19/11/2004 12:22:25 pm
He Means What He Says. Quite often, people say that they don′t understand how Tony Blair and George W Bush can have such a close relationship. A European Social Democrat and an American Conservative. Blair even seemed to want Bush to win the American election, unlike most Europeans. The explanation is that they largely share the same principles and values. For example, Blair has said:
"When the Americans say we want to extend...democracy and human rights throughout the Middle East...people say, well, that is part of the neo-conservative agenda. Actually, if you put it in different language, it is a progressive agenda."
Blair is right. The neo-conservative interventionism in foreign policy is contrary to much of Conservative history. Often, Republicans in the US, for example, have argued that the US should pull back from most of the world. Now the situation is the opposite. The point is that parties and policy labels may change, but principles do not. So two politicians from different parties can share the same base of values.