[GreatBriton]

Tony Blair will today go to Buckingham Palace to tell Queen Elizabeth II that he is stepping down as her Prime Minister. Then will go Gordon Brown and she will make him the next Prime Minister.

Constitutionally, the monarch can invite whoever she pleases to be Prime Minister. However, constitutionally it would be madness not to take advice and so the Queen asks the departing Prime Minister who she should call to invite to form an administration - though we know that that's almost certainly going to be Gordon Brown.
...

Royal Tradition: How Brown Gets The Job

By Alastair Bruce
Royal Commentator
Tuesday June 26, 2007



So, we all know that Gordon Brown is going to be the next Prime Minister - but just how does he actually take hold of that office?


The Queen holds the power


The answer is through a process that gives us an insight into the history of the appointment, the nature of power in the constitution and reminds us exactly whose 'Prime Minister' he will be.

He will only actually become Prime Minister when he is invited to do so by the Queen.

In fact, she will first ask him if he can command a majority in the House of Commons - to which the answer this time is an easy "yes" - and then she will invite him to form her Government - to which the answer will also be "yes".

With this second affirmative reply, he will become Prime Minister and invested with the Queen's executive powers to rule in her name, subject to Parliament, with leave to form her Government by recommending all her Cabinet and other Ministers.

To start with, as Gordon Brown has been painfully aware of for more than a decade, Tony Blair needs to relinquish the appointment first. To do this, the serving Prime Minster must seek an audience of the Queen.

Audiences between Queen and Prime Minister usually take place every week but can be arranged whenever required at a mutually convenient time.

As this particular handover is so well forecast, the Queen's private secretary will have approved the timings requested by No 10 Downing Street, in order to ensure Her Majesty is available.

After a general election, this process can be somewhat rushed, as one party looses power to another, and the defeated Prime Minister must go and offer his, or her, resignation to the monarch.

Constitutionally, the monarch can invite whoever she pleases to be Prime Minister. However, constitutionally it would be madness not to take advice and so the Queen asks the departing Prime Minister who she should call to invite to form an administration.

And so, Tony Blair will go to the palace and be introduced to the Queen by the equerry, Commander Heber Acland, as "The Prime Minister, Your Majesty".

Behind closed doors the Queen and Tony Blair will cover the formalities of recommendation and resignation before discussing family, 10 years of service and retirement (his, not hers), before the Queen presses a bell and the equerry returns to take plain "Mr Blair" to his car.


Tony Blair: On his way out



It will probably be his own car because the Prime Ministerial car - with all the advisors, police and trappings - has been stripped away by the audience. And there is temporarily no Prime Minister.

Before long, Gordon Brown, with his wife, will be driving to the palace. They will be received at the door by the same equerry and led upstairs to the Queen. This time, he will be introduced as "The Right Honourable Gordon Brown, Your Majesty".

At the moment of the Queen's invitation being accepted, Mr Brown's dreams of power will be fully realised and when the door opens, the equerry will be the first to say, "Congratulations, Prime Minister".

Traditionally the description of this event is very formally reported in the court circular. It will inform us that the Right Honourable Gordon Brown had an audience of the Queen and "kissed hands" upon his taking office as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury.

It may go on to say that he was presented with his seals of office. In fact, there is no ceremony of kissing hands - this tradition of fealty was dispensed with long ago, though it still takes place in a representative form when privy councillors are appointed by the Queen.



Gordon Brown: New man for the job



The seals of office are the symbols of power given to each Cabinet minister. They were once used to validate documents with royal authority.

In the following days, after the new Cabinet is appointed, there will be a stream of cars bringing Tony Blair's old ministers to the Queen to deliver up their seals of office for the Queen to redistribute to new Cabinet ministers that Mr Brown has recommended.

Remember, it is the Queen who appoints Cabinet ministers on the advice of her Prime Minister.

The Queen will give Mr Brown the ancient powers of another, much older appointment, which all Prime Ministers hold. This is as First Lord of the Treasury.

This was first granted by William the Conqueror to Odo, Earl of Kent in 1066 and it had great power then as it does now. This is because whoever held the money could influence the power.

Sir Robert Walpole was already First Lord of the Treasury in 1721 when he developed the role of the monarch's Prime Minister, as the "first among equals" in the evolving ministerial system of Cabinet Government.

Although the term 'Prime Minister' was regularly used from the end of the 18th Century, it was not formally established until 1937. Therefore the letter box on the door of No 10 Downing Street is still engraved "First Lord of the Treasury".

Becoming Prime Minister is a path of constitutional steps, culminating in the invitation of the Queen to be her prime minister. Once selected to be the Queen's prime minister, Mr Brown, as head of Government, is ours as well - for as long as he commands a majority in the Commons.

news.sky.com

[GreatBriton]

Today Gordon Brown becomes the 52nd Prime Minister of Great Britain. Tony Blair, Labour's longest-ever serving Prime Minister, steps down after 10 years and 55 days in power. At the moment he is taking part in his last ever Prime Minister's Questions in the Commons, which takes palce every Wednesday. Then he will go to Buckingham Palace to tell the Queen of his resignation. After that, Brown will visit the Queen who will hand over to him the seals of office and name him as Britain's 52nd Prime Minister.

Brown coming into power breaks a little record - when Brown becomes PM later today, Queen Elizabeth II will have had more Prime Ministers than any other monarch. Brown will be her 11th PM. Queen Victoria, our longest-serving monarch, had 10 PMs.

Blair in the Commons for his final farewell

27th June 2007
Daily Mail


How some of Brown's first Cabinet may look

Prime Minister - Gordon Brown
Deputy Prime Minister - (if Brown chooses to have one) Jack Straw
Chancellor of the Exchequer - Alistair Darling
Home Secretary - Hazel Blears
Foreign Secretary - Jack Straw
Health Secretary - John Hutton



Tony Blair leaves Downing Street for his last Prime Minister's Question session in Parliament



Tony Blair entered the House of Commons for the final time today for an emotional farewell.

The outgoing Prime Minister left Downing Street just after 11am to host his last Prime Minister's Questions before Gordon Brown takes the reigns.

He started by paying tribute to the British Armed Forces, saying they were "the bravest and the best."

Ending a decade of relentless controversy, wars and even a police inquiry, Labour's longest-serving Prime Minister is set to stroll out of No 10 with his head held high.

It is also the day Mr Blair is expected to announce that he is turning his back on British politics for good to take up a job as special envoy to the Middle East.

He is poised to resign as an MP on the same day he steps down as Prime Minister - triggering a by-election in his constituency of Sedgefield, which could be held as early as July 19.



Passing crowds of antiwar demonstrators, Tony Blair leaves Downing Street for his last PMQs at the Commons



His decision to stand down after 24 years in Parliament will allow him to 'throw himself' into the role as the international community's key peacemaker in the Middle East, his close allies said.

Today at Downing Street, crowds of well-wishers and protesters gathering in Whitehall to cheer or jeer Mr Blair's final progress from Downing Street to the Commons, just after 11am, for his final Prime Minister's Questions.



New wave: after 10 years and 55 days in No10, Tony Blair today hands over the reins as Prime Minister to his first and only Chancellor, Gordon Brown


Afterwards he will return to No 10 to give an emotional speech of farewell and thanks to his staff and closest aides and, shortly after 1pm, will drive to Buckingham Palace with Cherie to offer his resignation to the Queen.

His resignation will pave the way for Gordon Brown to take the helm. The Chancellor is expected to visit the Queen at 1.30pm and, by 2pm, will officially be the country's new Prime Minister.


Mr Blair will quit as an MP for Sedgefield tonight, citing a new post as Middle East envoy as the reason, although his international role is expected to allow time for him to write his memoirs for around £5 million and join the lucrative US lecture circuit.


New PM: Gordon Brown today becomes Great Britain's 52nd Prime Minister



Mr Blair's early departure will mean an electrifying double-by-election, probably as early as 19 July in Sedgefield and Ealing Southall, the London seat vacated by the death of Piara Khabra.

It will be the first electoral test of the new political rivalry that will dominate Britain until the next election - Mr Brown versus David Cameron.

Mr Brown was up late into the night with his closest friends and advisers planning the launch of his new administration. He is expected to start with a bang - a sweeping reshuffle in which a businessman from outside politics will join the Government to symbolise his commitment to opening up Whitehall to "all the talents".

Up to seven Cabinet members will leave their jobs. Alistair Darling will replace Mr Brown as Chancellor, with Jack Straw tipped to be either Minister for Justice or Foreign Secretary.

In an olive branch to Blairites, John Hutton, the Work and Pensions Secretary once alleged to have said Mr Brown would be a "f*****g disastrous prime minister" is tipped to survive, and may replace Patricia Hewitt as Health Secretary.

Whitehall will be reorganised, with the old Department of Trade at the centre of reforms designed to promote competition, energy efficiency and major construction projects.

Mr Brown plans to echo his earliest political coup of making the Bank of England independent by giving more freedom to bodies that promote business policy and technology.

A YouGov poll for Sky News put the Conservatives on 37 per cent to Labour's 36. It vindicated Mr Brown's decision to emphasise change, with some 45 per cent of those polled saying that being "heir to Blair" was a "bad thing".

Mr Blair is the first prime minister to leave without being forced out by voters, their own party or illness in modern times. John Major, Margaret Thatcher and Sir Edward Heath were driven out while Harold Wilson retired due to ill- health.

An aide said Mr Blair was "having a very ordinary Wednesday morning, seeing people from 8am and then spending the morning prepping for Prime Minister's Questions. It will probably get a lot more emotional after that is over".

Labour Party chairwoman Hazel Blears said it was a "bitter-sweet day".



Mind the step: Gordon Brown's TV is moved in to No 10 Downing Street


While out comes Mr Blair's exercise bike


But the appointment of Mr Blair, which will place one of the key architects of the Iraq war at the heart of Palestinian politics, provoked widespread fury in the Arab world yesterday.

The Prime Minister was labelled by hardliners as a 'terrorist' who would not be welcome in the West Bank or Gaza.

There were even doubts among some European diplomats of Mr Blair's ability to win public support on the 'Arab street' because of his leading role in Iraq and his close relationship with George Bush.

Barring last minute wrangling, Mr Blair's new job is expected to be confirmed by the Quartet of the U.S., UN, EU and Russia later today after two days of discussions in Jerusalem. After the announcement, Mr Blair will go to Sedgefield to speak to local party members.

His decision to put Westminster behind him will also give his successor Gordon Brown breathing space without him 'hanging around on the backbenches', one ally said.

But it contradicts an emotional statement Mr Blair made last month that he will remain as MP for Sedgefield until the next election in 2008 or 2009.

His decision to quit Parliament is a bruising snub for his constituents, who voted him in with a majority of more than 18,000 two years ago and have loyally backed him since he first stood for the safe Labour seat in 1983.

His agent John Burton said: "I think, if he gets the Middle East job, he will resign as an MP."

Mr Blair made clear his enthusiasm for the role at his final No 10 Press conference alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Governor of California.

He said: "I think that anybody who cares about greater peace and stability in the world knows that a lasting and enduring resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian issue is essential.

"As I have said on many occasions, I would do whatever I could to help such a resolution come about."

As peace envoy, Mr Blair will take the lead on Palestinian economic and political reform, working closely with president Mahmoud Abbas. Mr Blair has demanded a beefedup role which will stretch beyond his predecessor, former World Bank president James Wolfensohn.

His personal envoy to the Middle East, Lord Levy - who is also leaving his post - last night claimed Mr Blair had earned 'great respect' throughout the Arab world including Egypt and Jordan.

Lord Levy told Radio 4's PM programme: "He will bring a zeal and a zest to this role."




In with the new: removal men carry the Blairs' possessions in to Connaught Square


Good riddance: Protesters line up to say goodbye to Tony Blair


But the reaction in the region was far from friendly. Hamas spokesman Dr Fawzi Barhoom said: "Tony Blair has acted as a terrorist in many Arab and Muslim states such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia.

"He has caused the death of many thousands of innocent people and destroyed the infrastructure of their countries.

"Blair has his own black fingerprints in the history of the Palestinian people. He had supported the Zionist occupation's terrorism and massacres against our people."

Abu Mujahee, spokesman for the Palestinian hardline group the Popular Resistance Committees, said: "This man, Tony Blair, has been a big failure in his own country and he is totally empty of ideas or solutions.

"Yet now the international community want to export him to us?"

A senior U.S. official said the Quartet had agreed on a beefed-up special envoy position, which will deal primarily with helping the Palestinian Authority build political institutions.



Scrum: The media gather outside Downing Street to capture Mr Blair's final journey as PM to the House of Commons


The post is expected to be unpaid but will come with staff and logistical support from the Quartet - likely to be worth around £100,000.

George Bush, who pushed for Mr Blair to be nominated, will endorse the appointment at a speech at a mosque in Washington later today.

Last night a U.S. official disputed reports Russia was holding up the official announcement. "The Russians are the least enthusiastic about creating the position and least enthusiastic about Blair, but they didn't object," the official said.

The Kremlin released a statement saying President Vladimir Putin gave his blessing to Blair's becoming the special envoy.


BRITAIN'S RECENT PRIME MINISTERS

Harold Wilson (Labour) - 1964-1970
Edward Heath (Tory) - 1970-1974
Harold Wilson (2nd term) Labour) - 1974-1976
James Callaghan (Labour) - 1976-1979
Margaret Thatcher (Tory) - 1979-1990
John Major (Tory) - 1990-1997
Tony Blair - (Labour) - 1997-2007
Gordon Brown (Labour) - 1997-


British Prime Ministerial Facts and Figures

Britain's first Prime Minister was Horace Walpole, who came to power in 1721. He was also Britain's longest-serving Prime Minister ever - he was in power for almost 21 years.

The shortest-serving British Prime Minister was the Earl of Bath, who served for just TWO DAYS from 10th - 12th February 1746.

The Duke of Wellington was Britain's "Caretaker" Prime Minister in 1834 for 25 days whilst Prime Minister Robert Peel returned from Europe.

The longest time between the first term of office and a second terms of office is held by William Cavendish-Bentick. His first term as Prime Minister ended in 1783 and his second started in 1807.

The youngest ever person to be appointed British Prime Minister was William Pitt the Younger who became Prime Minister in 1783 aged just 24 years.

The oldest person to be appointed British Prime Minister was Henry John Temple who became Prime Minister in 1865 aged 71 years.

Seven British PM's have died in office, the latest being Henry John Temple who died in 1865, the year he came Prime Minister aged 71.

Only one British Prime Minister has ever been assassinated. That was Spencer Perceval who was shot dead by John Bellingham in the lobby of the House of Commons in 1812

dailymail.co.uk

[GreatBriton]

"And that's it, the end," Tony Blair tells the Commons on his very last day at Prime Minister's Questions. With that, he sat down, looking very emotional, as the whole House gave him a standing ovation.......


Gordon Brown is new Prime Minister

27th June 2007
Daily Mail

Gordon Brown is Britain's new Prime Minister today.

After a 50-minute meeting with the Queen at Buckingham Palace, Mr Brown emerged the new Premier alongside his wife Sarah.

As he arrived back at Downing Street, he stood outside No 10 and said: "I have just accepted the invitation of Her Majesty the Queen to form a Government.

"This will be a new government with new priorities. I have been privileged to be granted the great opportunity of serving my country."

He added: "I am absolutely sure Britain can be the great global success story of this century."

He promised to be at all times "strong and steadfast" and to govern beyond narrow political interests.

It followed Tony Blair's official resignation as Prime Minister after a decade in power.



New job: New prime Minister Gordon Brown and his wife Sarah Brown outside their new home - 10 Downing Street


Gordon and Sarah Brown leave Buckingham Palace today



A smiling Mr Blair emerged from Buckingham Palace, after officially tendering his resignation to the Queen.

Within minutes Gordon Brown had left the Treasury to head to the Palace where he was officially handed power.

As he left, Mr Brown grinned and waved to supporters as his long-held ambition to become Prime Minister was just minutes away.

Mr Blair's visit to the Palace, accompanied by his wife Cherie, came just over an hour after his final appearance in the House of Commons where he received a standing ovation.



Mr Blair and his family pose outside No 10 minutes before the Prime Minister meets the Queen



He bowed out as Prime Minister to rapturous applause from both sides of the House following an emotional final Prime Minister's Questions.

He opened the session by telling the House of Commons that he was "truly sorry" for the dangers faced by Britain's armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"I know some may think they face these dangers in vain. I don't and I never will.

"I believe they are fighting for the security of this country in the wider world against people who would destroy our way of life."



Just minutes left in power: Blair heads to Buckingham Palace to resign


Gordon Brown leaves the Treasury to head to Buckingham Palace



Mr Blair's impromptu statement at the start of question time came after he was given a rousing farewell cheer by his backbenchers in a crowded House.

The outgoing Prime Minister opened his last appearance at the Commons despatch box with a sombre tribute to British Armed Forces serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"I have never come across people of such sustained dedication, courage and commitment," he told MPs.



Tony Blair attends his final Prime Minister's Questions at the Commons (on the left is the now former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and on the right the new PM)



"Whatever view people take of my decisions, I think there is only one view to take of them: they are the bravest and the best."

He added that he was "truly sorry" about the dangers faced by troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He then began in traditional fashion by listing his engagements for the day - including the usual morning meetings with ministerial colleagues and others.

"I will have no such further meetings today or any other day," he declared to laughter and cheers.

Mr Blair received a warm tribute from Conservative leader David Cameron, who hailed his "remarkable achievement" in serving as Prime Minister for 10 years.



Respect: Tony Blair receives a standing ovation during his last Commons appearance



In place of the usual exchange of jibes and political taunts, the questions from the leader of the Opposition today featured a display of mutual respect and appreciation.

Mr Cameron told MPs: "For all of the heated battles across this despatch box, for 13 years he has led his party, for 10 years he has led our country, and no one can be in any doubt in terms of the huge efforts he has made in terms of public service."

Among Mr Blair's "considerable achievements", peace in Northern Ireland and his work in the developing world would long be remembered, said Mr Cameron. And, to approving murmurs from all sides of the chamber, he added: "I am sure that life in the public eye has sometimes been tough on his family.

"So can I say on behalf of my party that we wish him and his family well and we wish him every success in whatever he does in the future."

Mr Blair in his turn said he had always found Mr Cameron "proper, correct and courteous" in his dealings with him.

And he added with a smile: "Although I can't wish him well politically, nonetheless personally I wish both him and his family very well indeed."

He later broke the slightly subdued mood by telling MPs of an urgent letter which arrived by post yesterday at No 10.

"Details of employee leaving work. Surname: Blair; first name: T. It said actually: Mr, Mrs, Miss or other. This form is important to you, take good care of it, P45," he read to laughter.

He then brushed off a question about his successor Gordon Brown's reported views on the disestablishment of the Church of England, saying: "I think I'm really not bothered about that one."

Mr Blair had donned a red tie for his final Prime Minister's Questions and was flanked, as usual, by his deputy John Prescott and his successor Gordon Brown.

He raised a laugh at the expense of one of his chief euro-sceptic tormentors, Tory MP Sir Nicholas Winterton, by bidding him farewell in three European languages: "Au revoir, auf Wiedersehen, arrivederci".

The departing PM received a tribute from Democratic Unionist Party leader Ian Paisley, who said that while he had sometimes lost his temper with him in the course of negotiations over Northern Ireland, Mr Blair had always treated him with "the greatest of courtesy".

And he added: "We have made progress. Not as great a progress as I would like to see, but they are dedicated - the Unionist people that I speak for in this House - are dedicated to see this concluded."

Referring to Mr Blair's new job as Middle East peace envoy, Mr Paisley said: "I just want to say to the Prime Minister this one word: He has entered into another colossal task.

"I hope that what happened in Northern Ireland will be repeated and at the end of the day he will be able to look back and say it was well worthwhile."

The outgoing Prime Minister's final words to Parliament were: "I wish everyone, friend or foe, well and that is that, the end."

Mr Blair is later expected to announce that he is turning his back on British politics for good to take up a job as special envoy to the Middle East.

[Mr_Canada old]

Guess what?

No one cares....

*flips through the TV* Come on, where's the Comedy...

[Mr_Canada old]

IceOwl IceOwl:

I gave up and turned off the TV. Gawd, I hate TV.

Nowadays, it's only good for Just for Laughs, Anti-Conservative Comedy like Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, and Hockey.

[Clogeroo]

Hopefully labour gets kicked out.

[Brenda]

Are you really thinking a lot will change now?

[GreatBriton]

The Mummy Returns: archaeologists discover remains of Egypt's first female pharaoh

By FIONA MacRAE
7th June 2007
Daily Mail


The mummified remains of Egypt's first female pharaoh have been identified by archaeologists in what is being hailed as the most dramatic find since the tomb of King Tutankhamun almost a century ago.

A single tooth belonging to Hatshepsut - placed in a box inscribed with the ruler's name more than 3,000 years ago - has been definitively matched to a body from a tomb in the Valley of the Kings.

Experts are now sure this mummy is that of the formidable ruler who was famously "both king and queen".



Egyptian authorities using DNA analysis and a tooth identified a mummy found a century ago as the remains of pharaoh Queen Hatshepsut


A woman monarch who called herself a pharaoh and dressed like a man, Queen Hatshepsut ruled over Egypt during the 15th century B.C



Born into the most advanced civilisation in the world, Hatshepsut commandeered the throne of Ancient Egypt from her young stepson, Thutmose III and, in an unprecedented move, declared herself pharaoh.

To cement her position as the first female king, she donned the traditional clothes, headdress and even the false beard traditionally worn by the male ruler.

On coming to power after her death in the 15th century BC, Thutmose III attempted to erase all record of her from history and her final resting place remained a mystery.

Now, the remains of an obese woman, one of two mummies found in a tomb discovered by British archaeologist Howard Carter in 1903, has been declared the body of Hatshepsut.



During her famed 18th Dynasty rule, Queen Hatshepsut wielded more power than Cleopatra or Nefertiti


When Queen Hatshepsut's rule ended, all traces of her mysteriously disappeared, including her mummy



Dr Zahi Hawass, Egypt's chief archaeologist, said: "This is the most important discovery in the Valley of the Kings since the discovery of King Tutankhamun and one of the greatest adventures of my life.

"Queens, especially the great ones like Nefertiti and Cleopatra, capture our imaginations.

"But it is perhaps Hatshepsut, who was both king and queen who was most fascinating.

"Her reign during the 18th dynasty of ancient Egypt was a prosperous one, yet mysteriously she was erased from Egyptian history.

"Our hope is that this mummy will help shed light on this mystery and on the mysterious nature of her death."

Dr Hawass and his team came to their conclusion after studying the secrets of the massive crypts beneath Egypt and the depths of the Cairo Museum.

Using knowledge of royal Egyptian mummification and clues from two known tombs linked to Hatshepsut, the team narrowed their search to just four mummies from thousands of unidentified corpses.

Sophisticated scanning allowed the scientists to link distinct physical traits of the four mummies to those of Hatshepsut's known relatives.

The search further narrowed to two possibilities from the tomb discovered by Carter, who went on to discover the resting place of boy-king Tutankhamun in 1912.

One body belonged to Hatshepsut's wet nurse. However, the second belonged to the ruler herself, a tooth held in a box bearing the female pharaoh's name has determined.

The molar, thought to have been set aside during the embalming process and kept in a nearby temple since its discovery in 1881, was almost an exact match to a gap in the monarch's upper jaw.

The minuscule difference in size - a mere fraction of a millimetre - can be accounted for by erosion of the gums after the tooth was extracted.

Orthodontics professor Yehya Zakariya said: "The identification of the tooth with the jaw can show this is Hatshepsut.

"A tooth is like a fingerprint. It is 100 per cent definitive."

Examination of the mummy also revealed that Hatshepsut's other teeth were rotten, she was overweight and died of bone cancer.

Preliminary tests show similarities between DNA extracted from the mummy and some taken from the remains of the woman thought to be her grandmother.

dailymail.co.uk

[Brenda]

This is COOL!

[GreatBriton]

Urban population to exceed 50 per cent


By Charles Clover, Environment Editor
L27/06/2007
The Telegraph


The world crosses a threshold next year when more than half of its population, some 3.3 billion people, will live in urban areas for the first time, a UN report has said.

Over the next 30 years, the population of African and Asian cities are expected to double, adding 1.7 billion people, more than the current populations of China and the United States combined, to the global population.


An aerial view of one of the biggest slums in Sao Paulo, Brazil



Globally all future population growth is expected to take place in cities, nearly all of it in Asia, Africa and Latin America, according to the report by the United Nations Population Fund.

The Fund expects the world's urban population to swell to almost 5 billion by 2030, 60 per cent of the world population.

The world's population is currently 6.7 billion.

Fewer of them, however, live in mega-cities of more than 10 million, such as Tokyo, Mexico, New York, Sao Paulo or Bombay, than was predicted by experts in the 1970s.

While mega-cities are predicted to grow, most people on the planet will be living in cities of 500,000 or fewer, where urban problems are easier to solve, says the latest UN report.

The report, State of the World Population 2007: Unleashing the Potential of Urban Growth, says that urbanisation is inevitable but it argues that cities can have positive results as well as simply concentrating poverty.

While cities concentrate poverty, says the report, they also represent poor people's best hope of escaping it. Few cities, however, currently generate enough jobs for the people who seek them.

The Fund says that a "revolution in thinking" will be required to deal with the doubling of urban populations in Africa and Asia. A billion people already live in slums, 90 per cent of them in developing countries.

Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, the Fund's director, urged leaders of the countries concerned to abandon attempts to discourage migration and prevent urban growth.

She called instead for government leaders and city authorities to work with the urban poor and in particular women's organisations.

She said: "What happens in the cities of Africa and Asia and other regions will shape our common future. We must abandon a mindset that resists urbanisation and act now to begin a concerted global effort to help cities unleash their potential to spur economic growth and solve social problems."

The "green" population charity, the British-based Optimum Population Trust, took issue with the UN report's conclusions that mega-cites represented the "default button" or the inevitable consequence of development.

Rosamund McDougall, of the OPT's advisory council, said: "The prospects raised by the UN report are genuinely frightening but it's hard to see how 'giving in' to urbanisation, which is what the UN appears to be advocating, is the answer. Big cities are too often social and environmental nightmares where people are sucked in to crime or extremism and lose sight of ecological realities.

"The UN report demonstrates not only how we urgently need to switch off the population growth engine which is driving these unprecedented levels of urbanisation but intensify efforts to channel development into rural areas and greener, less centralised patterns of land-use - something that urban elites have always found difficult to do."

THE WORLD'S 15 LARGEST CITIES (POPULATION)

Mumbai - 13,073,926
Karachi - 11,608,000
Delhi - 11,505,196
Sai Paulo - 11,016,703
Moscow - 10,654,000
Seoul - 10,297,004
Istanbul - 10,291,102
Shanghai - 9,838,400
Lagos - 9,229,944
Mexico City - 8,658,576
Jakarta - 8,568,838
Tokyo - 8,483,140
New York City - 8,143,197
Cairo - 7,933,236
London - 7,554,236



telegraph.co.uk

[GreatBriton]

After Blair

Will the special relationship survive?

National Review
By Nile Gardiner
June 27, 2007

Far from being America's "poodle", Britain is very important for the United States



Tony Blair’s departure from Downing Street potentially marks the end of an era in U.S.-British relations. His extraordinarily close partnership with President Bush since the 9/11 attacks defied all expectations and provided the engine for the global War on Terror. In the past six years, the alliance between the United States and Great Britain rose to its strongest point since the days of the Cold War bond between Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher.

Today, more than 12,000 British troops fight alongside their American counterparts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and London and Washington are cooperating on dozens of counterterrorism operations across the globe. The enduring strength of the alliance is the envy of the free world, and the French president or German chancellor can only dream of the kind of direct access to the White House that is the preserve of the British prime minister.

The special relationship is, however, under threat, and stands in a precarious long-term position. There are major challenges on the horizon, including the stunning rise of anti-Americanism in Britain, growing attempts by the al Qaeda network to break the alliance, as well as the continuing loss of British sovereignty in the European Union. The relationship cannot be taken for granted, and protecting and defending it should be a top-level priority for the U.S. government.

There is growing public animosity in the U.K. toward the alliance, and widespread disillusionment with American global leadership, across all political parties, social classes, and age groups.

In a September 2006 Financial Times/Harris poll, a striking 33 percent of Britons surveyed described the United States as "the greatest threat to global stability."(Just 21 percent named Iran, and 10 percent, North Korea.) Nearly 70 percent of Britons questioned in an October 2006 Guardian/ICM survey stated that U.S. policy had made the world "less safe" since 2001, and 75 percent agreed that President Bush was “a great or moderate danger to peace”, more than the 62 percent scored by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the 69 percent by Kim Jong Il.

In a June 2006 Daily Telegraph/ YouGov poll, 77 percent of those polled disagreed with the view that the United States was “a beacon of hope for the world,” and 58 percent supported the description of America as “an imperial power.” Sixty-seven percent of respondents expressed “little or very little confidence” in “the ability of the United States to deal wisely with present world problems,” and 65 percent supported the view that U.S. policies made the world “a somewhat or much worse place to live in.” A July 2006 Guardian/ICM poll found that 63 percent of Britons thought the UK was “too close to the USA,” and just 9 percent of British respondents in a March 2007 YouGov poll agreed with the proposition that "Britain should continue to base its foreign policy on its close relationship with the United States."

If these poll findings are cemented over the next few years and become part of an irreversible trend, the ramifications for future British policy toward the United States will be immense. They reflect a commonly held, though hugely unfair view among the British public that Britain under Tony Blair has become America’s “poodle,” receiving nothing in return. Blair’s unyielding support for President Bush perversely weakened the prospect of future British leaders standing shoulder to shoulder with the United States. His successor, Gordon Brown, will be heavily dependent upon the traditional socialist Left of the ruling Labor party for support, and will be under pressure not to emulate the close Bush-Blair partnership.

A frequent visitor to the United States, Brown’s instincts are far from anti-American, but those of his party certainly are. He will undoubtedly seek to create some distance between Washington and London, and will prioritize ‘soft’ issues, such as international development, foreign aid, and global warming. The high-profile, flashy public press conferences that were a regular feature of the Washington political scene when Blair was prime minister, are likely to replaced by low key, but tougher behind the scenes negotiations, with Brown cutting a far less dashing figure on the world stage.

While there is no prospect of a British withdrawal from Afghanistan — in fact more troops are arriving every day — a further deterioration in the security situation in Iraq and a significant loss of British troops would greatly increase the pressure on Brown to withdraw Britain’s remaining 5,500 soldiers from the country, unilaterally if necessary. It will certainly be the goal of Tehran to force the British out of Shiite-dominated southern Iraq, breaking down the international coalition, and increasing the political pressure on Congress to force the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the country. The Iranians will also seek to split Britain from the United States in dealing with Iran’s nuclear program, and probe weaknesses in the alliance at the U.N. Security Council.

Al Qaeda’s will also try to split the U.S.-U.K. alliance, the central bulwark against its totalitarian world vision. It will seek to raise the cost of British support for the United States and Israel, and test the determination of the British public. More attacks on U.K. interests in the Middle East and Africa, as well as bombing campaigns on British soil are likely.

Though it failed with the July 7, 2005 London bombings, partly due to Blair’s strong response, al Qaeda will attempt to recreate the “Madrid effect” in Britain. Al Qaeda will also seek to foster political tensions between London and Washington by cultivating British-based Islamic terror cells to act against transatlantic targets. A major suicide attack on an American airliner for example, by a British citizen or British-based terrorists, resulting in huge loss of American life, would place a massive strain on the relationship.

Britain’s ability to combat the extensive networks of Islamic militants operating within her own borders is being compromised by further political integration into the European Union — another threat to the future of the special relationship. The European Convention on Human Rights, introduced into British law by the Blair government through the Human Rights Act of 1998, severely restricts Britain’s ability to detain terror suspects, and is part of Brussels’ ever increasing encroachment upon British national sovereignty.

The new EU treaty, agreed last week by European leaders as a replacement for the failed Constitution, further entrenches the centralization of political power within Europe, paving the way for the creation of a European foreign minister, a permanent EU president, and a European Union diplomatic service, all trappings of a fledgling superstate. In addition, Britain will sacrifice her veto right over EU decisions in 40 policy areas. With the rise of Europe’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) as well as European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP), Britain’s ability to stand alongside the United State where and when it chooses to do so, will become increasingly compromised.

An America without Britain alongside it would be more isolated, largely friendless, and far less likely to project power on the world stage. For Washington there is no real alternative to the special relationship. Its collapse would be damaging to America’s standing as a global power and significantly weaken America’s leadership of the War on Terror.

If the U.S. loses Britain, she loses Europe too. Britain plays a key role in mobilizing coalitions in Europe, as demonstrated by Tony Blair over Iraq. The U.S.-British-led Iraq coalition included 21 European countries, and 12 out of 25 members of the EU. Britain is a ‘global enabler’ — she lacks U.S.-level power militarily (like all other nations), but retains significant political influence and standing on the world stage. Britain possesses extraordinary coalition-building capacity in Europe, due in part to an exceptionally experienced and well-trained diplomatic corps.

The U.K. is the natural leader of relatively pro-American countries in the EU, including the New European nations of Eastern and Central Europe, as well as the Scandinavian countries and West European nations with large-scale U.S. investment, such as the Netherlands. Britain maintains a healthy balance of power in the EU between the Franco-German axis (now allied with Italy and Spain) and the aforementioned countries. If the special relationship ends, many smaller EU nations will look to Brussels and not to Washington.

Without Britain at her side, the United States would face the prospect of waging future wars on her own, or with the support of relatively minor allies, unless the conflict is sanctioned by the Security Council. A scenario like the Iraq War, where Washington took military action without a U.N. resolution but still had significant Allied support, would never be repeated if the special relationship ended. A breakdown in the U.S.-U.K. alliance would also have damaging implications for transatlantic cooperation over intelligence-sharing and missile defense. Echelon, the Anglo-American global surveillance system, would be threatened by a rift between Washington and London. The ability of the United States to operate an effective global missile defense system would also be impaired.

The end of the special relationship would ultimately strengthen the hand of isolationist U.S. politicians who advocate a less forceful foreign policy. The U.S.-U.K. alliance is an important anchor that helps tie the United States to a more global-oriented outlook. Its demise would encourage a greater “fortress America” mentality on Capitol Hill, with calls for increased protectionist barriers, and the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Europe and other parts of the world. The end result would be a United States with a more limited role on the world stage, and a reduced projection of power — a recipe for long-term decline.

A world without strong joint Anglo-American leadership would be unimaginable, and a far more dangerous place. Commitment, resolve, and renewal on both sides of the Atlantic will be needed in order to preserve the U.S.-U.K. alliance. The United States must implement a sustained and effective public diplomacy campaign aimed at winning over hearts and minds in the United Kingdom, as well a long-term strategy aimed at helping preserve and strengthen British national sovereignty in Europe. It is a partnership that must continue to flourish if the West is to defeat the scourge of global terrorism and defend the cause of liberty and freedom across the world.

As Margaret Thatcher so eloquently put it, “Whatever people say, the special relationship does exist, it does count and it must continue, because the United States needs friends in the lonely task of world leadership. More than any other country, Britain shares America's passionate commitment to democracy and willingness to stand and fight for it. You can cut through all the verbiage and obfuscation. It's really as simple as that.”

— Nile Gardiner is the director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at the Heritage Foundation

nationalreview.com

[OPP]

[align=center]Here's to you GB!!!
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=m-J9ZpQYW8s[/youtube] [/align]