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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>"So will this
increase or decrease the pressure on Blair to pull out <BR>of Iraq? Or
neither?"</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>He's riding
pretty high at the moment. It is a strange turnaround from the election that was
well underway even before the bomb. The spat at the European Union made him
popular over here, as his critics (principally Chirac) seemed to be trying to
divert attention from their own failings. Anti-EC sentiment is often quite
popular, but at the moment it strikes a chord with those disenchanted from the
political elite. For the first time since he became PM, Blair is coming across
quite hostile to the EU, and it is popular.</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>On top of that, his pitch for Africa,
debt-forgiveness and action on climate change is very popular with his more
vocal critics here. The election found that specific group of educated,
sometime activist young particularly hostile to Blair over Iraq. But since
the election it is hard to underestimate the work he has put in to pitch his
politics towards their concerns.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Most importantly, the Geldof organised concerts
have allowed him to position himself as the champion of the 'make poverty
history' protestors outside the summit. (You should know that Geldof, Bono,
Blair and chancellor Gordon Brown cooked this up over a weekend at the PM's
official residence a while back).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>And then yesterday, winning the Olympic bid put the
icing on the cake of Blair's resurrection, complete with humiliation for Chirac,
Euro-hate figure de jour.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>So today, the bombings find Blair at the top of his
game. The G8 protestors who were getting a very generous press yesterday have
disappeared from the newservices, and he is striking a Churchillian note. Even
Bush, who was being rubbished as the Toxic Texan yesterday, is taken as a
welcome ally today.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The bombers, whoever they are, chose to make
targets of London's working population, targeting the London Underground, and
Bus Service at rush hour. We are still uninformed as to their political goals,
as presumably are they. Like Blair, they would appear to welcome the
disorientation and demoralisation that random bombing attacks bring, the
miserable no-marks.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Here's my photo of the scene at Kings Cross today
(I was working at the British Library nearby - one institution that carried on
regardless, everywhere else has taken the opportunity to close
down).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><A
href="http://www.heartfield.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/KingsX.htm">http://www.heartfield.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/KingsX.htm</A> </DIV>
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