Thatcher Warns Britons Over Blair "Dictatorship"

June 2, 2001 - 0:0
LONDON Former Conservative premier Margaret Thatcher warned on Friday that Britain could end up with an "elective dictatorship" if Prime Minister Tony Blair is reelected by a landslide next week as opinion polls forecast.

The Conservative-supporting **** Daily Telegraph **** said her warning, in an article for the paper, reflected private concerns of senior Conservatives that the party may be heading for a heavier defeat on June 7 than in 1997 when Blair swept to power with a 179-seat majority in the 659-member House of Commons.

"I applaud strong government, but not overweening government sustained by cronies, ciphers and a personality cult," Thatcher said in the latest of several withering attacks on Blair and his Labour Party.

Thatcher, dubbed the "Iron Lady" during the Cold War years of the 1980s when she enjoyed big parliamentary majorities herself, accused Blair of eroding Britain's power in the European Union by allowing vetoes to be stripped away and of being prepared to abolish the pound in favor of the euro.

"At a time when our country's future as an independent nation lies in the balance, (a landslide for Blair) is a risk too far. It is not too late to vote to prevent that," she said.

While the Conservatives battled against Labour's opinion poll leads of around 20 points, Blair and his ministers were waging a war on another front -- against apathy.

Some polls have suggested many Britons have still not decided whether to vote next Thursday and that the turnout could be lowest since World War I. If turnout falls below 70 percent, it will be the first time this has happened since 1918 when 57.2 percent of the electorate voted.

Blair has sounded confident of victory by setting out plans for a second term, but he has also shown awareness that a low turnout could damage his standing even if he does get a big win.

Many Britons undecided about voting say they are disillusioned with politics or feel Blair has failed to deliver on first term promises. They say they still do not trust the Conservatives, ousted in 1997 amid sex and sleaze scandals.

Blair said on Thursday it was vital people voted so that Labour got a mandate to press on with a program of investment in schools, hospitals and other public services.

Trying to switch the agenda away from Europe and the euro -- favorite battlegrounds for the Conservatives -- Blair said William Hague's opposition party would unwind the progress of the past few years by cutting investment in public services.

"This election matters to our country, it matters to the wider world," Blair told a Labour rally south of London.

"Give us our marching orders for changing this country for the better, for putting our schools and hospitals first."

Opinion polls suggest Hague has made a mistake in putting the euro at the top of his agenda because they show Britons are more interested in who will run schools and hospitals better.

A Gallup poll this week signalled Blair's approach to the euro was gaining ground. It said 46 percent of respondents thought "Britain should probably join the euro at some point, but not yet" -- just about summing up Blair's stance.

Another 11 percent were even more keen on the euro, wanting to sign up as soon as possible.

Blair has sought to keep the euro out of the campaign for the June 7 election, not least because previous polls had said up to 70 percent of Britons wanted to keep the pound.

He favors joining the euro after the election subject to the right economic conditions and approval by Britons in a referendum. The Conservatives have made keeping the pound the focus of their campaign, Reuters reported.