.
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confirm his impressive leadership skills, thereby strengthening his hold on the premiership? Or
was this the one that finally got away, leaving him struggling to win back the public trust, a
reputation for competence and his electoral support? What sort of Labour government will we
see in the future? Will this crisis rejuvenate the Labour Party, forcing it to define a new mission
and give it new sense of purpose? Or will the party struggle to reunify itself, fail to do so, and
splinter, in close resemblance to the Labour Party of the 1970s and 1980s? Will the Blair
government be able to garner sufficient political and popular support to accept the Euro,
implement further reforms of the health system or pursue other major policy initiatives? Or will
those previously silenced by Blair find sufficient will to voice their concerns and block or hinder
these efforts?
The Crisis Unfolds
Before considering the longer-term political implications of the Blair government’s
support for the United States’ Iraq policy, I first recount the events of the first seven months of
2003. During this period, Blair and his party engaged in a fairly intense dialogue—with each
other and with the British public—as to the appropriate approach to the threat posed by Saddam
Hussein. This period can be divided into five distinct phases:
1) The lead-up to the first Commons vote on an attack on Iraq
2) After the first Commons vote
3) The lead-up to the second Commons vote
4) After the second Commons vote—the war
5) The aftermath of the war
Convention