NOTE: Seems that Tony Blair is REALLY a Patriot. It's just that he's also a slave to the NWO. Notice the Al Gore look-a-like in the pic below.
http://www.scotlandonsunday.com/index.cfm?id=SS01017835&feed=N
Labour splits as Blair plays patriot game

By Francis Elliott and Jason Allardyce

TONY Blair will today attempt to ‘rebrand’ Britain to counter claims that his European vision is unpatriotic as battles rage within the Cabinet over the direction of Labour’s campaign for a second term.

To kickstart his election bid after a poor first week, the Prime Minister will list patriotism as among a handful of his core beliefs in a move designed to appeal directly to middle-ground voters with a ‘proud to be British’ message.

Aides hope his focus on the ‘big picture’ will help draw a line under a week dominated by arguments over Labour’s tax plans, blamed on Gordon Brown’s determination to stick to a pre-determined strategy.

"The thing about Gordon is it’s always campaigning by numbers. He just digs in and won’t listen to anyone else," said one disaffected Millbank insider.

Cabinet tensions boiled over into the public arena at the weekend when Clare Short, the International Development Secretary, publicly criticised Blair’s decision to announce the election date at a south London school.

The announcement had already been attacked by critics as a cynical stunt using photogenic children too young to vote.

And last night the PM’s press secretary, Alastair Campbell, helped fuel mistrust when he admitted that Peter Mandelson, Brown’s former arch-rival in the Cabinet, was giving advice to Blair on the running of the campaign. Mandelson is thought to have urged moves to reassure middle-class Britain after a week dominated by the issue of tax.

In his speech in his Sedgefield constituency, Blair is to say: "We believe in ambition and we believe in aspiration for individuals and for our country."

In a major speech being billed as a statement of his personal political credo the Prime Minister is set to say respect for the law is a defining aspect of Britishness.

The speech is intended to forestall an expected Tory attack on Europe and the single currency as well as crime and asylum, issues on which Blair is seen by voters as ‘unpatriotic’.

Blair believes it is vital to establish Labour’s patriotic credentials in advance of a Tory onslaught over the issue of Europe. Blair also needs to reassure English voters over devolution while seeking to pressure the SNP in Scotland.

A Tory spokesman last night confirmed that the Conservatives had identified patriotism as one of Blair’s key vulnerabilities.

"Our polling shows that consistently and by a wide margin William Hague is seen as more patriotic than Tony Blair. Twice as many people think Blair is unpatriotic than think Hague is."

To counter this Labour’s top policy aides are finalising a phrase that Blair can use to sum up a national spirit. The words "culture of lawfulness" are included in an early draft of today’s speech, although senior party sources say they do not appear in later versions.

Number 10 policy supremos Roger Liddle and David Miliband have been working to prepare the ideological ground for a restatement of Labour’s Britain for several months. It has long been accepted that the previous attempt at "re-branding" Britain, which became identified with the phrase "Cool Britannia", has become a liability.

Instead of pop bands and fashion, Blair will stress that the nations and regions of Britain are united by a common respect for the rule of law. The move is part of a wider attempt by Labour to inherit the ‘One Nation’ mantle once claimed by the Tories.

It came as William Hague faced claims that he had lost control of his party after Sir Peter Tapsell vowed never to back Britain joining the single European currency in a controversial outburst.

Sir Peter, who nominated Mr Hague for the Tory leadership, also compared German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder’s view of Europe to that of Hitler’s.

During a visit to marginal seats in Scotland tomorrow, the Prime Minister is also expected to stress that devolution is not eroding Britishness but is strengthening the union between Scotland and England.

Amid evidence of a low turnout among Scots who regard the general election as less relevant now there is a parliament in Edinburgh, Blair will describe the election as vitally important to the future of Scotland.

During visits to Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, and to Aberdeen South, he will say: "Our opponents will go around the country trying to spread apathy and cynicism, telling people this election is irrelevant and does not matter to Scotland. It does.

"There is a huge amount at stake in this election because if the Conservatives get back in their plans for £16bn of cuts will hit Scotland too. It will mean less money for Scotland’s schools and hospitals and for the fight against crime."

felliot@scotlandonsunday.com