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Tony Blair has returned to a third term as the British Government's prime minister. Iraq did not prevent Blair from returning with a comfortable enough majority, and this is the first time in its history that a Labour government has been reelected for a third successive term.
Nonetheless, Iraq was still an issue, and it came home to Blair in his own constituency Sedgefield. The incumbent prime minister was challenged by an independent candidate Reg Keys, whose son was killed during the Iraq war.
Blair got 24,421 votes, and Keys 4,252. That means that for every six votes Blair got, Keys got at least one. Compared to the last general election in 2001, the votes for Blair dropped by about six percent. A member of the Blair campaign team Derek Cattel had quit midway through the campaign to support Keys, who was quoted as saying: "I am hoping in my heart that one day the prime minister will be able to say sorry."
"I know Iraq has been a divisive issue," Blair said as he was announced winner. "I hope we can unite again and look to the future, there and here." The remark seemed an indication that despite the opposition over Iraq, he intended to stay the controversial course.
Labour is believed to have lost many votes and seats in constituencies with a high Muslim population – such as Bethnal Green – and in constituencies with a high number of students. Both these groups were at the forefront of the anti-Iraq-war protests. Blair said that his new government will take on board the verdict of the people, reflected in some loss of support for his party. But that is not expected to lead to any sudden or significant change in his Iraq policy.
Who else enjoyed the Daily Show which compared the US to Britain, while also showing Blair's '3 stages' of discomfort?
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