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| Sunday, 19 December 2004 |
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Blair in trouble again before polls Globescan by M.P. Muttiah British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, is in trouble again. David Blunkett, Britain's Home Secretary and its chief law-and-order official has resigned after allegations that he had misused his position to expedite a visa application for his ex-lover's nanny. The resignation of Blunkett, a close ally of Blair, is a serious blow to the British Prime Minister who is seeking re-election early next year. Blair announced recently that fighting crime, combating terrorism, introducing identity cards, tightening anti-terror laws and overseeing social welfare would figure prominently in the election campaign. Blair had relied on tough, determined and blunt personality of Blunkett for Labour Party's success at the forthcoming general elections.Blunkett said that the past few weeks were the worst in his life. He said that he was forced to quit after investigations had revealed that a fax and e-mail about the nanny's visa application had been sent through his office to immigration officials. The e-mail referred to the long delay in approving the visa and stated "no favours, but for slightly quicker" decision taken. The Daily Mail, a conservative tabloid, also accused Blunkett of committing other improprieties including the issue of a first-class train voucher reserved for Parliamentarians and using a government chauffeur to drive her to Blunkett's house. The Guardian stated, ``Blunkett, born blind in a poor rose to hold one of the most important, demanding offices in the state, and lost it for love. Before Tony Blair recovered from this unholy affair, a court ruling came as another blow to his anti-terror policy. Britain's Law Lords had ruled in favour of an appeal by nine out of eleven men who were detained for more than three years under an emergency anti-terror law, which was imposed after September 11 attacks on the United States. The Law allowed police to indefinitely detain foreigners suspected of involvement in terrorism. Human Rights campaigners said that the government had no option but to free the detainees. They also said if Parliament passed new laws to keep the detainees in prison, it would tantamount to aiding terrorism. Now, Blair had been pushed to change his policy decisions on anti-terror laws before the elections. While Ukrainian presidential election is set for next Sunday, the open support of The Netherlands to the Opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko had stirred the European Union. Gerrit Zalam, the Dutch Deputy Prime Minister, had said that Yushchenko was a person of high integrity and would be good for Ukraine if he was elected. His view was significant since The Netherlands holds the rotating presidency of the European Union. Zalam's comments rebuffed other members of the EU, who viewed that it should remain neutral on events in Ukraine. Some members like France, Germany and Italy had been vary of alienating Russia and noted that would be an interference in the internal affairs of Ukraine. Poland and other countries had criticised the EU for its anti-Russian stand. |
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