Loyal ally of US imperialism and Prime Minister of the UK, Tony Blair, is to step down after a ten–year long reign.
Loyal ally of US imperialism and Prime Minister of the UK, Tony Blair, is to step down after a ten–year long reign.
Ten years ago, opposition to the anti-people policies and measures of the then government of the UK was rapidly growing among the working people of Great Britain. Sensing the dissatisfaction among the people, the ruling class promoted Tony Blair – who promised the people a “New Britain” through a “Third Way” – as the next Prime Minister. Blair promised the people a better deal and an end to growing unemployment, corruption, racial discrimination and other ills of British society. Under the signboard of “New Labour”, an electoral coup was organised in the Labour Party.
This “Third Way” of Tony Blair soon became a euphemism for wholesale suppression of peoples’ rights, for fascism and war. In the last ten years, not only has the economic condition of the working people in the main deteriorated, state terrorism has intensified and many of the rights which the working class of Britain won through decades of struggle are under attack.
In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of 9 th September 2001, Tony Blair emerged as one of the biggest supporters of US imperialist chieftain Bush in his campaign on “war against terror”. He rushed Britain into the war in Afghanistan, which, over six years later, continues to bring more and more misery to millions of Afghan people with no end in sight. His government and intelligence agencies were responsible for exaggerating and falsifying reports of the existence of nuclear and other “weapons of mass destruction” in Iraq, creating the grounds for the illegal invasion of that country in 2003. Despite massive opposition then, Blair was responsible for steam–rolling the opposition in Parliament and outside and committed Britain to a war in Iraq which, like the one in Afghanistan, continues with no end in sight. Almost a million Iraqis and thousands of British and American servicemen have lost their lives till now in the war. Blair was also responsible for war mongering against Iran and fully supported the machinations of the US against Iran in the Security Council of the UN and elsewhere.
Blair used the situation created by the UK bombing incidents of July 2005 to implement a series of ‘anti–terrorist’ measures which resulted in wholesale denial of rights to migrants and others in Britain.
Due to his anti-people activities, Blair attracted massive protests wherever he went. Even though his visit to India in September 2005 was kept under wraps till the last minute, several organisations, including the CGPI, united to greet him with a militant demonstration in Delhi.
Blair’s “Third Way” has been proved to be thoroughly anti-people and a threat to world peace. It has reiterated once again that there can be no middle way between capitalism and socialism and that capitalism cannot be reformed to act in the interests of the people.
Blair and his ways are so discredited in Britain today that the ruling class is again contemplating a change of guard. As they did ten years ago, they are trying might and main to ensure that the masses of the people do not get a real chance to discuss and decide what kind of government would really be in the interests of the toiling majority. Instead, in the manner of the monarchists, the ruling class is preparing to crown Gordon Brown, as the next Prime Minister. As for Blair himself, his imperialist backers are planning to reward him with a highly paid post for providing advise in their war-mongering activities.
For the toiling people of Britain, the issue is to continue their struggles and strengthen their unity in order that political power vests in their hands and the war-mongering and anti-people activities of the ruling class are put an end to.