Blair as Tory? Need to find Spectator Article

FR ^ | 2/18/03 | self

[MoralSense]

Writer Matthew Parris apparently published a fine essay in the (London) Spectator Feb. 8, arguing that Tony Blair should switch parties to Conservative. I can't find this article, and my browser just refuses to connect with www.spectator.co.uk. Can anybody post this? Thanks.

[Cicero]

Not unless he changes his position on almost all the domestic issues. He has demolished the House of Lords because they refused to pass some very sleazy legislation. He has lowered the age of homosexual consent for minors. He is strongly pro-abort. He is a Socialist on most issues. He is one of the leading proponents of the Third Way and the New World Order, as he revealed in his speech at the NATO shindig in Washington that led up to the bombing of Belgrade.

He deserves some credit for standing up for England's best interests by preserving its Special Relationship with America. But that's about the extent of it. I must admit that the idea is tempting, because there isn't a strong Tory candidate anywhere in sight. But I don't think Tony Blair fits the bill.

[CasearianDaoist]

My British friends refer to him as "Tory Blur."

[anatolfz]

I tried too but I know that periodically they're down for maintenance, new content, etc.

Parris is also not exactly hard-line conservative.

[anatolfz]

Meantime, here's a link to comments about that article, which in turn contains an exact link to the Spectator article when it becomes available.