Are dark days really just around the corner?

This being the first London Letter of 2003, it is no doubt appropriate that I begin by wishing all readers a Happy and Prosperous New Year. But the British Prime Minister, apparently, finds little to be cheerful about the coming days. In the gloomiest New Year message of the five years of his premiership, Tony Blair, who was spending an annual holiday with his family in Egypt, told his fellow Britons that the country faced a record number of dangerous and difficult problems in the months to come. "I cannot recall a time," he began: "when Britain was confronted, simultaneously, by such a range of difficult and, in some cases, dangerous, problems." In his message he of course tried to reassure the nation that "although the concerns are real and justified, Britain is well-placed to face up to them," but at the same time he warned that the country could not hope to survive them without a combination of luck, hard work and good judgment. Mr Blair described "the prospect of committing UK troops to action if Saddam Hussein continues to flout international law" as the most pressing problem and also specified other threats to security which were "the mass of intelligence flowing across my desk that points to a continuing threat of attack by Al Qaeda, the lack of progress on the Middle East Peace Process which has the potential to wreck havoc well beyond that region, and more recently the disturbing developments over North Korea's nuclear programme." Perhaps his apprehension is not entirely unfounded, as painfully brought home by the latest suicide bombs massacre in Tel Aviv last Sunday, following which the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon accused Mr Blair of "legitimising terrorists" because he has called a summit of Palestinian leaders in London next week. However, knowing that it is domestic problems that voters are most worried about, Mr Blair also referred to his Government's poor performance in implementing an effective transport policy, the continuing inadequacies of the Health Service, a less than satisfactory law and order situation and an underperforming education service, but pleaded that people must "set problems and progress in a context that is balanced. And where progress has been made, it has been because we have held firm to the reform path." Summing up the problems in the international and the domestic fronts, the Prime Minister tried to introduce a confident note in his message by adding: "So that is where we will be in the coming year. A year of challenge -- big challenges requiring big decisions, requiring strong leadership and direction. We will do our best to provide it."

Meanwhile, Mr Blair's promise has been interpreted by many as a feeble attempt to recover some of the credibility that he and his Government seem to be losing steadily. During a recently conducted poll by BBC Radio 4's 'Today' programme on Britons the nation would most like to see him deported from the country, the Prime Minister's name had to be removed from the vote early because so many people wanted to select him. (Incidentally, his wife Cherie topped the poll, beating the Muslim cleric Sheikh Abu Hamza al-Masri into second place.) Giving his reaction to Mr Blair's New Year speech, Tory Deputy Leader Michael Ancram told BBC Radio 4: "I do get a faint feeling that he is trying to divert attention away on to the international side in order to divert attention from all the problems there are going to be domestically for him." The Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy also said that solving problems at home should be Mr Blair's top priority. "After nearly six years of a Labour government, where are the real improvements he promised for our schools, hospitals and public transport system?" he asked, adding: "These are the issues of most immediate concern to the people of Britain." And referring to the likelihood of British troops joining American troops in the war against Iraq, former Labour deputy leader Lord Healy warned Mr Blair not to repeat the mistakes of Tory PM Anthony Eden who invaded Egypt in 1956 during the Suez Crisis. "If, as seems all too likely at the moment, George Bush ignores all advice and does attack Iraq...." he said: ".... the consequences of an attack for him and for the West as a whole could be quite disastrous."

On a lighter vein, perhaps not everything is full of gloom and doom, after all. There are indeed one or two bright rays peeping through the dark clouds. Here are a few samples, chosen at random:

An average Briton is richer today than he or she was in January last year. In fact, they are richer than ever before.

Compared to 1953, that is, half a century ago, when life expectancy for British men was 66 and that for women 71, life expectancy for men today is 75 and that for women 80.

High unemployment, now a common feature of most European economies, has ceased to be a British disease, albeit for the time being.

Since winter set in last November, most parts of Britain may not have had a single dry day till now, still the country does not have avalanches, typhoons, man-eating sharks or other dangerous predators. Mother Nature has made this country's mountains, forests, rivers and seas the safest on earth.

In spite of the racially motivated incidents that occur with disturbing regularity, the British can still have a good claim to be one of the least racist nations in the world.

All over the world, millions and millions of moviegoers are being thrilled by three blockbuster movie series: James Bond, Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings -- and they are all based on characters and stories created and written by British authors.

Watching Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon is an experience unparalleled in the whole world.

Well, these may not sound like much, but pondering over them could help blow the 'winter blues' away.

Family-friendly rights for workers

IN a significant reshuffle of the rules regulating working conditions in both the public and private sectors, the Department of Trade and Commerce has announced plans for introducing new flexible working hours for parents with little children or children with special needs. A research recently conducted by the Department shows that many working parents prefer flexible hours to perks such as company cars, health club membership or even higher salaries, because that makes it much easier for them to discharge their parental duties. The highlights of the new rights for parents which will almost certainly come into effect from April 2003 are:

Parents of children aged 6 and disabled children aged under 18 will have the right to apply for flexible working hours which could be as simple as starting late or finishing early to fit in with school and care centre hours. Employers will have the duty to consider all such requests seriously.

Maternity Leave will be increased from 18 to 26 weeks in the case of ordinary paid leave, plus 26 weeks of unpaid additional leave. The current maximum entitlement is 29 weeks after birth.

Standard Statutory Maternity Pay -- SMP -- will be increased from £75 a week to £100 a week. Most employers will be able to reclaim all the money from the Government.

There will be a new right for fathers to claim two weeks' Paternity Leave, or paternity pay of £100 a week, within eight weeks of the birth of their children.

There will be new paid adoption leave and other provisions for parents adopting a child.

The new regulations will apply to around 3.6 million working parents -- including 2.1 million fathers -- and will also cover around 200,000 parents and carers of disabled children under the age of 18. A special hotline is already operating for explaining the details to persons who wish to take advantage of the changes that come into force in April. Under the new system, an employee will submit a written request for 'flexible' hours giving reasons for the request, and the employer's duty will be to consider the request seriously and talk it over with the employee. The request can be rejected if granting it adversely affected the firm's business performance, but any decision taken and its explanation will have to be put in writing.

There have been, understandably, expressions of dismay from business leaders about the possible consequences of the scheme. The Institute of Directors said that many companies are "already working with staff to provide flexible working but there has to be a limit" and expressed the fear that the move may stop firms hiring young women. A spokesperson said that in course of time there will inevitably be pressure to extend the scheme: "This is for parents with children under the age of 6 -- but will that age limit be raised eventually? And what about employees looking after an elderly relative? Should they have the same rights?" The British Chamber of Commerce said that small firms are already wilting under an overload of Government red tape and added: "Many small firms simply do not have the staff to cover for someone who wants to come in late or work less days." On the other hand, the Trade Secretary Patricia Hewitt defended the Government's plans and claimed that the move would help tackle the "corrosive" long hours culture affecting many families. "Getting a better work-life balance is becoming much more important for all employees -- men as much as women -- and the competitive advantages business gains from offering flexible working are now well-established," said Ms Hewitt: "The new employment rights will be a major step in helping businesses hold on to good staff and helping millions of parents balance work and childcare."