3/29/00 8:55 a.m. The Blair Witch Project Poor Tony is dithering over how to handle this hot political issue. Kate O'Beirne is NR's Washington editor.

herie Blair has publicly pressured the prime minister to take some paternity leave when their baby arrives in May, and poor Tony is dithering over how to handle what has become the hottest political issue in Britain. The poor hen-pecked guy has been put on the spot by the missus, who wants him to set a good example for the other blokes in Britain — call her effort The Blair Witch Project. Mrs. Blair points out that the prime minister of Finland took a week’s parental leave to bond with his baby earlier this month. (Finland!? Who’d notice?). A new law in Britain permits fathers to take up to 13 weeks of unpaid leave. His wife hopes that if Tony wanders idly around Number 10 for a few weeks, pointing out that eerie resemblance of his newborn — do British babies look especially like Winston Churchill? — it will help to publicize the new benefit. Speaking of Winston, can you imagine that prime minister on parental leave? And Margaret Thatcher would have delivered her twins, and been back on the job in the morning. The speculation is that Tony will bow to the pressure and do the politically correct thing. Good thing he doesn’t have an empire to run.