Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair: "I may have been wrong. That's your call."
"I think that's long enough, not only for me, but also for the country, and sometimes the only way you conquer the pull of power is to set it down," he said.
Blair traveled to the Trimdon Labour Club in his home district of Sedgefield -- where he originally launched his campaign to become prime minister -- to make the long-anticipated announcement before throngs of cheering local supporters.
The resignation tips off a contest for the leadership of the Labour Party. Finance Minister Gordon Brown has been long considered Blair's heir apparent and will likely take over the helm without serious challenge.
Blair, United States President George W. Bush's closest ally in the war in Iraq, leaves office out of favor with British voters for sending troops to join the 2003 invasion. With an approval rating of around 33 percent, Blair hopes history will focus more on his achievements than his support of a disastrous war in Iraq.
In his remarks to his local party supporters, Blair said, "I may have been wrong. That's your call. But believe one thing if nothing else, I did what I thought was right for my country."
Blair went on to thank his supporters for his successes and to offer apologies for the times he's fallen short.
Indeed, Blair is doing all he can to shake his reputation as "Bush's poodle," as his critics liked to call him, and cement his legacy as a peacemaker. His official announcement to resign comes only days after ushering in an historic power-sharing agreement in Northern Ireland.
A Difficult Third Term
The Iraq war, a police investigation into allegations that the government traded honors for political contributions and endless questions about whether and when Blair would step down have cast a shadow over his third term, which began in May 2005.
Only the second British prime minister in a century to serve ten years, Blair won three straight elections for Labour and pulled it from its left-wing roots to the center of British politics. He will also be remembered for humanitarian interventions in Kosovo and Sierra Leone, and he no doubt hopes those achievements will mitigate the widespread discontent over his decision to back Bush in Iraq.
But, will history treat him more kindly than he's being treated now?
An opinion poll published by the London Guardian on Thursday showed 60 percent of voters believed Blair would be remembered as a force for change, though not always good. The ICM poll said 44 percent believed he had been good for Britain. A full 58 percent of people, according to the survey, agree that he has been a disappointment given the expectations that were created when he was elected. Iraq, too, has had an impact on his reputation: 59 percent of Labour supporters and 64 percent of all voters say Blair was too concerned with foreign policy.
Clearing the Path for Brown
With Blair's resignation, a seven week contest for Labour leadership will ensue, though Gordon Brown is the only serious candidate to emerge so far. Brown has been itching for the post for some time, and conflict between him and Blair over the timing of the transition has been widely publicized. Critics say their rivalry, often bitter, has diluted government effectiveness.
Brown, who together with Blair, orchestrated Labour's rise to power in 1997, has served as finance minister in the government and is widely respected for having presided over a decade of strong economic growth.
As Labour leader, Brown would become prime minister, making him a sitting incumbent for the next national elections -- which could come as early as 2009 or as late as 2010.
jsg/reuters/ap
Post to other social networks:
Stay informed with our free news services:
| All news from SPIEGEL International | Twitter | RSS |
| All news from Europe section | RSS |
© SPIEGEL ONLINE 2007
All Rights Reserved
Reproduction only allowed with the permission of SPIEGELnet GmbH
