George Jones (Extracted from "Blair's power drains away", Daily Telegraph, 3 November 2005)

[Ed: There are some remarkably close similarities between the Republican administration in America and the (notionally left-wing) Government in the UK. Both Bush and Blair are essentially public performers and have depended on their No. 2s for their basic policy-making and credibility. Both Bush and Blair have gone on record as being in awe of the abilities of Cheney and Brown. Both Cheney and Brown keep themselves well in the background and direct affairs with very small, powerful teams. Both Bush and Blair invented intelligence information in order to justify invading Iraq. Both Bush and Blair have ineffective opposition parties with no radical policies of their own. Today, support for both leaders by both the general public and their own political supporters is now draining steadily. Why the similarity? Perhaps it's because the US is now losing its international credibility for exactly the same economic reason that the UK lost the British Empire in the last century. The UK was going bankrupt and finally couldn't carry the load.]