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| Sunday, 7 May 2006 |
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Stakes are high for Blair after reshuffle: British press LONDON, May 6, 2006 (AFP) Prime Minister Tony Blair was described by the British press Saturday as a desperate man clinging to his job in the face of mounting opposition and government disarray after a brutal cabinet reshuffle. The comments also followed one of the worst-ever local elections for Blair's governing Labour Party on Thursday as many voters across England turned to the main opposition Conservatives in a major blow for the prime minister. Every newspaper, from the Financial Times to the best-selling tabloid Sun, led on the cabinet shake-up in which Blair axed his home secretary, demoted his foreign secretary, took powers off his deputy and juggled other key ministerial posts. The move is designed to inject new vigour into a government that has been hit by a series of scandals involving sex, missing foreign convicts and money. The press, however, widely viewed it as Blair's last chance to reassert his authority and regain the confidence of the country. "The shake-up easily the most far-reaching of his premiership was designed to signal that Mr Blair has fire in his belly and will not be forced to quit early in this parliament," The Financial Times said in an editorial. "Yet it buys him only a little time to demonstrate his premiership still
has both purpose and the means to achieve its purpose." |
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