Playing to Patriotism in Britain

...Playing to Patriotism Britain BY NORMAN GELB JOHN MAJOR LONDON POLITICAL whims and fashions that capture the American imagination frequently surface in Britain soon afterward The gospel according to Newt Gingrich is the latest case in point Three of Prime Minister John Major's right-wing Cabinet ministers, whom he termed "bastards" in an unguarded interview last year, have begun emphasizing the need to downsize government and slash public spending Minister of Employment Michael Portillo—ideological heir to Margaret Thatcher and possibly the next Tory leader—is heading a campaign aimed at further dismantling what is left of the British welfare state after 15 years of Conservative rule His father was a Spanish Socialist who emigrated to Britain to escape fascism under Franco But the reductions in government the son envisions have nothing to do with preserving civil liberties The Social Security Minister, Peter Lilley, has joined Portillo in calling for significant cuts in social welfare outlays He wants local authorities to assume most of the responsibility for determining and administering benefit payments In a country whose entitlement programs far exceed those of the United States, Lil-ley's views arouse strong apprehension among the millions who receive at least a modicum of subsistence support Meanwhile, Secretary for Wales John Redwood, a man probably destined for a more senior Cabinet position if the Tones cling to power, has mounted a drive against what he considers an excess of civil servants He faults his own government for not dealing with the problem speedily enough The triumvirate, and its supporters on the influential nght wing of the Consei-vative Party, have taken heart from the Republican victory in America's midterm elections Observed Portillo "All over the world—not least in the United States—there is clear evidence that the public expects further reform of the state " For those who might think otherwise, the London Sunday Times cautioned, "The Republican landslide Gin-gnch masterminded in the United States shows that people expect their government to deliver—or else " Exactly what John Major is expected to deliver is m dispute Portillo and friends are demanding increased aggressiveness in getting the government out of everyone's life Most Britons, however, seek something more abstract They pine for whatever it would take to dispel the "feel bad" factor pervading the country, with seasoned patriots wishing Margaret Thatcher were still in charge and young professionals grumbling about Britain becoming a Third World nation If statistical indicators are to be believed, public morale here should be high rather than sagging The economy continues to recover from a long slump UnNorman Gelb repot ts regularly for The New Leader on Bi itish affairs employment levels have been gradually declining, and business confidence is up Trouble is, the gams have not yet fully percolated down to ordinary citizens Moreover, Major's image has been battered by a succession of Tory financial and sexual scandals, bitter party infighting, and a generally lackluster performance Nor has it helped that certain emblems of British glory have been badly tarnished on his watch They include the dignity of the royal family, the now much weakened National Health Service, the BBC's reputation for excellence, and even the once efficient London subway system and national railway network The recent fiasco involving the Cunard QE2, the United Kingdom's flagship luxury liner—which put to sea with a full complement of passengers while plumbers and carpenters were still refitting it?seemed symbolic of a momentous fall from grace At times over the last few months the Prime Minister's personal standing in the pubhc opinion polls has plummeted mto the single digits By contrast Tony Blair, his chief political adversary, has remained a highly popular figure, displaying flair and confidence since becoming Labor Party leader in July Indeed, it is remarkable that John Maj or has managed to hold out at 10 Downing Street as long as he has He should take consolation, quipped London Times essayist Matthew Paris, that the British press has weaned of predicting his imminent downfall and has turned instead to chorusing his defeat in the next election Despite the odds, the Prime Minister is a fighter and he is searching desperately for an issue that would enable him to meet Blair's challenge One tactic that served the Tones well m the past, branding Labor the "tax-and-spend" party, has been defused by their own embarrassing taxation record Major's warning that Blair is proposing "the beginning of the end of Bntain"—by urging the creation of regional assemblies in Scotland and Wales—has failed to stir much public anxiety or interest And Blair's vigorous (perhaps deliberately excessive) rebuke to left-wing Labontes who have openly criticized his platform has robbed the Tones of their opportunity to smear him as a tool of the "loony Left " BLAIR'S single point of vulnerability may be his clear and firm commitment to a tightly unified Europe The Labor Party leader favors a common foreign and secunty policy, full monetary union and a stronger European Parliament Unlike their counterparts on the Continent, the majority of Britons are not really excited one way or the other by any of these ideas Europe, says political analyst Edward Pearce, is "an abstraction about as seriously engaging to the broad public mind as Italian opera," leaving the average Englishman "mildly grumpy and endlessly uninterested " Yet the increasing authority of the European Union (EU), and the prospect of foreign bureaucrats m Brussels overruling Commons (although, to some extent, they are already empowered to do so), does stir some discomfort on this "scepter'd isle' In fact, the Tory Party is at present fiercely divided on the European question, with the Pnme Minister himself appearing to be of two minds about it For while on the one hand he stresses his determination to prevent Britain's sovereignty and distinctive institutions from being submerged in the Union, on the other he recognizes the crucial economic benefits of active EU participation...

...At bottom it is likely he leans toward the view of author and critic Auberon Waugh who lecently wrote in the Spectato that if the nation were to follow a go-it-alone policy in Europe "Britons would soon settle mto the role of Amenca's poor relatives, the routine of its white trash underclass without any right to vote in Amencan elections' Only last November Major felt Britain's EU participation was important enough to risk his House of Commons maj onty and temporanly remove the Tory mantle from a group of Euroskeptic parliamentarians who, defying his wishes, voted against a regular financial contribution And he made Patrick Nicholls resign as Conservative Party vice chairman for a scathing attack on the Germans ("warmongers") and the French ("collaborators") Major was not happy either when Employment Minister Portillo, exceeding his brief, inveighed against the compromise of "historic anomalies and national habits that people hold dear" But the Prime Minister has been shifting ground of late Contravening his own previous wishes to have his hands free in dealing with European partners, he has publicly committed the government to blocking the key EU constitutional changes favored by Tony Blair In addition, he has vowed to propose measures that would impede the Maastncht Treaty timetable for introducing a single European currency "The high tide of federalism," he says, has passed The Tones have often played the patri-otic card when under electoral pressure, and the 1996 EU Intergovernmental Conference, convoked to revise the existing agreements, would be a propitious moment for Major to lay that card on the table Hounded by France and Germany to agree to accelerated integration, he could give just sufficient ground to ensure the UK's continuing influence on the pace of the process and still emerge as British sovereignty's stubborn defender—a new Thatcher Elections called soon afterward might well show the voters sufficiently impressed to counter the belief, almost universally held these days, that John Major is simply serving out his time...