Difference between revisions of "Tony Blair"

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Tony Blair, full name Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born May 6, 1953) has been the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since May 1997. He belongs to and is the current leader of the British Labour Party, having been elected to the party leadership in 1994 following the death of his predecessor, John Smith. He has stated publicly that he will retire in or before September 2007,^[1] and he is expected to announce his resignation in May 2007.

While the Labour Party is a self-described "democratic socialist party"^[2], Blair has coined the phrase "New Labour" to distinguish his own pro-business policies from the more collectivist platform of his predecessors. He has also used the phrase "The Third Way". He has been criticized by some more left-wing members of the Labour Party for being too receptive to conservative thinking, particularly in foreign policy - a comparison may be made with American Democrats and former Democrats such as Joe Lieberman who have been criticized by the Democratic "base" for "selling out" to conservative ideology.

Personal

[3] The son of a barrister and lecturer, Tony Blair was born in Edinburgh, but spent most of his childhood in Durham. At the age of 14 he returned to Edinburgh to finish his education at Fettes College. He studied law at Oxford University, and went on to become a barrister (Lincoln's Inn) himself, before entering politics. Blair married his wife, Cherie Booth QC a barrister in 1980, and they have four children.

As well as being leader of the Labour Party and Prime Minister, Tony Blair is also the MP for Sedgefield, a constituency located in County Durham in North East England.

While Blair rarely discusses his religious faith in public, he is a convinced Christian, a fact for which he is often criticised or mocked by British commentators. His wife, Cherie, is a Catholic; he has attended Catholic Masses, and it is thought that he may himself be sympathetic to Catholicism, though he is a member of the Church of England.

Blair's political career

A combination of the Labour Party's new-found moderation, Blair's personal popularity and the deep unpopularity of the Conservatives under John Major resulted in a landslide victory for Blair and his party in the 1997 general election, ending 18 years of Conservative government. Labour easily won re-election in 2001 and, less convincingly, in 2005.

Blair's policies

During Blair's tenure as Prime Minister, the Labour government made the Bank of England independent, allowing them to set the nation's interest rates (which had previously been set by the Chancellor of the Exchequer), and has introduced a national minimum wage, in 1998, which has gradually been increased over time. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have gained their own legislatures, and limited attempts have been made to devolve power to the regions of England (although these have not been successful).

One of the most controversial aspects of Blair's premiership has been his commitment to and support of the Iraq war, which has strongly divided opinion, both in the House and among the British people. His strong support of America and President Bush in particular have set him apart from most European leaders, especially with the parties of the left (including his own Labour Party). This has come at considerable political cost with his own popularity suffering greatly, and the Government may have lost considerable support in the 2005 general election as a result.

Blair and the media

In the 1990s in particular, Blair was seen as a charismatic leader, with formidable media performing skills. His most famous television appearance was his tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales on the morning of her death in August 1997, in which he described her as "the People's Princess". Blair has, however, acquired a reputation for excessive news management, and even for dishonesty, particularly after the Iraq War.

References

1. ↑ [1]
2. ↑ [2]