HONG KONG -- The people of Britain have just re-elected Tony Blair and his Labour Party to a record third successive election victory. But in what should have been his moment of greatest triumph, Blair faces the ultimate question -- when will he give up the job of prime minister?
The much reduced Labour majority, down from 161 seats to 66, also raises questions of whether Blair will be able to govern effectively and whether he will leave office of his own volition or be forced out. There is already evidence of a burgeoning "civil war" as some Labourites demand that Blair quit soon.
Lurking in the background after last Thursday's general election are the effectiveness, efficacy and shortcomings of general elections as an expression of a working democracy in a small, modern country that plays an influential role in a complicated world.