IT would have been easy for Tony Blair to stick strictly to a single issue agenda in his address to the Labour Party Conference.
Support for the United States and the tension which continues to grip the world would have made such a speech perfectly acceptable to the party faithful in Brighton, and the wider audience across Britain and the world.
He did not choose the easy option but, instead, chose to address the full range of fundamental issues facing Britain and the international community.
Mr Blair's address was one of the most stirring and emotional speeches ever delivered at a party conference.
For true justice to be delivered for those terrible atrocities on September 11, it is imperative that not only are the perpetrators of the crimes brought to book, but also that some good comes out of the loss of 7,000 innocent lives.
Yesterday, Mr Blair not only set down in measured tones the means to bring the suspects to justice, but also the means to turn the revulsion for these evil acts into an opportunity to forge a new world order in which terrorism is destroyed to make way for peace.
The unprecedented display of unity in the aftermath of the attacks on America can act as the catalyst for change across the world.
The catalyst for the world to rid the African continent of poverty and civil war. The catalyst to implement the Kyoto Agreement. The catalyst to create a peace settlement in the Middle East. And the catalyst to solve the crisis at home in Northern Ireland.
Mr Blair has a very tall order on his hands. Africa remains riven by war and famine; big business in the US has effectively vetoed Kyoto; the Israelis and the Palestinians are virtually at war; and, after five years of his own endeavour, Mr Blair is still some way off brokering a lasting deal in Northern Ireland.
We do not doubt Mr Blair's resolve and commitment to the cause. What remains in doubt is whether the rest of the world has the will and courage to match his rhetoric with deeds.
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