Tony is actually fighting for his political life.
Tony Blair could be in for a rude shock come election time. His labour government is making fluff after fluff and I believe they are on shaky ground. Michael Howard is not a Churchillian wonderman but, like a demented fox terrier, he does not back down. His tenacious character shows that he is not pulled in by the Blair charisma so he is able to aim at the weak spots, or the underbelly, of labour.
Howard has been given a whip by labourites and you cannot blame him for seeking to lash out at the bare back of a stumbling government. Here are the weak points Michael Howard has pinpointed and gained Tory votes from:
* The Iraq venture. No matter what anyone says Iraq is another Mogadishu.
* The NHS: Blair has done wonders but there are kinks in his armour i.e. quality control on health, something that has slipped no matter what John Reid says. Neglect a patient or two in Britain and you're all over the papers.
* Belmarsh et al: Why can't Mr Clarke and his lackeys find a an acceptable policy to handle terrorists, threats and suspicious behaviour without hedging around what the British public think. This smacks of the headmaster who does not know how to handle a difficult pupil.
* The Irish peace process:Tony is not trying hard enough.
* Immigration: Howard has a solution that is needed in a country that has been too soft on asylum seekers. Tony has no answer.
History will tell you that when Churchill was at the height of his popularity, he was voted out of office. British people do that. The man who gathers too many arrows in his chest usually falls down.