God damn, folks. Bush's main allies are falling apart

[WilliamPitt]

The two most important allies to Bush - Blair in the UK and Sharon in Israel - are looking at the very real possibility of having their governments fall down around their ears.

After eight years in power Tony Blair hears a new word: Defeat

Labour rebels leave terror plan in shreds and question PM's future

Patrick Wintour
Thursday November 10, 2005
The Guardian

Tony Blair was facing backbench calls to stand aside after nearly 63 Labour MPs inflicted a first, and overwhelming, Commons defeat on his eight-year-old government, spurning his personal plea to respect the police by giving them powers to detain terrorist suspects for up to 90 days.

In the biggest reverse for a government on a whipped vote since James Callaghan's administration, Mr Blair was defeated comprehensively by 322 to 291, with 49 Labour backbenchers, including 11 former ministers, defying a three-line whip. Thirteen others abstained.

As the impact on the prime minister's authority sunk in, MPs then voted by 323 to 290 to support detention without charge for only 28 days, the position advocated by the Liberal Democrats and the Tories. The scale of the defeat rocked Labour whips, raising questions about Mr Blair's political judgment of late and suggesting that he now has a permanent cadre of irreconcilable backbenchers who neither listen to nor respect his views, leaving him in charge of an effective minority administration on controversial issues.

The former cabinet minister Clare Short said the defeat presaged further revolts. "It would be good for him, and certainly the Labour administration, if he moved on quickly," she said. Another former minister, Frank Dobson, predicted bigger revolts on Mr Blair's plans for schools.

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,15935,1639028,00.html

===

Peres Loses Israeli Labor Party Post, Endangering Sharon Coalition

By GREG MYRE
Published: November 10, 2005

JERUSALEM, Thursday, Nov. 10 - A trade union leader won a surprise victory over Shimon Peres in an election for leader of the Labor Party, party officials announced early on Thursday. The development greatly increases the possibility that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's coalition government could collapse.

Amir Peretz, the union leader and a member of Parliament who pulled off the upset in the internal Labor Party election, said during the campaign that he would withdraw the party from Mr. Sharon's coalition.

Mr. Sharon is battling hard-liners in his own right-wing Likud Party who split with the prime minister over his decision to withdraw Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip in August. If Mr. Peretz follows through with his promise, Mr. Sharon's government would almost certainly crumble. Israel is required to hold elections by November 2006, but if the government falls soon, the balloting could be held early next year.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/10/international/middleeast/10mideast.html

===

Interesting times, folks. Watching Blair and Sharon take a beating is personally rewarding for me, but the last thing in the world I want is the Tories running Britain and Sharon's right flank running Israel.

[rateyes]

1. Yeah, moving those governments even further to

the right will be disastrous for them and for the world.

[Jacobin]

2. Not a moment too soon

[Christa]

3. They say the same about the US

:think:

[priller]

4. I don't think it means the Tories will be running England

Labour just wants Blair out of there, for the good of the Labour Party.

[WilliamPitt]

5. Yeah

but if Labour falls to squabbling, it could get messy.