Prime Minister Tony Blair battles on amid election defeats, cabinet discord and calls for his resignation from within his own party, reports Doaa El-Bey Tony Blair this week refused to bow to pressure to resign or offer a clear timetable for his departure, claiming to do so would paralyse the proper working of government. He did concede, however, that he would give his successor enough time to "bed in" before the next general elections. He refused to say if he had discussed the matter with Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, his expected successor. Despite a series of blows in the last two weeks, Blair proved that he still has power enough to leave office at a time of his own choosing and in a manner in accordance with his style. He and his allies reiterate that forcing him out would make an orderly transition to his chosen successor impossible. Thus, Blair is gambling on the reluctance of mainstream Labour members to damage their party through engaging in open warfare against him. He knows he need not worry about the official opposition, or left-wingers within his party. Neither have the numbers to force him out of power. He is harping on the fact that any open conflict within the party will take the party out of government. Last Friday's government reshuffle -- which was described by some as "brutal" -- is sign enough that he wants to retain his hold on power as long as possible; sending a clear message that he remains in charge. Consequently, Blair brought his supporters to more prominent positions. John Reid, who has been the most vocal cabinet member calling on Blair to stay on until as close to the next general elections as possible, was promoted to the position of home secretary. He also appointed Jacqui Smith and Hazel Blears, two Blair loyalists, as chief whip and chairman of the Labour Party respectively. Both posts play a vital role in influencing the mood of the party in parliament and in the country. The replacement of Jack Straw by Margaret Beckett reasserts Blair's control over decision-making in international affairs. Blair, for whom foreign policy has been an important issue, may have felt Straw's preference for negotiated solutions and his recent scepticism about war in Iraq were at odds with his own position. Straw and Blair took different stands regarding Iran. Straw described military action against Tehran as "inconceivable", whereas Blair has showed far less reluctance to consider force. Beckett, formerly environment secretary, is the first woman to hold the position of British foreign secretary. She has no foreign policy experience beyond her participation in international talks on global warming, but is an experienced politician who is deeply loyal to Blair. She has been in Blair's cabinet since he took power in 1997. The appointment of David Miliband as secretary of state for the environment, food and rural affairs is also a show of power on Blair's part. Although Brown is the one most likely to succeed Blair, some ministers would like to see Miliband challenge Brown for the leadership when Blair resigns. Several favour Miliband over Brown in leading the battle against Conservative Party leader David Cameron at the next elections. Given long drawn out tensions between Brown and Blair, one of those in favour may be Blair himself. In many ways, Blair seems to be fighting not only for himself but his legacy. The reshuffle came one day after Labour's poor performance in local elections -- the worst since it took power in 1997. Labour lost more than 300 seats of the 4,361 available, while the main opposition Conservatives gained more than 300; their best result since 1992. The BBC projected that if the local elections had been a general election, Labour would have come third after the Conservatives first, the Liberal Democrats second. Local elections followed a difficult run for the government, dogged by blunders on the home front and growing scepticism on Blair's foreign policy record. As a result of the elections rout, and in reaction to Blair's swift reshuffle, some 50 Labour rebels signed a letter, addressed to Labour's Executive Committee, demanding a timetable for an orderly and efficient leadership transition to be set by July. Many expect the handover to be in motion by the time of the Labour Party annual conference in October. After winning the last general elections in May 2005, Blair pledged to lead his party during a third term but not stand for a fourth term at the next general elections due May 2010 at the latest. Recent scandals together with dissension following his government reshuffle raised calls for him to go earlier. Meanwhile, with many pundits focussed on Blair's future, one aspect of his legacy came into force this week: new laws making it illegal to exalt terrorism and distribute terrorist publications. The Terrorism Act 2006 allows groups or organisations to be banned for inciting or glorifying terrorism and covers anyone who gives or receives what is deemed to be terrorist "training". Human rights campaigners have lambasted the law as curbing free speech and expression. Conservative and Liberal Democrat MPs voted against the Terrorism Bill, saying existing legislation provided adequate public protection. The bill was introduced after the 7 July 2005 bombings in London.
