England Politics

By conventional wisdom, David Blunkett should not have made it to the top of British government. The home secretary is a politician who doesn't suffer fools. He is unflinchingly blunt in an administration that weighs every word. And Blunkett, the country's chief law enforcement officer, is blind.

Britain's political leaders threw their support behind the Anglo-U.S. military strikes against Afghanistan on Sunday after Prime Minister Tony Blair declared that the coalition will act with "reason and resolve" in response to the Sept.

Wake a card-carrying member of Common Cause in the middle of the night, ask him to describe his ideal way to elect America's leaders and he'd probably come back with something very similar to the system they use in England.

As Prime Minister Tony Blair formed a new government Friday on the heels of a sweeping electoral victory, his Protestant allies in Northern Ireland suffered a setback, casting doubt on the future of the peace process there.

As British voters mark their ballots today--and they do mark them, with a pencil--Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labor Party appears headed for a conditional landslide.

As Conservative Party leader William Hague made his way through the flock of the faithful at a lunchtime rally Tuesday and an emcee introduced "the next prime minister of Britain," even many of his supporters let out an involuntary guffaw.

The economy is strong, the Conservative opposition has pilloried itself, and even the sun, seldom seen in Britain, is smiling on his campaign. Polls give Prime Minister Tony Blair an overwhelming lead going into Thursday's election, suggesting that his Labor Party will increase its majority in Parliament and, barring a political train wreck, he will be elected to a second term.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Tuesday launched his bid for a second term, calling a June 7 national election that he hopes will yield a landslide victory for his Labor Party to match its triumph four years ago.