Labor Party Junior Members Urge Prime Minister to Step Down
Robert J. Lieber
Professor, Government and International Affairs, Georgetown University
Thursday, September 7, 2006
3:00 PM
Prime Minister Tony Blair, the second-longest-serving British leader since the 19th century, said Thursday that will resign his post within the next 12 months.
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Robert J. Lieber , professor of Government and International Affairs at Georgetown University, was online Thursday, Sept. 7, at 3 p.m. ET to discuss Blair's decision and what it means to his Labor Party and to the U.S. and the world stage.
"Blair, like Thatcher, saw Britain as inherently a partner for the U.S. in ways that enhanced British influence but were also the source of increasing recriminations at home," said Lieber in an interview with washingtonpost.com.
A transcript follows.
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Robert J. Lieber: Tony Blair, like Margaret Thatcher, has been one of the two most important figures in Britain during the past half-century. Both modernized their country and their party and acted against recalcitrant and backward-looking influences that had handicapped their country and party.
Moreover, Blair stands in an honorable tradition of liberal and Democratic left, anti-totalitarianism. That explains his strong commitment to the war on terror and his close relationship with Presidents Clinton and Bush
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Baltimore, Md.: Is Blair's fall from grace in his own party (which he single handedly brought out of the wilderness) almost entirely a result of Iraq, or are there domestic issues at work that the U.S. doesn't hear about?
And will Gordon Brown as P.M. begin drawing down the British presence in Iraq quickly? Thanks.
Robert J. Lieber: It's as much or more domestic as it is foreign. Blair made enemies within his own party by dragging it kicking and screaming into the 21st Century. And his rival, Gordon Brown, has been sniping at him for years.
Too soon to say on the second question but he is likely to be somewhat less supportive of the Bush policies.
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Fairfax, Va.: What does this mean to George Bush and the allied efforts in Iraq?
Robert J. Lieber: Bush is losing a strong ally and supporter. Blair was wrongly criticized as "Bush's poodle" but Blair was a man of strong beliefs who recognized the profound threat to liberal democracy and western security from radical Islamist terrorism.
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McLean, Va.: How do you think relations between the U.S. and the U.K. will change if Tony Blair's successor, Gordon Brown, takes over as P.M.? Will he have the same kind of relationship with Bush that Blair had? And what would the impact on Iraq be?
Robert J. Lieber: If Gordon Brown becomes prime minister, he is likely to continue a positive policy of Atlanticism, a friendly and allied relationship with the U.S., but it will not have the same intensity and closeness that Blair had with both Clinton and Bush.
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Washington, D.C.: What will happen to Tony Blair when he steps down? Will he remain in the government there?
Robert J. Lieber: I doubt it. There is an old saying, "The king is dead. Long live the king." And an ex-prime minister would be very unlikely to stay within the same government in a lesser position.
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Washington, D.C. (Ex-London) : Thanks for doing this chat.
Will the schism in Labor tear apart the work that Blair has done in building a new support base? And will Gordon Brown actually be able to keep Labor's support high enough to govern effectively with the division among the ranks that he's already started?
Robert J. Lieber: That is a key question. Tony Blair rejuvenated the Labor Party after a series of disastrous election defeats. Much of the party rank and file is backward-looking on both domestic and foreign policy, so the possibility of party splits is very real. Blair represented "new Labor" and like Bill Clinton, he sought to adapt his party to the needs of today's world.
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Bethesda, Md.: How do you think the people of Iraq will react? Will this be viewed as abandonment of the Bush policy in that country?
Robert J. Lieber: Mostly it would be ignored in Iraq but Blair's departure does remove a strong and unwavering Bush ally.
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Chantilly, Va.: How do you think Bush feels about Blair stepping down under pressure?
Robert J. Lieber: When the time comes, Bush will miss Tony Blair.
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Washington, D.C.: For those of us unfamiliar, how is this similar to what happened with Margaret Thatcher?
Robert J. Lieber: It's similar in the sense that after leading her party through several impressive election victories, Thatcher was, in effect, ousted by her own parliamentary party while still in power. No good deed goes unpunished, or as Harry Truman might have said, "If you a friend in politics, buy a dog."
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Ottawa, Canada: "An ex-prime minister would be very unlikely to stay within the same government in a lesser position". Really? In parliamentary governments former prime ministers have from time to time opted to continue as backbench MPs. The PM is not the King and is in fact only voted for by the constituents in his own riding. This is one of the main differences between a U.S. president and a prime minister. Blair will probably resign his seat, however, given the less than gracious exit he is making for himself and his party.
Robert J. Lieber: Yes, but Blair will have been in office 10 years. He might remain as a backbencher or he may resign but it is hard to imagine that he would continue in a lesser role within the government.
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Washington, D.C.: What will the European reaction be?
Robert J. Lieber: Hard to predict but those European leaders who differed with Blair will be glad to see him go. Those who essentially agreed with him, especially those who agreed with him about the dangers of radical Islamism and proliferation, will miss him.
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Robert J. Lieber: It's worth recalling how desperate the situation of the Labor Party was before Blair took over. In the early '80s its election platform was described as the longest "suicide note in history." Blair insisted on dropping old and backward-looking Labor policies and continuing the modernization of the British economy on standing up for human rights abroad (as in Kosovo) and in maintaining a close relationship with the U.S. under both Clinton and Bush. He will be missed.
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