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Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!

The Evening Star has launched a scathing attack on Tony Blair over his handling of the foot and mouth crisis and his seeming lack of concern over its impact on the date of a General Election.

The Suffolk paper say’s he’s got it wrong on these crucial issues – and a third: what the Star says is the PM’s belief that the crisis only affects a few people.


  • The Evening Star’s front page
  • In an outspoken editorial, editor Nigel Pickover said: “If Tony Blair is really determined to go ahead on May 3 then he’s making a big mistake.

    “The public don’t want an election in the midst of this crisis and won’t forgive a prime minister who calls it unnecessarily.

    “We are now three years and ten months into a Government that was elected for a five-year term. There is no need to go to the polls for another 14 months.”

    The Evening Star was the first regional paper to call for a General Election to be delayed when it voiced its concerns ten days ago.

    The editor said the Government’s refusal to vaccinate vulnerable animals was a mistake and that the Government was wrong to think that only people living on farms – or even in the countryside – were affected.

    The attack was splashed over the front page and three inside pages on Thursday and followed-up by articles on Friday and today.

    Political editor Paul Geater said: “The only thing that is going to make Tony Blair change his mind on the election is public pressure.

    “We’re in an area here that’s not had a single case of foot and mouth. But the truth is that it is affecting us here.

    “We’re told that people can’t go walking or visit local tourist attractions, we can’t take dogs for a walk and so on. But we’re now hearing that the countryside is open for business.

    “We’re also urging the Government to look at vaccination. There are questions over the cost to the industry but our meat export industry is worth £50m a year compared with tourism, which is currently losing £100m a week.

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