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Blair faces great expectations -- from both sides
May 2, 1997
Web posted at: 1:57 p.m. EDT (1757 GMT)From Correspondent Richard Blystone
LONDON (CNN) -- Tony Blair, who Friday stepped in as Britain's new and youngest prime minister, campaigned heavily on a concept he called "the radical center."
The idea, he said, stemmed from the belief "that there is no inconsistency between ambition for yourself and the sense of obligation towards others."
Up to now, "radical center" has meant whatever the voters wanted it to. Now that Blair and his "new" Labour Party are in office, will that mean he will have to deliver all things to all people?
Voters may expect him to try. His party stole even the Conservative bulldog for its campaign on poached Conservative themes, promising to not raise taxes, not tolerate union misbehavior, and not let the European Union push the country around.
"It is a different Labour government. He won't stand for any nonsense from the unions, he'll stamp that out," said one man who voted for Blair.
"Whether Labour Party supporters will follow him I don't know..." 
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"...the country still expects a Labour prime minister to deliver certain things." "People who invested their votes...will expect something in return." 
But alongside the people who voted for that more conservative Labour Party is the traditional left-inclined Labour constituency -- people who believe the party should push ahead with its traditional socialist causes.
"Labour is socialism, Labour is socialists. Socialist is caring about everybody," said one woman.
Nobody knows yet which side will come out on top in the new Labour Party. Union leader Geoff Martin predicted that the working-class demands would prevail. "The party's roots go very deep into the organized working class, and those people at the end of the day will decide the policies," he said.
But after 18 years of Conservative Party rule, a working-class takeover might be considered a revolution -- something Blair has made clear he cannot promise. In fact, some people say that these days he couldn't deliver a revolution if he wanted to.
Rather, he said, "We promise a government which can bring this country together, which can heal the divisions of the past and make a fresh start for our future."
"I think where he thinks he is heading is probably genuinely where he is heading, but whether the rest of his party and whether Labour Party supporters will follow him, I don't know," said one voter.
The Labour campaign has been all about Blair, but the Parliament may be different. Most freshmen will be Blairites. Many of the rest will be "old" Labour, under pressure to apply pressure.
Two or three dozen have already met informally to talk about countering the party's move to the middle. They are sure to put to the test Blair's success at keeping Labour in step during the campaign.
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