This entry was posted on
Monday, May 9th, 2005 at
8:39 am and is filed
under UK General Election 2005.

So, more than a few questions to address about Backing Blair, the main one being; “What’s next?!”

Well, what do you think?

Labour in. Blair out.

Looks like a job that’s half-done to me. I’ll tell you more shortly and give out the goodies for use of the forbidden word. In the meantime, here’s a timetable that’s about 17 months too long for my liking…

Independent – Blair set 18-month deadline to quit as cabinet ministers round on him: Even normally loyal ministers want him to resign by the time the party holds its conference in September 2006 – two years earlier than Mr Blair wishes. Left-wing MPs will demand this week that Mr Blair drops controversial plans for identity cards and are threatening to mount a leadership challenge against him this autumn. But insiders believe a much bigger threat to Mr Blair is posed by his own Cabinet, saying it will turn against him if he tries to hang on for longer than 18 months. Yesterday, ministers publicly rallied round Mr Blair, condemning as “self-indulgent” calls by Labour backbenchers for him to quit sooner rather than later.

There’s that self-indulgence line again. Is this Blunkett’s way of calling us wankers?

UPDATE – Tony Blair: ‘I won’t quit’: Tony Blair is expected to reveal the final shape of his ministerial team, amid growing calls for him to quit. The Prime Minister will tell Labour MPs he will not walk when they meet later this week for the first time since the General Election. Mr Blair has come under fierce attack from his backbenchers since his majority was slashed from 161 to 67. Former Cabinet ministers Frank Dobson and Robin Cook have joined the roll-call of MPs calling for him to stand down. But David Blunkett, newly restored to the Cabinet, led a counterattack branding critics “self indulgent”. The new Work and Pensions Secretary said those saying the PM should go are trying to “snatch defeat from the jaws of victory”.

Meanwhile…

RawStory – Eighty-eight members of Congress call on Bush for answers on secret Iraq plan: Eighty-eight members of Congress have signed a letter authored by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) calling on President Bush to answer questions about a secret U.S.-UK agreement to attack Iraq

Also…

Tony Blair is a lame duck. Pass it on.