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Blair's Gov't Accused of Exploiting Fear

By Ed Johnson / Associated Press

LONDON (AP) - Prime Minister Tony Blair's government was accused Wednesday of playing politics with fear and using the threat of terrorism to boost its chances of re-election.

Political rivals are outraged at comments by Cabinet minister Peter Hain, who insists Britain would be safer under the current Labour government.

"Britain obviously is vulnerable to terrorist attack and you can't predict where it would come under any government," Hain told the British Broadcasting Corp. Wednesday. "My point is if we are tough on crime and on terrorism as Labour is, then I think Britain will be safer under Labour, yes."

Critics accused him of cynically copying tactics used during the U.S. presidential election campaign, when Republicans questioned Democrat John Kerry's ability to fight terror.

"This American-style campaigning is regrettable," said Baroness Kennedy, a Labour peer in the House of Lords. "I think this is opportunistic, and I think we have been creating a climate of fear ever since 9/11," she added, referring to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

Crime and security will be key battlegrounds in national elections expected in May next year. Blair promised to be ``tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime'' before he came to power in 1997, but is vulnerable to criticism from the Conservatives.

Although overall crime has fallen, violent crime is on the increase and polling data shows many people feel insecure.

Ministers announced a series of new measures Tuesday to combat crime and terrorism, as they unveiled the legislative program for the coming year. Proposals include national identity cards, a new police agency similar to the FBI and a promise of further counterterrorism legislation if the government is re-elected.

The string of bills is seen as an attempt to outflank the main opposition Conservative Party, who want to be seen as the natural party of law and order, and to neutralize a line of attack.

Former Conservative Prime Minister John Major described Hain's comments as "very silly."

"It seems to be rather a desperate comment that the nation is safer under any one political party," he told British Broadcasting Corp. radio.

Dame Pauline Neville-Jones, a former chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee which assess information from Britain's spy agencies, cautioned against turning terrorism into a party political issue.

"What we need in society is trust, and trust means you don't actually try and gain political advantage out of a very serious issue," she told the BBC.

Blair already faces accusations that he misled Britain about the case for war in Iraq, and several members of parliament are campaigning to have him impeached.

Twenty-three lawmakers have signed a motion calling for a parliamentary committee to investigate Blair's conduct. The motion was included Wednesday on the House of Commons order paper, meaning that it could eventually be debated, at the discretion of parliamentary officials.

In the unlikely event the Commons did vote for impeachment, Blair would be arrested and face trial in the House of Lords.