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CNN Live At Daybreak
Euro Edition: Morning Papers
Aired January 27, 2004 - 05:44 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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well let's check what's making headlines overseas in this morning's 'Euro Edition.' Hala Gorani is live in London.
What are the front pages looking like this morning -- Hala?
HALA GORANI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well in the U.K., Fredricka, it's Blair, Blair, Blair and more Blair, at least on the broad sheets, the so-called serious quality newspapers.
"The Independent," a left leaning newspaper, is leading with this, with pictures of 77 committed rebels who say that they might vote against an education reform bill that Mr. Blair, the Prime Minister of the U.K., is trying to pass through the House of Commons.
This is significant why, because if Mr. Blair is defeated on this bill, a day before an inquiry, a report on an inquiry into the death of a British scientist is published, this could severely undermine not only the Labour Party but Tony Blair and his government. This is one of the harshest tests in the six years since Tony Blair became Prime Minister of the U.K. So every single newspaper unsurprisingly going with it with more or less dramatic headlines.
High noon for Blair, writes "The Telegraph." With tuition fees vote on a knife edge, the prime minister confronts his rebels. "The Telegraph" says it's the most well organized rebellion against Tony Blair. And also here, "The Times," no deal, Blair stares defeat in the face. So even more dramatic there from "The Times" of London.
Fredricka, you can see here that this is all people are talking about in the U.K. Blair's hell week, as some have been calling it. Tomorrow, also, Tony Blair, as I said there, will receive that inquiry by Lord Hutton.
WHITFIELD: So the headlines are very much indicative of what the average guy and gal on the street is feeling about Tony Blair right now?
GORANI: Well I don't think it's indicative of whether or not the average British citizen feels about Tony Blair, even though he has had some problems in the last 12 months. His decision to go to war against Iraq with the United States, of course Tony Blair America's strongest and staunchest ally in that effort, not making him popular with a majority of Britains.
But this is something different. This is something coming from the top of the political House of Commons, the levels -- the top -- the top layers of the House of Commons, and this could see Tony Blair in trouble. If he loses the vote on this bill, then there might be a no confidence vote in Parliament. He is expected to sail through that because the Labour Party, remember, still has a very large majority in the House of Commons.
This is all becoming very complicated. The important thing to remember, though, is that in the next 48 hours Tony Blair will either be severely weakened or in the next 48 hours Tony Blair will have faced his critics and won two victories. It's all a question of wait and see at this point -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Wow, we're waiting and we're going to see. All right, thanks a lot, Hala.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 27, 2004 - 05:44 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well let's check what's making headlines overseas in this morning's 'Euro Edition.' Hala Gorani is live in London.
What are the front pages looking like this morning -- Hala?
HALA GORANI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well in the U.K., Fredricka, it's Blair, Blair, Blair and more Blair, at least on the broad sheets, the so-called serious quality newspapers.
"The Independent," a left leaning newspaper, is leading with this, with pictures of 77 committed rebels who say that they might vote against an education reform bill that Mr. Blair, the Prime Minister of the U.K., is trying to pass through the House of Commons.
This is significant why, because if Mr. Blair is defeated on this bill, a day before an inquiry, a report on an inquiry into the death of a British scientist is published, this could severely undermine not only the Labour Party but Tony Blair and his government. This is one of the harshest tests in the six years since Tony Blair became Prime Minister of the U.K. So every single newspaper unsurprisingly going with it with more or less dramatic headlines.
High noon for Blair, writes "The Telegraph." With tuition fees vote on a knife edge, the prime minister confronts his rebels. "The Telegraph" says it's the most well organized rebellion against Tony Blair. And also here, "The Times," no deal, Blair stares defeat in the face. So even more dramatic there from "The Times" of London.
Fredricka, you can see here that this is all people are talking about in the U.K. Blair's hell week, as some have been calling it. Tomorrow, also, Tony Blair, as I said there, will receive that inquiry by Lord Hutton.
WHITFIELD: So the headlines are very much indicative of what the average guy and gal on the street is feeling about Tony Blair right now?
GORANI: Well I don't think it's indicative of whether or not the average British citizen feels about Tony Blair, even though he has had some problems in the last 12 months. His decision to go to war against Iraq with the United States, of course Tony Blair America's strongest and staunchest ally in that effort, not making him popular with a majority of Britains.
But this is something different. This is something coming from the top of the political House of Commons, the levels -- the top -- the top layers of the House of Commons, and this could see Tony Blair in trouble. If he loses the vote on this bill, then there might be a no confidence vote in Parliament. He is expected to sail through that because the Labour Party, remember, still has a very large majority in the House of Commons.
This is all becoming very complicated. The important thing to remember, though, is that in the next 48 hours Tony Blair will either be severely weakened or in the next 48 hours Tony Blair will have faced his critics and won two victories. It's all a question of wait and see at this point -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Wow, we're waiting and we're going to see. All right, thanks a lot, Hala.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com