Some people believe that indeed history is man’s greatest teacher. It is a fact that we can always look back at history to look at the mistakes that were made and to make sure that these mistakes do not repeat themselves. Sadly however, it seems that history has a way of repeating itself. The phenomenon of history repeating itself is perhaps being demonstrated in the United Kingdom as we speak.

Way back in 1979, the Conservative Party in Britain had been sitting in the opposition benches since 1974. Labour had produced two successive prime ministers in the forms of Harold Wilson and James Callaghan. In 1979, a certain Margaret Thatcher finally brought the Conservative Party back to power. It was the start of a long and glorious era for the Tories; and by the end of the era, they where by far the most successful political party in Europe.

Yet in 1990, 11 years and 209 days into her Premiership, Margaret Thatcher was forced to go. It was not the British public that made that choice, nor was it any underhand dealing by her opponent parties. Margaret Thatcher was forced out by the very Tories she had catapulted to power.

Between 1979 and 1997, the Labour party remained consistently in the opposition benches. It took Tony Blair to finally oust the Tories out of Downing Street. For Labour, their own era of glory had started. Between 1997 and the present day, Tony Blair has seen off several Tory leaders; he has done what no other Labour leader did before him, he won not only two, but three consecutive terms in office. In 2006, the supporters of a certain Gordon Brown started a battle against Labour’s biggest success story. Like Thatcher before him, Blair was the leader of a party that wanted him to go.

Labour would do well to think twice before ousting Blair in true Thatcher style. Ever since the departure of Margaret Thatcher, the Tories have just suffered one defeat after another. Labour could very well be making life much easier for David Cameron to throw them back into the opposition benches, which they occupied before Tony Blair showed up. Talk about a nation of ungrateful politicians; the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland surely comes to mind!

Angelo Micallef

Marsaxlokk