Britain: Two-Thirds See Blair Too Close to Bush, Poll Shows London, 25 July (AKI) - A wide-ranging survey of British attitudes to international affairs - the first since the conflict between Lebanon and Israel began - found that 63 percent of those polled believe Britain's prime minister Tony Blair is too closely aligned to the policies of United States president George W. Bush and that Britain should take a more robust and independent approach to the US.
Just 30 percent of those surveyed think that Blair has got Britain's 'special relationship' with the US right. America and Britain are the only countries not to have condemned Israel's ongoing military offensive against Lebanon as disproportionate and Britain is America's top coalition partner in the war in Iraq.
Even a majority of Labour supporters - 54 percent - think Blair has misjudged the relationship with Bush. Opposition Conservative and Liberal Democrat voters are even more critical, with 61 percent and 83 respectively critical of Blair's US-aligned foreign policy.
The survey was carried out on 21-23 July for the Guardian newspaper, by ICM Research, which interviewed a random sample of 1,001 adults across the country by phone,...
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Voters are strongly critical of the scale of Israel's military operations in Lebanon, with 61 percent of those polled believing the country has overreacted to the threats it faces. The finding comes after Blair has come under attack for echoing US caution about the practicality of a ceasefire in the Middle East and for allying himself too closely to Israel.
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The poll also showed minimal public support for new military commitments...
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ICM conducted the poll just days after the infamous infamous "Yo Blair" conversation between Blair and Bush accidentally recorded at the Group of Eight (G8) summit. The conversation, carried by world media, shocked many by revealing a deferential Blair.
In the conversation, Bush states Syria and militant Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah must "stop doing that that shit" (i.e. firing rockets into Israel and kidnapping Israeli solidiers) (sic) to end Israel's two-week long military offensive in Lebanon. This has devastated the country, killed more than 390 civilians including many children, injured thousands, and displaced more than 600,000 people. At least 37 Israelis have died in the conflict.
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