Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live At Daybreak
Tony Blair Turns 50 Today
Aired May 06, 2003 - 06:11 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Now a big happy birthday to Tony Blair. The British Prime Minister hits the big 50 today.
Our Robin Oakley joins us live from London.
And, Robin, can he celebrate with improving poll numbers?
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well he can celebrate one way and another, I think, Carol, and certainly he's probably a fitter man than he was at 40. He's got a gym these days in the top of Downing Street, so he won't have any problem blowing out those candles on his birthday cake.
And at the age of 50, Tony Blair can look back with some satisfaction. He's already won two elections by landslide victories. He's been six years as prime minister at an age when many politicians haven't even reached their peak. And certainly opinion polls this week are showing that he personally has forged ahead as a result of the war in Iraq in terms of popularity respect for his leadership, even though there's been a bit of a Baghdad backlash rather than a Baghdad bounce for his party, his Labor Party, as a whole.
But of course Tony Blair's got a few problems facing him now he's 50. Things aren't going right in Northern Ireland. The peace process has rather floundered there. He's had to suspend the elections that were due this month in Northern Ireland for the power-sharing assembly. He's going to have to drive on the Middle East peace process. A lot of people skeptical about how much George Bush is prepared to put into that. They'll be looking to Tony Blair to push on that.
Big decision coming up on whether he takes Britain into the euro, the European single currency, everybody's expecting him to duck that decision. And he's at odds with his -- the second most powerful figure in the Labor Party, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown. And big problems coming up on the reforms of the public services, hospitals, schools and so on, nobody seems to know where the money is going. And Tony Blair has promised he should be judged on those public services -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Understand. Robin Oakley, reporting live from London this morning, many thanks.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM AT www.fdch.com
Aired May 6, 2003 - 06:11 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Now a big happy birthday to Tony Blair. The British Prime Minister hits the big 50 today.
Our Robin Oakley joins us live from London.
And, Robin, can he celebrate with improving poll numbers?
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well he can celebrate one way and another, I think, Carol, and certainly he's probably a fitter man than he was at 40. He's got a gym these days in the top of Downing Street, so he won't have any problem blowing out those candles on his birthday cake.
And at the age of 50, Tony Blair can look back with some satisfaction. He's already won two elections by landslide victories. He's been six years as prime minister at an age when many politicians haven't even reached their peak. And certainly opinion polls this week are showing that he personally has forged ahead as a result of the war in Iraq in terms of popularity respect for his leadership, even though there's been a bit of a Baghdad backlash rather than a Baghdad bounce for his party, his Labor Party, as a whole.
But of course Tony Blair's got a few problems facing him now he's 50. Things aren't going right in Northern Ireland. The peace process has rather floundered there. He's had to suspend the elections that were due this month in Northern Ireland for the power-sharing assembly. He's going to have to drive on the Middle East peace process. A lot of people skeptical about how much George Bush is prepared to put into that. They'll be looking to Tony Blair to push on that.
Big decision coming up on whether he takes Britain into the euro, the European single currency, everybody's expecting him to duck that decision. And he's at odds with his -- the second most powerful figure in the Labor Party, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown. And big problems coming up on the reforms of the public services, hospitals, schools and so on, nobody seems to know where the money is going. And Tony Blair has promised he should be judged on those public services -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Understand. Robin Oakley, reporting live from London this morning, many thanks.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM AT www.fdch.com
