It's past the point of no return for Blair to stress over his legacy.

It's past the point of no return for Blair to stress over his legacy.

The Guardian reports that British Prime Minister Tony Blair has allowed short his Christmas some breathing room in Florida keeping in mind the end goal to manage the most recent political emergency in Northern Ireland. Ordinarily, Blair's most recent occasion appears to be sort of lengthier than those delighted in by his clerical associates, also the British open.

Media reports propose that Blair, who is known to be to a great degree concerned with his "legacy" to the world and to history, would like to leave office later as opposed to sooner. A discourse by Home Secretary John Reid has re-powered theory and enthusiasm toward the issue of Blair's successor, who is required to structure a legislature at some unspecified point later not long from now.

Then, the Bush organization, defied by a possibly antagonistic new Congress, appears to be progressively concerned with removing itself from the turmoil of its Iraq enterprise. By one means or another, I uncertainty that even the most passionate neo-con/Blairite genuinely envisions that the implications of Bush and Blair's remote approach will be neatly determined inside the following six months. Blair has officially made a legacy that will most likely frequent the Middle East and the world for quite a long time to come.

On the household front, the calendar for Blair's flight, which honestly appears to change with disturbing recurrence, won't permit him sufficient time to legitimately direct his most recent pet extend: the privatization of Britain's National Health Service. He positively does not appear to be totally persuaded of Gordon Brown's dedication to this undertaking.

All the more significantly, Blair has since a long time ago yielded his validity with the British electorate. It is dubious that he would ever have the capacity to convince an attentive British Parliament to help a military hostile until the end of time. His quiet over the way of Saddam Hussein's execution is maybe intelligent of lost certainty or some other discomfort.

In short, Blair has turned into an 'intermediary' Prime Minister. He has effectively forced his legacy on the world and he obviously is uncomfortable with it. On the other hand, he generally won't has room schedule-wise to present appropriate reparations. The time has wanted him to surrender his hubristic fantasies toward oneself and acknowledge the certain results of his prevalence. He ought to leave sooner instead of later.

Social democracy

Social democracy is a political ideology that considers itself to be a form of reformist democratic socialism. It advocates for a peaceful, evolutionary transition of the economy to socialism through progressive social reform of capitalism It asserts that the only acceptable constitutional form of government is representative democracy under the rule of law. It promotes extending democratic decision-making beyond political democracy to include economic democracy to guarantee employees and other economic stakeholders sufficient rights of co-determination.

Common social democratic policies include advocacy of universal social rights to attain universally accessible public services such as education, health care, workers' compensation, and other services including child care and care for the elderly. Social democracy is connected with the trade union labour movement and supports collective bargaining rights for workers. Most social democratic parties are affiliated with the Socialist International.Social democracy originated in 19th century Germany from the influence of both the internationalist revolutionary socialism and doctrine of communism advanced by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels; and the reformist socialism of Ferdinand Lassalle.

The Marxists and Lassallians were in rivalry over political influence in the movement until 1868-1869 when Marxism became the official basis of Germany's Social Democratic and Labour Party.[8] In the Hague Congress of 1872, Marx modified his stance on revolution by declaring that there were countries with democratic institutions where reformist measures could be advanced, saying that "workers may achieve their aims by peaceful means, But this is not true of all countries". Marx stressed his support for the Paris Commune due to its representative democracy based on universal suffrage.

Azorella

Azorella is a genus of about 70 species of flowering plants in the family Araliaceae, native to South America, New Zealand and the islands of the Southern Ocean. The genus is sometimes placed in family Apiaceae.

They are low-growing dwarf mat-forming plants growing in high exposure on mountains and subantarctic coasts; with great age they may form rounded mounds of foliage up to 1 m high but are usually less than 1 dm high. Several species are grown as ornamental plants in rock gardens.

It's too late for Blair to worry about his legacy.

THURSDAY, 5 JANUARY 2007

The Guardian reports that British Prime Minister Tony Blair has cut short his Christmas break in Florida in order to deal with the latest political crisis in Northern Ireland. Typically, Blair's latest holiday seems somewhat lengthier than those enjoyed by his ministerial colleagues, not to mention the British public.

Media reports suggest that Blair, who is known to be extremely concerned with his 'legacy' to the world and to history, would prefer to leave office later rather than sooner. A speech by Home Secretary John Reid has re-fueled speculation and interest in the issue of Blair's successor, who is expected to form a government at some unspecified point later this year.

Meanwhile, the Bush administration, confronted by a potentially hostile new Congress, seems increasingly concerned with extricating itself from the chaos of its Iraq adventure. Somehow, I doubt that even the most ardent neo-con/Blairite seriously imagines that the ramifications of Bush and Blair's foreign policy will be tidily resolved within the next six months. Blair has already created a legacy that will probably haunt the Middle East and the world for decades to come.

On the domestic front, the schedule for Blair's departure, which admittedly seems to change with alarming frequency, will not allow him sufficient time to properly oversee his latest pet project: the privatisation of Britain's National Health Service. He certainly does not seem entirely convinced of Gordon Brown's commitment to this project.

More importantly, Blair has long since sacrificed his credibility with the British electorate. It is doubtful that he would ever be able to persuade a wary British Parliament to support a military offensive ever again. His silence over the manner of Saddam Hussein's execution is perhaps reflective of lost confidence or some other malaise.

In short, Blair has become a 'lame-duck' Prime Minister. He has already imposed his legacy on the world and he clearly is uncomfortable with it. However, he no longer has time to make amends. The time has come for him to relinquish his hubristic self-delusions and accept the inevitable consequences of his premiership. He should resign sooner rather than later.

EU enlargement need not be a neo-liberal project

A few days ago, Romania and Bulgaria became the latest formerly communist East European states to join the European Union (EU). Similarly to their East European neighbours, both Romania and Bulgaria had implemented a range of political and economic reforms in order to fulfil the EU's accession criteria which is oriented towards liberal democratic capitalism. The enlargement project has prompted the EU, as a political organisation, to reconsider and redefine its purpose and objectives. This manifested in the ill-fated 2004 draft constitution

Following the appointment of the current commission, the EU has become increasingly associated across the continent with neoliberalism due to its commitments to market liberalisation. Interestingly, the French left successfully opposed the draft EU constitution, which was subjected to ratification by the French electorate in the 2004 referendum, because of its neoliberal orientation.

However, the EU's historical achievements transcend the creation of free markets. The Social Chapter of the Maastricht Treaty (1992) created new imperatives for member state governments to implement policies that provided legal protection to the rights of the workforce. EU human rights directives influenced the introduction of human rights legislation in the UK, which until the early 1990s was considered by some to have one of the poorest human rights records in Europe.

A number of academics and commentators have argued that the EU provides varying degrees of protection for European economies within the international context of economic globalisation. Some have even suggested that the EU has amounted to a social democratic force in the politics of its member states.

Currently, the future direction of the EU is unclear, especially given the enlargement project and the defeat of the draft constitution. However, historical precedents suggest that EU expansion and integration need not necessarily be predicated entirely on neo-liberalism. EU membership for Bulgaria and Romania might be prove to be a civilising and progressively reforming influence in the political and economic life of these countries rather than simply granting them access to so-called free markets.