Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Pastimes : Clown-Free Zone... sorry, no clowns allowed -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: j-at-home who wrote (261017)	9/19/2003 3:13:47 AM
From: j-at-home	Respond to of 436258

Blair's by-election nightmare By Nick Assinder BBC News Online political correspondent Charles Kennedy's wildest dreams came true on Friday morning as Tony Blair and Iain Duncan Smith were plunged into a shared electoral nightmare. Disillusioned Labour voters in the Brent East by-election went to the polls to deliver their verdict on the war on Iraq, government trustworthiness and, most pointedly, Tony Blair's leadership. And the message could not have been clearer, or more sensational. They turned their backs on Labour in their thousands, rejected the Tories and instead handed the Liberal Democrats another of their occasional historic victories with a huge swing. After his own personal annus horribilis, the prime minister must have been braced for a drubbing. But even in his gloomiest moments he probably tried to reassure himself that this seat was so rock-solid Labour he could not lose it. Yet he did. And it is pretty clear from the reactions of the voters that it was indeed the prime minister who lost it for the party. Time and again during the campaign, the issues of trust and the backlash at the war and the way the prime minister led Britain into it emerged as key issues. Disastrous consequences And this disastrous result may just mark the point at which Labour backbenchers start questioning whether their once infallible leader has finally become a liability. And if, on the evidence of this poll, they conclude that he has, it could mark a far more significant turning point - the beginning of the end for the prime minister. His party is already growing more rebellious by the day as he attempts to force through controversial policies including foundation hospitals and tuition fees. The Lib Dems may well be on the verge of something big And Labour MPs fear unless the evaporation of trust in the government can be turned around pretty quickly, it will have disastrous consequences for them in the next general election. Thanks to Mr Blair's presidential style of leadership, there is only one man who can be blamed for that - and he is the one who will have to carry the can. Iain Duncan Smith was also delivered a fresh body blow with his Tory candidate being relegated to third place in this seat. The Tories will have suffered from their own support for the war on Iraq. But the poll will also be seen by critics as further evidence that Mr Duncan Smith simply has not got the stuff required to put the party back in contention at the next general election. It could even be that talk of leadership challenges now resurface. Mr Duncan Smith will argue that this was never going to be fruitful territory for his party and that it was always likely to be a battle between the left of centre parties. The Liberal Democrats, meanwhile, were understandably ecstatic, believing this result was another sign that they may genuinely be on the road to becoming the main challengers to Labour at the general election. Mr Kennedy, who poured huge resources into this campaign, has successfully managed to capitalise on the other two parties' woes. Changing the landscape But he can also feel satisfied that his leadership style, notably his unbending opposition to the war, struck a real chord with large numbers of voters. It may be, of course, that in a few months, let alone a couple of years, all this excitement will be forgotten. History is littered with examples of by-election sensations which have failed to develop into anything significant. But there does seem to be a trend emerging in local and Euro elections to suggest that the Lib Dems may well be on the verge of something big. As always, however, all of this has to be taken with a large health warning. The next general election is still a couple of years away and that is plenty of time for Labour and the Tories to turn the tide. But the voters of Brent East have graphically demonstrated precisely what the parties need to do to alter the electoral landscape. Story from BBC NEWS: news.bbc.co.uk Published: 2003/09/19 02:36:32 GMT © BBC MMIII --------------------------------- "own personal annus horribilis" Nothing about the markets but found this description interesting .. the English sure have a way with words .. didn't look it up .. but I'm sure that's what this market has been doing to me lately