Prime Minister Blair avoided all mention of Labour’s crushing Dunfermline by-election defeat in his keynote speech to the Labour Party Spring Conference in Blackpool, yesterday.
Instead, he attacked Labour MPs who oppose ID cards, draconian anti-terror measures in the Terrorism Bill and his schools privatisation plans contained in the Education Bill.
Speaking about his attacks on the Welfare State, Blair claimed: ‘In challenging vested interests and established doctrine there is a reaction, we are accused of betrayal, of wrecking what we seek to improve, of trespassing on hallowed traditions in a reckless pursuit of change’.
He continued: ‘This is a moment to stand firm.’
Blair said that in ‘preparing Britain for the competitive force of globalisation, we have to be the ones taking the hard decisions’.
He said that ‘providing security is our duty’ and that ‘to try to fight the new security threats of the 21st century without the laws and resources that are needed would be an abrogation of that duty’.
In a further attack on Labour MPs, he said: ‘Over the next two weeks there are two things that stand out – security and schools reform.
‘Both involve difficult legislation, and both involve much dissent, external and internal.’
He continued: ‘Next week we have two critical votes, on identity cards and on the terrorism legislation.
‘And in both cases we are told the measures are unnecessary or a breach of people’s fundamental civil liberties’.
He added that next Monday Chancellor Brown and Home Secretary Clarke will set out why biometric ID cards are ‘vital for Britain’s security in the 21st century’.
Blair continued: ‘On Wednesday comes the votes on the anti-terrorism legislation.
‘These votes are not just crucial in themselves, they send a strong signal of our intents on this issue.’
Referring to the ‘events of last weekend’, he said: ‘Nothing can justify the violent retribution visited on innocent people or embassies round the world or the glorifying of acts of terrorism’.
He said: ‘Yet next week, MPs from the opposition parties and some of our own will join forces to try to remove references to glorification, not just from the law of indirect incitement to commit terrorism, but also from the rules governing our ability to proscribe extremist groups whose purpose is to glorify terrorism.
‘In addition, they are trying to stop the police having a summary and swift power to order providers to shut down the internet sites that recruit inflame or assist adherents to the extremist cause.’
He added: ‘It simply beggars belief that we send such a signal at such a time. And I profoundly disagree with the view of those who want to water down the laws against terrorism, that these laws infringe our civil liberties.’
He continued: ‘The other battle is quite different – on public service reform.’
He said the purpose of the schools reform and an education market is ‘to take the freedoms presently open’ to foundation schools and the ‘external partnerships open now to City Academies and specialist schools and to give these powers, as of right, to schools where the parents, teachers and governors want them.’
He claimed that the ‘reason for this reform is not in order to entrench inequality; but precisely because inequality is entrenched’.