Tony Blair’s third term in office is at an end. In 1997 he achieved what was thought impossible. After years of working class discontent (the closing of important industries, the minors strike, privatization, poll tax, etc), and a new leader in John Major who showed major Cabinet weakness, Conservative government found itself at an end. Blair brought the Labour Party around to defeat almost two decades of Conservative government with New Labour and became the second longest running Prime Minister of the century. He changed the face of the UK along the way, leaving it almost unrecognizable to how he found it. We are now living in a time where party politics seem almost dead, with relatively little difference existing between the manifestos of the Conservatives and Labour. Add Blair’s taste for a presidential style, not dissimilar to Lady Thatcher’s, and it would be easy to argue that Blair simply continued where the New Right left off, inheriting and nurturing a Conservative ideal of free market economics and instinct for strict law and order. Others would argue the Labour Government under his leadership simply became more practical and pragmatic. We have seen countless reforms alien to the socialist ideas of Old Labour, a war with the Middle East, and a disastrous mess in domestic and foreign policies. And now, as we see the sun setting on the horizon of Mr. Blair’s leadership of Britain, we must ask ourselves, what has he left us?

Labour Government ignorance and unwillingness to foot the bill for new cleaning products has left the National Health Service a breeding ground for deadly hospital ‘super-bugs’ such as MRSA, leading to countless infections and deaths. Meanwhile waiting lists continue to spiral out of control, with many turning Private. Labour Health Minister Patricia Hewitt’s solutions to these problems show the Labour Governments complete lack of respect and care for this prized health institution. Policies such as denying treatment to smokers, heavy drinkers, or those over weight, shows total disregard to people who pay heavy taxes towards the treasury in order to engage in these habits, and suggests a blatant encroachment on their individual liberty. Her latest statement that Labour constituencies should be able to spend more money on their health facilities, since Tory constituencies are often healthier to begin with is disgraceful in its disregard for simple ideas of social equality. Lastly, it has also been shown that financial cut-backs by the Labour Party have also left our nations mentally ill, many of whom are elderly, without many precious resources crucial to their care, and early and misjudged releases have led to a spate of murders by mentally ill patiants nowhere near recovered. This is the treatment of our nations’ health under Blair.

Meanwhile, in terms of law and order, polls suggest that Britain has not only become one of the leading binge-drinking nations under Blair, but also the one with the most violent, neglected youth in all Europe. Blair’s attempts to curb this trend have been weak and have ultimately failed. A UN study has showed Britain’s youth to have become the most unhappy, neglected and poorly educated in the industrialized world, with depression, underage sex, and drug addiction amongst minors soaring. The introduction of the ASBO simply brought about a badge of achievement to a generation prided for its anti-work ethic, while passing the responsibility to parents in public addresses shows a total lack of strength and stamina in his governments’ ability to deal with this standard issue. With families living under more pressure than ever to deal with their children’s success and behavior, and communities in fear of hooded hooligans, Blair – for all intents and purposes – has failed again.

On our borders Blair has made a noble gesture in mass-immigration to the UK for those fleeing tyranny and deprivation (unlike most of our European counterparts), as well as to further the economy and diversity of the nation. Unfortunately he has gone about this entirely the wrong way. Thousands of foreigners faking asylum status have by-passed checks while even more illegal immigrants have crossed from France and vanished into society, leaving no way to trace who is here. While always one to embrace diversity and the welcoming of new people to our land, this unmanaged form of immigration leaves no one a winner. Only in an anarchic or utopian world devoid of religion, discrimination or nations can a ‘let them in and leave them to it’ mentality work. It all boils down to the appearance of ghettos, the breakdown of social cohesion, the distrust of different ethnic groups from each other and the indigenous population, and finally violence. Instead of an unstoppable flow of immigration, with an expectation of the resident population to adapt, there should be much more of an effort towards integration and socialization, rather than this empty-headed gesture of allowing the country to overflow and leave the people to it. Blair has attempted to do the right thing, but entirely half-heartedly and unintelligently.

Unfortunately, the Blair Government’s solutions to these problems of law, order and immigration are ones requiring the destruction of our civil liberties and the creation of a big brother state. Identification Cards carrying everything from a holder’s iris and fingerprints, to their DNA are currently being pushed through Parliament with a £2,500 fine upon failure to present to authorities on site. A DNA database is also in the mold, with the hope of collecting the DNA of every new-born Briton and existing citizens within the next few decades. Next, Blair plans a centralized information database of all our medical and other personal information. This is argued to be more efficient for employers, doctors and civil servants, etc, when all anyone of the public can see is an increased chance of the abuse of power. Lastly, the step-up in further CCTV around the country, some of which are planned to talk and X-Ray citizens clothes, are enhancing our position as the most spied-upon nation on earth.

Constitutionally Blair has continued to mess up. Devolution was welcomed lukewarm in Wales, where their present assembly holds almost no power at all, and finally got off to an atrocious start in Scotland, with a delayed Parliament sponging millions out of taxpayers pockets. Blair’s promise to dismiss the 1,400 year old post of Lord Chancellor, thereby bringing about a total separation of Executive, Legislative and Judicial powers in Parliament has never happened. And finally his reform of the House of Lords has led to a huge ‘Cash for Peerages’ scandal in which New Labour has been seen to turn the Lords into a money-making scheme giving out Lordships in return for finance, and making a mockery of our bicameral democratic system.

In terms of foreign policy and international relations, we don’t fare much better. The winning of the Olympic Games for 2012 was first seen as a great achievement for Britain, but over time it is gradually being seen for all of its flaws. The London 2012 logo coast tax-payers thousands of pounds to develop and the nation hate it. Despite the rumored leaps in regeneration for London, and especially the East End, figures are now beginning to suggest that the cost of hosting the games will eventually outweigh any of the benefits. The youth of Britain has also been left out in the cold, after being used as a major card in London’s play for the Games, they have had virtually nothing to do with any of the plans and received little of the benefit. It is, however, a matter of time far surpassing Blair’s legacy in Britain as to whether these games will be a success.

The biggest news stories of the last few years involve Blair’s failure in our foreign policy with the Middle East, news so well-known and global that I will not go into a huge amount of detail here, preferring instead to focus on the more domestic side of Blair’s legacy. We have engaged in two wars in the Middle East and are loosing them both. The War in Iraq ignored millions of protestors throughout the nation and went against international law, making it illegal. Confusion over our role in the European Union has continued to grow, with Blair denying a much promised referendum for the British people while giving away our sovereignty and decision making powers. Our links with the United States of America, meanwhile, have severely damaged our alliances elsewhere in the world, while making us a major target for terrorist groups.

That is not to say nothing of any value has been done by the Labour Government in terms of domestic and foreign policy. In terms of environment, it must be admitted that Blair has achieved more success. He has lowered carbon emissions in Britain, and done much work abroad to bring about similar progress in foreign countries. His suggestion of a green tax on cars is another huge leap, which will push people out of their gas-guzzling four-by-fours onto more ozone-friendly public transport. This will only work however, if the government begins to understand that public transport therefore must not rise in price, as it has been consecutively over the last few years.

The Sure Start Program has brought a second chance to thousands of disadvantaged teenagers, while the increase in the minimum wage has helped relieve the stress of many working class peoples lives.

But as Tony Blair leaves Downing Street, he will be hoping we all remember his much deserved applause for ending the troubles in Ireland with his Catholic-Protestant power-sharing bargain. Ending almost a hundred years of violence and terrorism, amounting to around 3,500 deaths, Prime Minister Blair has appeared to achieve the impossible. Who could have thought it likely that not only a hand-shake between two adamant enemies such as Rev. Ian Paisley and Gerry Adams could happen, but for them to laugh around like old friends? We can do nothing more than step back and thank Blair for his tireless work in this area of our domestic policy. But we must not let this matter overshadow a decade of leadership. Are these points a matter of simply too little too late, or do they honestly justify this immense mess we’ve been left in? We must play the waiting game and hope the next British Government can clean it all up.