put his lead over the Tories at anywhere between one and 10%. According to a YouGov poll for The Sunday Times, Michael Howard has narrowed the gap to just a single point, with Labour on 36%, the Tories on 35% and the Liberal Democrats on 23%. If repeated on May 5, this would give Tony Blair a majority of nearly 60 seats. An ICM poll for The Sunday Telegraph found Mr Blair was...

“You’ve been dreading this. Tony Blair has called an election. Now you are finally going to have to make up your mind: Do you hope he wins or loses?”“Why do I have to answer that? I am not a British voter. Why can’t I just say that I’m glad that both Blair and Conservative leader Michael Howard are such strong friends of America — and that the special relationship will remain special no matter which of them wins?” “What? Are you telling me that you, a right-wing Republican — that you can’t instantly choose between a socialist and a fellow...

Prior election day, British political Parties release "manifestos" or "platforms". Blair on foreign policy - ======= "We do not duck the tough choices...We made decisions because we believed them right - not because they were destined to be popular." Chapter 7 of Labour's manifesto - - "The best defense of our security is the spread of liberty and justice overseas." - "We have worked closely with the US and other nations to combat the threat of terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq." - "We need to be tough on terrorism and its causes."(Very Blairite, but very neo-conservative). - "The threat of...

…It Will Also be an Unfair One Labour's poll lead is much narrower than Tony Blair would have hoped, almost a week after he launched the election campaign. His party's four-point advantage in our exclusive ICM poll is a statistically insignificant one point higher than the ICM poll published on Tuesday. And it is well down on the eight-point lead that Labour enjoyed in ICM's previous poll in March. This election is evidently going to be a much tighter contest than most commentators had anticipated — and Mr Howard's opportunity is clear. Doubts about Mr Blair's record extend well beyond...

While most national polls seem to suggest Labour Party candidate Tony Blair will be re-elected to a third term as Britain's prime minister in the upcoming May 5 elections, there are reasons to believe an upset may be afoot and that the rival conservative Tories have a decent chance to recapture 10 Downing Street. The Economist reports that most polls currently have Blair still "comfortably" ahead, with the most reliable pollster, ICM, giving Blair an 8-point lead. But, the magazine says, Labour "lost ground heavily during both the 1997 and 2001 elections," with its average poll rating falling off by...

The Next Domino April 8, 2005 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- by Bruce Walker -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In a month, Americans will know whether or not conservatives have gained yet another important electoral victory in the world. While it is hard for any patriotic America to actually root against Tony Blair, the defeat of the Labour Party in the general election this May would be a wonderful boost for American long term goals. Michael Howard, the Jewish refugee from a Communist dictatorship, is the leader of the Conservative Party and would become the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, should the Tories win the general...

Breaking on BBC The general election will be held on 5 May, Tony Blair says, as he kick-starts a month-long poll campaign.

Michael Howard is not even contemplating a hung parliament, let alone defeat ‘It’s the Sun wot won it,’ crowed Kelvin MacKenzie with characteristic chutzpah on the front page of Britain’s best-selling newspaper after Neil Kinnock had crashed to defeat in the 1992 general election. As the nation went to the polls, the Currant Bun featured the Welsh Windbag’s head inside a 40-watt bulb, under the headline, ‘If Kinnock wins, will the last person to leave Britain please turn out the lights.’ When the Tories were returned to office, Kelvin was quick to claim the credit. Well, up to a point,...

I was in Washington DC over new year for a British-US wedding. My American host took me to the Capital Grille* to 'see in' 2005. As we went to pay for the champagne, the bartender announced that the drinks had been paid for. A very merry gentleman next to me – wearing an elephant-festooned Republican tie - insisted that no Englishman would be paying for anything. “You come from Tony Blair’s country”, he said. “Blair was a stand-up guy against Saddam. We love him.” I can’t visit America without conservatives paying tribute to Britain’s Labour Prime Minister. Friends in the...

Tories plan to beat ‘bias’ by bringing in bloggers By Philip Webster, Political Editor THE Conservative Right is to turn to new American campaigning techniques and the internet to try to revive the party and overcome what it sees as opposition from the metropolitan Establishment. Only weeks away from the general election, senior Conservatives will open a new front today in the battle for ideas by creating a website advocating “social conservatism”. It will invite people to bypass the media and put forward their own views on how the party should evolve. The faction behind it denies that it is...

LONDON, March 18 - Prime Minister Tony Blair went on daytime television recently, seeking to lure voters back to his Labor Party for elections that are expected in early May. What he found, though, was that some Britons at least have begun to question his leadership, entertaining the once unthinkable prospect of life without him. Marion Baxter, a nurse, asked him, point blank, if he would be prepared to clean patients' backsides for $9 an hour. On another issue, Maria Hutchings, a homemaker, advanced on him across the studio, proclaiming, "That's rubbish, Tony." Debra Kroll, a midwife, told him, "We...

THE WASHINGTON TIMES LONDON -- Prime Minister Tony Blair, in a rare open foray into matters of faith, said yesterday that religion should play a greater part in his nation's life, but he warned against allowing it to assume the same role in British politics that it has in the United States. Mr. Blair told an audience of religious and community organizations in London that although religion can make a "visible, tangible difference" in British society, it would be "unhealthy" if it moved to center stage on the country's political scene.

Religion should not play the same role in British politics that it does in America, Tony Blair has said. Mr Blair said he did not want a system where politicians went out "beating their chests about our faith". The prime minister was speaking to a Christian group already addressed by the Tory and Lib Dem leaders. He said he wanted churches and faith groups to play a bigger role in national life and paid tribute to their work in social action. 'Don't do God' Mr Blair was speaking to church leaders, other faith representatives and community activists in London about...

Abortion was propelled to the centre of the British election campaign yesterday as the Church of England threw its weight behind demands for a thorough review of legislation. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, who declared that there was a “groundswell of distaste” at the way the current law works, was backed by senior Anglican clergy who not only questioned the current 24-week time limit, but the whole of the 38-year-old Abortion Act. All the main Churches across Britain have drawn up guidelines on how churchgoers can challenge candidates at election meetings organised by local Christians. Christians, especially Roman...

Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Is the unimaginable about to happen and the Conservative Party to snatch triumph from near-extinction by winning the general election? Even to ask the question is to acknowledge the seemingly overwhelming odds against such a suggestion. For the Tories to achieve the electoral swing needed to overturn Labour’s massive majority would entail, in the eyes of many, the biggest comeback since Lazarus. But we live in disoriented and volatile times. Polls fluctuate; and the Tories have recently been dissolving Labour’s lead like a blow-torch on an ice sculpture. Beyond the polls, there is now...

Unborn baby pictures fuel abortion debate By Sarah Womack, Social Affairs Correspondent (Filed: 19/03/2005) Extraordinary pictures of a 12-week-old unborn baby wriggling his legs in the "stepping" motion characteristic of newborns triggered a debate on the ethics of abortion which no one predicted would take centre stage at a general election. Prof Stuart Campbell, the ultrasound pioneer who captured the images, said yesterday he was "truly staggered" by their impact. An unborn baby at twelve weeks "I just wanted to educate couples about the development of a baby," he told The Daily Telegraph. The images were compiled for his book...

TONY Blair took on the Catholic Church yesterday as he warned that abortion should not be an issue in a general election. His remarks came in direct opposition to those of the leader of the Catholic Church in England, Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor, who praised the Tory leader, Michael Howard, for his stance on the issue. The Prime Minister said through his spokesman it would be a "pity" if the debate over tightening abortion laws was used in an election campaign. Mr Howard has indicated he favours reducing the limit on abortions from the 24th week of...

US political activist Jesse Jackson is to help motivate Britain's ethnic minority voters at a rally in London. Ethnic minority MPs and representatives from community groups will also speak at the event organised by campaign group Operation Black Vote (OBV).