The annual conference of Britain's ruling Labor Party unfolded
on Sunday afternoon in Manchester, northwest England, with anti-war
demonstrations at the fringe.
Manchester police are dispatching 1,000 officers every day
during the five-day conference to patrol the island zone sealed off
by iron fences around the conference area.
Anti-war protestors from across the country launched huge
demonstrations on Saturday around the Manchester city center,
holding plaques which read "Troops out Iraq, Afghanistan," "Troops
Home," and "Blair go."
Stop-the-War Coalition said 30,000 peace demonstrators were
expected to descend in Manchester, and on Sunday the peace movement
was holding an alternative event at the University of Manchester to
coincide with the Labor Conference.
The conference attracted some 10,000 Labor party members in
Britain's third largest city. It was Blair's final conference as
leader.
Although there has been constant speculations that party members
would use the platform to press for Blair's departure, the prime
minister insisted during an interview with the British Broadcasting
Corporation on Sunday that the conference would focus on the
public's concerns rather than continuing the in-fighting which had
been witnessed for the past few weeks.
Blair also refused to comment on who might succeed him when he
steps down next year.
Hazel Blears, chair of Labor Party, told reporters in London
prior to the convocation of the party gathering that the conference
would serve as a forum for policy debate for Labor. It's about
"ideas, policy challenges, solutions, and our inspiration for the
future."
The conference will address people's concerns around
international security and terrorism, mass migration, environment
and climate change, international trade and aid, and in
particular,the challenges from new economies such as China, India
and other emerging states.
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On the domestic front, Blears said, the meeting will concentrate on
the respect agenda, education and health reform as well as social
exclusion.
"If the 20th century was a conservative century for Britain from
Churchill to Thatcher, the 21st century can be a progressive,
radical century with Tony Blair as the first and many of Labor
Prime Ministers," she argued.
In her view, it was not the most successful electoral period in
the history of Labor Party in Britain. "Labor is right now in its
third term of government. Labor remained the party of economic
stability and social justice more jobs, low inflation, a rising
national minimum wage, and more action to tackle child
poverty."
"We are the government which has brought the Olympics to
Britain, which has overseen the renaissance of our great cities,
and which is bringing new children's centers to hundreds of our
communities," she noted in the preface for a book released for the
conference.
According to Blears, the conference venue in Manchester was a
metaphor for New Labor. It's the birthplace of the Trade Union
Congress and home for suffrages.
Manchester was an example of regeneration, transformation and
renewal. She hopes that the conference will have the same sense of
renewal and transformation for Labor.
Some 10 million people voted for Labor in the last election. And
right now, Labor has around 200,000 members. The conference
therefore would be a renewing drive for Labor Party both in
political term and organization term.
If Labor stay true with its values and unite to face the
challenges, "a fourth term is actually within our grasp," Blears
said.
(Xinhua News Agency September 25, 2006)
