The British electorate deliverred a mixed
message to its political class
La Revue Parlementaire s'associe à son homologue anglais The
House Magazine pour analyser l'actualité britannique par les
journalistes spécialistes de la rédaction. Ce mois-ci, Richard
Hall, Directeur éditorial de The House Magazine, nous livre
son éclairage des élections législatives du 5 mai dernier.
Athird term Labour government with a comfortable working majority
in the House of Commons is unprecedented. Tony Blair
has succeeded where Clement Attlee and Harold Wilson
failed. A prime minister with a 67-seat majority should rightly
feel he has a mandate to implement the measures laid out in
his party's manifesto.
But in Downing Street the result feels like a defeat. Two 150-
plus majorities have been slashed in half and Blair will struggle
to force through reforms - such as the introduction of identity
cards and more private investment into the public sector - that
are unpopular with Labour backbenchers. His presidential style
of government - formulating policy with a close coterie of advisers
without consulting his MPs* - will be hard to maintain. Rather
than focusing on building a legacy in his final term, Blair
has been forced to battle hard to assert his authority over
a party that blames him and his close personal association with
the Iraq war for the election losses. Labour has never thought
of Blair as one of its own, but has learned to love him because
of his ability to deliver electoral success. Now he has fought
his last election - having stated last year that he will not
seek a fourth term - his main asset to the party is lost. Many
want to see him replaced by long-time heir-apparent Chancellor
Gordon Brown, who is unsullied by the war and widely
trusted by voters who are impressed with his strong stewardship
of the economy. The smart money is on a handover soon after
the European constitution referendum expected in 2006. The Conservatives
saw their number of MPs rise from 166 in 2001 to 197 - suggesting
a good result. Blair is badly wounded and the Conservatives
retook some ground lost in Labour's 1997 landslide. However,
the Tory share of the vote rose only from 31.7 to 32.3 per cent
and Labour's majority was only cut so deeply because of a strong
showing by the third party Liberal Democrats who secured 62
seats. When the Conservatives elect a new leader to replace
the departing Michael Howard, they still have much thinking
to do to put themselves back on track for government.
* MPs : Members of Parliament The House Magazine a été créé
en 1976 par un groupe de députés afin de traiter et débattre
de l'ordre du jour parlementaire de manière impartiale mais
incisive. Il est depuis 30 ans l'hebdomadaire des parlementaires
britanniques.
Imprimer