Tony Blair And The Third Way

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Tony Blair and The Third Way
The Third Way is the route to renewal and success for modern social democracy. Tony Blair explains that this is not simply a compromise between left and right. It seeks to take the essential values of the opposition and apply them to a world of fundamental social and economic change, and do so without using outdated thoughts.
The challenges faced are global markets, continued poverty and social exclusion, rising crime, family breakdown, the changing role of women, a revolution in technology and the world of work. The focus needs to be on a deeper demand for democratic reform, as well as a host of environmental and security issues requiring international action. People seek leadership. They want to know how to adapt and prosper; how to build stability and security in this changing world. Blair is looking to show the public that his system will make a better balance for society. Blair’s system still holds traditional values of solidarity, social justice, responsibility and opportunity. But the system wants to get rid of outdated thinking, such as being state controlled, high taxation, and producer interests. Other things taken strongly into consideration are narrow individualism and the belief that free markets are the answer to every problem.
The 20th century has been dominated by two groups, a fundamentalist left which saw state control as an end in itself, and a more moderate left which accepted this essential direction but favored compromise. The Third Way is a serious reappraisal. It shows us a principle of combining two great streams of the left of center thought, democratic socialism, and liberalism. For many years in opposition, the British Labor Party was seen unfairly as the party of big government; nationalization, anti-enterprise, soft on crime, unconcerned with family life, gripped by pressure groups, and favoring more tax and public spending across the board. A false opposition...