Britons becoming unhappy with Blair

LONDON, Jan 27: More than half of Britons are dissatisfied with Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labour government for the first time since it came to power in 1997, an opinion poll showed today, reports Reuters.

The MORI poll for the Times newspaper said 51 per cent of voters were dissatisfied with the government's performance while 37 per cent were satisfied. Last month the figure was 45 per cent on both sides.

The poll also showed that Labour's support had slipped four points over the past month to 50 per cent - probably reflecting what British newspapers have branded Blair's worst few weeks in power.

The year began with a flu outbreak which triggered serious bed and staff shortages in the National Health Service. Official figures showed rising crime. Media reports forced a government investigation into fraud allegations against a company once chaired by former labour minister Geoffrey Robinson.

Europe remains a problem too. Surveys show Blair faces an uphill task persuading an increasingly sceptical British public about the merits of joining the euro.

The only good news for Blair in the MORI poll came in the ratings for the opposition parties.

William Hague's Conservatives were up two points at 30 per cent - still giving Blair a handsome lead. The Liberal Democrats were also up two points at 15 per cent.

Blair marked his first 1,000 days in power on Wednesday with a no fanfare, business as usual approach.

But he did give a couple of television interviews to argue that his government remained on track to fulfil election promises and put right what Labour regarded as the wrongs of 18 years of Conservative rule.

"There are lots of things we still have got to do," Blair said.

"But in two and a half years we have made a start putting right the previous 18 years. If people give us the chance, in time we can do the rest."

Blair said Labour had been able to make improvements on the economy, jobs, education and health since its landslide victory in the 1997 general election.

His aides insisted the prime minister would not be too concerned about the results of the MORI poll.