British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Tuesday urged his governing Labour Party to stick to his centrist economic and social agenda in his 10th and what is set to be his final New Year’s message as Britain’s prime minister.
With Finance Minister Gordon Brown expected to succeed Blair this year, the message was interpreted as a warning for him not to veer from the course the pair set to guide Labour to three election victories from 1997.
Blair, who has vowed to quit by September, urged the former leftist party to rely on his centrist instincts of “ambition and compassion” to meet the challenges of the next decade.
“This is the most difficult time for any government,” Blair said in a message released by his party while he holidays with Bee Gees singer Robin Gibb in the United States.
“Nine years into power, mid-term in a third term. Labour has never been in this position before.
“But the Labour Party should take heart. It is dominating the battle of ideas. It will continue to do so provided it continues to be New Labour.”
He said the party needed to keep its “core coalition” together: “Those who need our help to get on the first rungs of the ladder of opportunity; and those who are already there but aspire to do better still.”
“Ambition and compassion: the combination of those instincts remain the basis of New Labour’s three successive victories. They remain the basis of a fourth,” he told his party.
“In 1997, New Labour vowed to prove that economic prosperity and social justice were goals which were complementary not in conflict. I believe in 2007, we have shown a country can be prosperous and compassionate,” the premier said.
“Just as the challenges of the last 10 years will not be those of the next decade, neither will the solutions.
“That is why the government has already set in train a substantial review of every area of policy.
“Ten years ago, few people talked about the need to secure long-term energy supplies, the challenge and opportunities thrown up by the growth of the Chinese and Indian economies or advances in genetics.”
Blair vowed to continue the push for a lasting peaceful settlement between Israel and Palestine.
“The threat of global terrorism menaces us as it does other nations,” he said.
“That is one reason why it is so important that we see through the battles in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“We also need to work hard to restore devolved government to Northern Ireland and complete the peace process there. I will keep my commitment to work tirelessly for the re-start of the peace process in the Middle East.”
Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott insisted Blair and Brown shared the same vision of how the country should be run.
He told BBC radio that by bringing together middle class and working class voters, the pair had produced “10 years of politics which has changed the planet”.
“Gordon Brown will carry that policy on. He actually formulated most of it so stop getting this division between Gordon Brown and Tony Blair. It’s a united, successful Labour government, for God’s sake,” Prescott said robustly.
The main opposition Conservatives slammed the prime minister for painting a glossy picture of his time in power, citing worsening services and higher taxes.
“Mr Blair cannot be living on the same planet as the rest of us,” said spokesperson Chris Grayling.
“The reality is that Britain today is not getting the things that Tony Blair and Gordon Brown promised us.” – AFP