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| A LABOUR LANDSLIDE What will Tony Blair's government mean for the UK? May 6, 1997 |
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Questions asked
in this forum:
What is Tony Blair's mandate? What is Labour's agenda? What does this election do for the Liberal Democratic Party? Will the Labour Party break into factions? What will the election mean for the Irish peace process?
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May 2, 1997:
ITN reports on the inauguration of the new Labour government.
April 29, 1997:
Simon Marks reports on the final days of the campaign.
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The United Kingdom was indeed united Thursday when it voted out the Conservative Party in one of the most crushing defeats in 150 years. The Tories lost more than half their seats in a stunning show of support for both the Labour Party and, to a lesser extent, the Liberal Democrats. The voters of the UK gave Labour leader and new Prime Minister Tony Blair a huge 180-seat majority, one of the largest in modern British history. "For 18 years, 18 long years, our party has been in opposition," Blair said in his first speech as prime minister. "It could only say, it could not do. Today we are charged with the deep responsibility of government. Today enough of talking, it is time now to do.''
But many British voters remain unsure of what Labour will do now that it has gained control of the House of Commons. Until the emergence of Blair and others espousing a New Labour, the Labour Party had stated its intentions to nationalize many industries. These beliefs led many in the UK to abandon the party saying it was too socialist. Blair, since becoming the head of Labour in 1994, made a conscious effort to "mainstream" the party by endorsing many Tory ideas.
Conservative Prime Minister John Major had been unable to unite his party over issues like the European Union and was portrayed in Labour advertising and the media as ineffectual. Thursday, Major watched as many of his Cabinet went down to defeat. The Foreign Minister, Defense Minister and a record number of other top Tories lost their local elections to Labour candidates. Major, who won his seat in Huntington, announced his intention to resign as Conservative leader.
"It has been an immense privilege to serve as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom over the past six and a half years," Major said. "It is a privilege which comes to very few people and it is a precious privilege indeed. I hope, as I leave Downing Street this morning, that I can say with some accuracy that the country is in far better shape than it was when I entered Downing Street . . . When the curtain falls, it is time to get off the stage."
Our forum asks: What does the Labour landslide mean for the United Kingdom? What are the issues that caused the Tories to lose so many seats? What does the future hold for Tony Blair?
Our guests are two influential British journalists currently based in the United States. Mary Dejevsky, Washington bureau chief for The Independent, and Tom Rhodes, Washington correspondent for The Times of London, will answer your questions.
Questions asked in this forum:
What is Tony Blair's mandate? What is Labour's agenda? What does this election do for the Liberal Democratic Party? Will the Labour Party break into factions? What will the election mean for the Irish peace process?
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