Joseph Planta's Commentary - thecommentary.ca

Friday, 08 July 2005

Tony Blair's week

By Joseph Planta

VANCOUVER - On VE Day, 08 May 1945, Churchill stood and said, "London can take it."

A most fascinating political figure today is Churchill's successor, Tony Blair. The Prime Minister has had nothing short of an extraordinary week. The week began with some leftover haranguing from Sir Bob Geldof over African aid after the weekend's Live 8 palaver. Then there was much talk about how Blair had emerged to get his due, by commanding the G-8 agenda and focusing Bush and others on Africa and the sort. There was some discussion about how the rivalry between Blair and French President Jacques Chirac was being played out again, what with London and Paris both competing for the 2012 summer Olympics. Then of course, there was the actual announcement that London had won, and Blair had hit political pay dirt. Euphoria erupted in England. A day later tragedy struck.

Warren Kinsella, the noted political operative, on his blog, notes that there is a bit of significance with the date of 07 July. Two years ago, George W. Bush acknowledged that in his State of the Union address in January of that year, contained the faulty intelligence that uranium was being sought by Saddam Hussein.

London has had its share of tragedy and terror. Seemingly, the terror evoked by the IRA seems a lifetime away, and a new global threat has emerged and Britain realises anew that they are not immune.

Tony Blair before he left Gleneagles, took the opportunity to surround himself with the other seven men who represent the G-8. Inevitably, they stood behind him, echoing the belief of all civilised peoples, that though we mourn the loss of life and the injury of terrible events like these, an overarching and overwhelming struggle is joined.

Certainly, in Britain, like in Spain following the March 2004 attacks in Madrid, there will be much debate over its nation's participation in the war on terror. Blair will guide that debate, as well as be a lightening rod.

For now, a nation and a world look to Tony Blair for comfort. In all times of great crisis or tremendous mourning, a nation turns to its leaders for their collective voice. And despite whatever differences one may have with Blair and his programme, they seek his rhetorical guidance. Just as they sought Churchill's during the Second World War. Just as they sought Thatcher's following the bombing in Brighton in 1984. Just as Blair's adept humanism was sought when Diana died in 1997.

The line from Churchill to Thatcher to Blair is often talked about, decried and sometimes derided. It's sometimes considered a decline in British standards of leadership. Whatever the case may be, Blair invariably seeks the rabid determination of Thatcher, and the forcefulness of Churchill in comforting his peoples in their sorrow, and rallying the indomitable British sensibility to continue.

The bewilderment one has with self-proclaimed progressives from the left continues. George Galloway, the former Labour MP, recently elected to a seat in May, had this to say about Thursday's attack: "We argued, as did the security services in this country, that the attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq would increase the threat of terrorist attack in Britain. Tragically, Londoners have now paid the price of the government ignoring such warnings." So, if we're to believe Galloway, it's not the terrorists fault-Londoners are to blame.

London can take it, sure. Now comes the greater challenge for Tony Blair. He treads the fine line of seeking the perpetrators of the attack, while facing mounting pressure from his peoples to disengage with the American regime. One supposes that Thursday's attack has made up the minds of Britons who wish not to bear themselves to continue the war on terror. At the same time, Tony Blair knows Britain can't shirk from seeking those who did this.

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