Blair is no 'lame duck'

2005-08-05 07:51

Deborah Haynes

London - British Prime Minister Tony Blair is no longer considered a lame duck leader, after his response to last month's attacks in London gave his popularity and profile a boost, political analysts say.

How long this rekindled public approval will last, however, will depend on whether Blair defeats the terror threat with tougher laws and security measures, while also building bridges with the Muslim community.

Ethnic tensions have risen since four Muslim Britons blew up three subway trains and a bus killing 52 people on July 7, while some of the key suspects in a failed copycat attack on July 21 also had links with Islamic extremism.

"The way in which he responded on behalf of the nation to the bombings made people feel that he showed strength, eloquence and implacability - the qualities people look for in leaders," said Andrew Cooper, director of the British polling institute Populus.

'Lucky'

"Also, people historically will always rally around the incumbent leader when the country is in trouble or under attack," he said, noting how United States President George W Bush's credibility skyrocketed after the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington in 2001.

Despite leading his Labour Party to a third successive election victory on May 5, Blair had been under pressure to resign after his unwavering support for the US-led war in Iraq badly damaged his reputation at home.

But the resilient leader, 52, had begun to claw his way back into favour even before Britain's worst nightmare became a reality.

Blair shot to prominence on the European stage when Britain took over the rotating, six-month presidency of the European Union on July 1, championing the need to reform the bloc's wasteful farming subsidies.

He also skirted the potentially career-destroying need to hold a referendum on the bloc's draft constitution in Britain after the text was rejected by France and the Netherlands.

In addition, as president of the Group of Eight leading industrialised nations, Blair led a popular push to eradicate poverty in Africa and fight global warming.

The prime minister's profile received a further boost on the eve of July 7 when London was chosen to host the 2012 Olympic Games ahead of favourite Paris.

"He has been lucky in some events... and since the bombings he has been a reassuring leader," said Kevin Theakston, a professor of British government at Leeds University, noting, "He does not look like a lame duck."

A series of polls taken before and after the July 7 attacks shows how Blair's popularity has soared.

Cooper from Populus said his firm asked people when they wanted the prime minister - who has pledged to resign before the next election - to quit.

"We do see upsurges when there is a war that doesn't go on too long, and in times of crisis," said Jo Twyman, director of research operations at YouGov, which has conducted surveys that showed similar results.

- AFP