British politics has been frozen in a kind of reiterative cycle ever since Black Wednesday 1992: the Conservatives becalmed at 30 per cent in the polls, the Liberal Democrats making stealthy gains, New Labour dominant. Just six weeks ago there seemed some reason to believe that the Iraq war would bring some fluidity to this tedious state of affairs. Not so. The recent conflict has left everything the same; only more so.
This means that Tony Blair has never been as strong or enjoyed so much freedom of action as is the case this weekend. The defeat of Saddam has granted him what comes the way of very few prime ministers: the chance to reinvent his premiership. Whether he is capable of making use of this opportunity remains to be seen; so far the initial signs are discouraging.
It is characteristic of the Prime Minister that, while publicly disavowing triumphalism, he should simultaneously endeavour to extract every last ounce of political advantage from the immediate result of the conflict against Saddam.
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