A NEW APPROACH

With the dawning of a new political era, Gordon Brown’s first day at the office will have been tainted with the news that three more British soldiers have been killed in Basra, with a fourth seriously hurt. If ever the new PM needed a reminder as to his priorities, this is it. With Blair in charge, the public knew they were burdened with a continued presence in Iraq; the war was his issue and he would see it out. With Brown in control, the attitude will change. Seen as a sweeping new broom, the public will expect a different approach to the conflict, but will he deliver? A good indication will be how quickly the new administration meets with the Americans and at what level. If Brown intends to withdraw or set a long-term schedule for pulling out, I would expect a face to face meeting with Bush very soon. If Miliband however, as the new Foreign Secretary, is the first Labour official to venture across the Atlantic, then we can expect “more of the same”.

Unfortunately, this scenario will inevitably involve more deaths. If Brown intends to go for a quick election, he needs to distance himself from the policies of Blair and his Middle Eastern debacle. The next few weeks will give a clear indication of the direction he intends to take; lets hope he chooses wisely.