Sad to say, reports of Tony Blair's political death are exaggerated.
The Labour government is suffering from the same paralysis that most governments face in conditions of mass disengagement from politics.
However, the Third Way, while it encapsulates no obviously positive aspirations still summates the objective exhaustion of alternatives.
'New' Labour might do badly at the polls here and there, and it's honeymoon is definitely over. What it stands for, though, is precisely the elite bureaucratisation of public decision-making that substitutes for political process.
I see no substantial organised opposition to that process, so by default, New Labour's Third Way sets the agenda for most participants in the rarefied public sphere. Notice that the main themes of public order, inclusive politics, obsession with health are common to all the major parties.
In message <Pine.NEB.4.21.0005202341160.20573-100000 at panix6.panix.com>,
Michael Pollak <mpollak at panix.com> writes
>
>On Fri, 19 May 2000, Carl Remick wrote:
>
>> And Tony Blair has fared even worse. His net approval rating has
>> collapsed from +34 points a year ago to only +1 now, with 44% of
>> voters saying that they are satisfied with the job he is doing and 43%
>> dissatisfied."
>
>Of course, one thing to keep in mind that is that Blair won his present
>overwhelming mandate with 43% of the vote.
--
Jim heartfield