| Blair Could Fall |
9 June 2003
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Tony Blair Faces an Angry Commons
Her Majesty's Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Tony Blair, MP, PC must envy Texan George W. Bush about now. Both of them took their countries into an unnecessary war over weapons of mass destruction that may or may not be found. The difference is that Mr. Bush faces no opposition, not even from the Democratic Party, while Mr. Blair faces hints from his own people that he may want to draft a letter of resignation. Parliament, not Prime Ministers, are sovereign.
The British system is flawed, like any representative democracy, but it does hold every member of the executive responsible for his actions and answerable to Parliament. Every week, Mr. Blair and his cabinet have to answer questions on any subject MPs may choose. Mr. Bush doesn't even have to reply to subpoenas thanks to executive privilege.
Mr. Blair assured the House of Commons that there were WMD in Iraq, that they posed a threat, and on the basis of this assurance, the House backed the war (many Tory votes were with Mr. Blair). If no such weapons turn up, Mr. Blair is in trouble. This week, Lord Healey, formerly Mr. Denis Healey, deputy leader of Labour, wrote in the Independent that Mr. Blair will have to resign if such weapons don't turn up.
As a member of Lords, his vote won't count, but he is an elder statesman in the party, and he has a politician's understanding of the nation's mood. Thanks to the British system, it isn't enough to win the war, Mr. Blair has to be right about fighting it as well. Oh to be a Texan . . . .