New Britian: My Vision of a Young Country

The byword of this assemblage of speeches plus a couple of articles by British Labour party leader Blair is ""stakeholder economy""-a partnership between government and the masses of people, with emphasis on job creation, housing, controlling inflation and investment in technology and infrastructure. Blasting the Tories as a selfish, complacent party of the rich, content with managing Britain's decline instead of seeking national renewal, Blair calls for an overhaul of the system of ""divided education"" that caters to a privileged elite. He defends gay rights, advocates reform of the National Health Service to replace market forces with cooperation and calls for a get-tough stance on criminals, combined with an attack on what he considers the sources of crime: unemployment, social decay and family breakdown. He urges reform of the welfare state through job training programs and linking of benefits to work. The rhetoric and inevitable overlap in these speeches may elicit a ho-hum from American readers having only a passing familiarity with British politics. But those willing to dig deeper will find here a window into Britain's class-ridden society and a detailed blueprint for Britain in the next century. (Mar.)