Blair's credibility

While Britain is burying David Kelly, the scientist who committed suicide after having been caught in the midst of a scandal surrounding the disputed presence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, many Britons are steadily expressing their lack of confidence in Tony Blair. Destabilized by the Iraq war, which he embarked on behind George W. Bush, the prime minister is facing a confidence crisis in his personal abilities as in his methods of government voiced by the disenchanted voters.

Weakened by the crisis, shut away in a bunker surrounded by his faithful supporters, he has lost a good number of his original team, who have left the government following scandals, disagreements, or simply to get out of the public eye...

Tony Blair knows he must reduce the role of 'spin' from now on, and concentrate on his internal politics. It is here that the biggest asset is at his disposal, that of the incapacity of the Conservative party, under Iain Duncan Smith, to take advantage of the weaknesses and errors of Mr. Blair.

-- Le Monde, Paris