 |
| A
growing number think Blair is smug and more than half say he
should quit before or soon after the next election
|
LONDON,
July 4 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – According to a recent
poll, nearly two thirds of British voters believe British Prime
Minister Tony Blair is a poodle to U.S. President George W. Bush, the
British daily newspaper, the Daily Mirror, said Wednesday, June 3.
A
growing number think Blair is smug and more than half say he should
quit before or soon after the next elections, the Daily Mirror
reported in an article entitled “Blair in the Doghouse”.
According
to the paper, the shock findings were published as Blair tried to
persuade TV viewers he was concentrating on big issues facing the
country.
And
they showed the massive task Downing Street faces in keeping the
public onside in the run-up to the 2005 general election.
The
Daily Mirror dubbed Blair Bush’s poodle for his slavish support in
the so-called “war against terror”.
“But
the YouGov poll for Channel 4 News revealed increasing public doubts
about the policy as Bush rides roughshod over world opinion,”
the paper said.
“The
U.S. Government has caused outrage by refusing to sign up to the
International Criminal Court, the Kyoto agreement on greenhouse gases
and threatening to attack Iraq, Iran and North Korea,” it added.
According
to the daily, Blair is seen as a poodle by 62 per cent of all voters,
and 49 per cent of Labor supporters. Only 28 percent back his
relationship with Bush.
But
51 per cent still said he had done a “good job” on the world stage
since September 11 atrocities.
Meanwhile,
there was little appetite for a ground war against Saddam Hussein,
with 56 per cent opposing British troops being sent to Iraq and only
29 per cent supporting action. Around 45 per cent see Blair as
untrustworthy, compared to 29 per cent who had faith in him, the paper
said.
Asked
when he should step down, 29 per cent said now and 22 per cent before
or shortly after election day, the paper added.
Just
over half of voters said Blair was doing a good job - but 55 per cent
believed Gordon Brown would be better.
In
his most recent album released Monday, July 1, “Shoot the Dog”,
British singer George Michael, openly criticizes the “special”
relationship between Bush and Blair and depicting Blair as a poodle to
Bush.
The
British PM has been following the U.S. in almost all its decisions and
acts concerning the so-called war on terrorism that left thousands of
Afghani civilians dead.
He
has also supported the U.S. refusal to lift the sanctions on Iraq,
which caused the death of a half million Iraqi children.
