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| :''For other people of the same name, see ]'' | |||
| {{featured article}} | |||
| {{Infobox Prime Minister | |||
| | name = The Rt Hon. Tony Blair MP | |||
| | image = Tony Blair with Romano Prodi at G8, cropped to Blair.jpg | |||
| | imagesize = 200px | |||
| | order = ] | |||
| | term_start = ] ] | |||
| | term_end = | |||
| | deputy = ] | |||
| | predecessor = ] | |||
| | successor = Incumbent | |||
| | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1953|5|6}}<ref name="EB">{{cite encyclopedia | year = | title = Tony Blair | url = http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9003134 | encyclopedia = ] | publisher = }}</ref> | |||
| | birth_place = {{flagicon|Scotland}} ], ], ] | |||
| | death_date = | |||
| | death_place = | |||
| | spouse = ] | |||
| | constituency = ] | |||
| | party = ] | |||
| | religion = ] (]) | |||
| | languages spoken = ], some ] | |||
| | signature = Tony_Blair_signature.png | |||
| }} | |||
| '''Anthony Charles Lynton Blair''' (born ] ])<ref name="EB"/> is the ] of the ], ], ], ], and ] for the constituency of ] in the ] of ]. As a member of the British ] he is also a ]. His ] is ], London, SW1A 2AA.<ref>However, since Blair and his wife at the time had three children living with them, it was announced in 1997 that the Blairs would be living in the flat above number 11 Downing Street, whereas Chancellor Gordon Brown, who was unmarried and childless at the time, would live in the smaller flat, above number 10.</ref> | |||
| Blair became leader of the British ] in ] following the sudden death of his predecessor, ]. Under Blair's leadership, the party won a ] in the ], ending 18 years of government by the ]. Blair is the Labour Party's longest-serving prime minister, the only person to have led the party to three consecutive general election victories, and the only Labour prime minister to serve more than one full consecutive term. | |||
| On ] ] Blair publicly stated he would step down as party leader by the time of the ] conference in September 2007, but has not yet given a date for his departure.<ref name="iwillquit"> {{cite news| title = I will quit within a year - Blair| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5322094.stm| publisher = BBC News| date = 2006-09-07| accessdate = 2006-11-18}}</ref> | |||
| ==Background and family life== | |||
| Blair was born at the Queen Mary Maternity Home<ref name="Edinburgh Evening-birthplace">{{cite news | title = Blair's birthplace is bulldozed in Edinburgh | url = http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1156262006 | work = ] | publisher =Johnston Press plc | date = 2006-08-09| accessdate = 2006-11-18}}</ref> in ], ], the second son of ] and Hazel Blair (''née'' Corscadden). Leo Blair was the son of two ] actors, Charles Parsons and Mary Augusta Ridgway Bridson, whilst Hazel Corscadden's family were ]s from ], ]. He has one elder brother, ], who is a ] and a ], and a younger sister, Sarah. Blair spent the first 19 months of his life at the family home in Paisley Terrace in the ] area of Edinburgh. During this period his father worked as a junior tax inspector whilst also studying for a law degree from the ].<ref name="Edinburgh Evening-birthplace"/> His family spent three and a half years in the 1950s living in ], ], where his father was a lecturer in law at the ].<ref>{{cite news | title = Tony's big adventure | url = http://observer.guardian.co.uk/secondterm/story/0,8224,944191,00.html|work = ] | publisher = Guardian Newspapers Ltd. | date = 2003-04-27 | accessdate = 2006-11-18 | |||
| }}</ref> The Blairs lived quite close to the university, in the leafy suburb of ]. | |||
| The family returned to Britain in the late 1950s, living for a time with Hazel Blair's parents at their home in ], near ]. He spent the remainder of his childhood in ], ], his father being by then a lecturer at ]. After attending Durham's ] Blair boarded at ], a famous ] in Edinburgh, where he met ] (a pupil at the rival ], whom he later appointed ]. He reportedly modelled himself on ], and is said to have enjoyed a reputation as a conspicuously "]" young man among his fellow pupils. His teachers, however, were less impressed by his behaviour: his biographer John Rentoul reported that "All the teachers I spoke to... said he was a complete pain in the backside, and they were very glad to see the back of him." Blair was arrested at Fettes, having being mistaken for a burglar as he climbed into his dormitory using a ladder, after being out late.<ref>{{cite news | title = Blair in a boater, a crude hand gesture, and the Class of '75 | url = http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=439587&in_page_id=1770&ico=Homepage&icl=TabModule&icc=picbox&ct=5|work = ] | publisher = Associated Newspapers Ltd. | date = 2006-03-03 | accessdate = 2007-03-08 | |||
| }}</ref> | |||
| ] QC]] | |||
| After Fettes, Blair spent a year in London, where he attempted to find fame as a ] promoter, before going up to ] to ] jurisprudence at ]. As a student, he played ] and sang for a ] called ]. During this time, he dated future ] director ].<ref>{{cite web| url = http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800256658/bio | |||
| | title = Mary Harron Biography| accessdate = 2006-11-18| year = 2006 | work = Yahoo! Movies| publisher = Yahoo! Inc.}}</ref> After graduating from Oxford with a ], Blair became a member of ], enrolled as a pupil barrister and met his future wife, ] (daughter of the actor ]) at the ] founded by ] (who was to be Blair's first Lord Chancellor), ]. His biographer Rentoul records that, according to his lawyer friends, Blair was much less concerned about which party he was affiliated with than about his aim of becoming ]. | |||
| Blair married Booth, a practising ] and future ], on ] ]. They have four children (], ], ] and ]). Leo (born ] ]) was the first legitimate child born to a serving Prime Minister in over 150 years, since Francis Russell was born to ] on ] ]. | |||
| Although the Blairs stated that they had wished to shield their children from the media, Euan and Nicky's education was a cause of political controversy. They both attended the Catholic ], criticised by left-wingers for its selection procedures instead of a poorly-performing ] in Labour-controlled ], where they then lived, in Richmond Avenue. There was further criticism when it was revealed that Euan received private coaching from staff from ]. | |||
| ==Early political career== | |||
| Blair joined the ] shortly after graduating from Oxford in 1975. During the early 1980s, he was involved in Labour politics in ], where he aligned himself with the "]" of the party. He unsuccessfully attempted to secure selection as a candidate for ]. Through his ], the actor ], he contacted Labour MP ] to ask for help in pursuing a Parliamentary career. Pendry gave him a tour of the House of Commons and advised him to stand for selection as a candidate in the forthcoming ] in the safe ] seat of ], where Pendry knew a senior member of the local party. Blair was chosen as the candidate; at the ] he won only 10% of the vote and lost his deposit, but he impressed Labour Party leader ] and acquired a profile within the party. In contrast to his later centrism, Blair described himself in this period as a ]. A letter that he wrote to Foot in July 1982, eventually published in ], gives an indication of his outlook at this time.<ref>{{cite news | first = Tony | last = Blair | title = The full text of Tony Blair's letter to Michael Foot written in July 1982 | url = http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/06/16/nletter116.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/06/16/ixuknews.html | work = The Daily Telegraph | publisher = Telegraph Media Group Ltd. | date = July 1982 | accessdate = 2006-11-18}}</ref> | |||
| In 1983 Blair found that the newly created constituency of ], near where he had grown up in ], had no Labour candidate. Several sitting MPs displaced by boundary changes were interested in securing selection to fight the seat. He found a branch that had not made a nomination and arranged to visit them. With the crucial support of John Burton, he won their endorsement; at the last minute he was added to the shortlist and won the selection over displaced sitting MP ]. Burton later became his agent and one of his most trusted and longest-standing allies. | |||
| Blair's election literature in the ] endorsed left-wing policies that the Labour Party advocated in the early 1980s. He called for Britain to leave the ], though he had told his selection conference that he personally favoured continuing membership. He also supported ], being a member of the ]. Sedgefield was a safe Labour seat and Blair was elected as its MP, despite the party's national landslide defeat. Blair was helped on the campaign trail by ] actress ], his father-in-law's girlfriend. | |||
| Blair stated in his ] in the House of Commons on ] ]: "I am a socialist not through reading a textbook that has caught my intellectual fancy, nor through unthinking tradition, but because I believe that, at its best, socialism corresponds most closely to an existence that is both rational and moral. It stands for cooperation, not confrontation; for fellowship, not fear. It stands for equality".<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2006/4/20/170221.shtml | title = On Democracy | accessdate = 2006-11-18| last = Navrozov | first = Lev | date =2006-04-21 | work = newsmax.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.logosjournal.com/issue_3.4/seddon.htm | title = America's Friend: Reflections on Tony Blair| accessdate = 2006-11-18| last = Seddon| first = Mark | year = 2004| work = Logos 3.4| publisher = }}</ref> The Labour Party is declared in its constitution to be a ] party,<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.labour.org.uk/aboutlabour| title = About Labour| accessdate = 2006-11-18| year = 2006| publisher = The Labour Party}}</ref> rather than a ] party - Blair himself organized this declaration of Labour to be a ] when he dealt with the change to the party's ] in their constitution. | |||
| ==In opposition== | |||
| Once elected, Blair's ascent was rapid, and he received his first shadow-cabinet appointment in 1984 as assistant Treasury spokesman. He demanded an inquiry into the ]'s decision to rescue the collapsed ] in ], and embarrassed the government by finding a ] report critical of British economic policy that had been countersigned by a member of the Conservative government. By this time Blair was aligned with the reforming tendencies in the party, headed by leader ], and was promoted after the ] to the shadow Trade and Industry team as spokesman on the ]. In 1987, he stood for election to the ], with a good show of 77 votes. | |||
| ]' (] ])]] | |||
| After the ] of ], Blair raised his profile further when he castigated City traders as "incompetent" and "morally dubious," and criticised poor service for small investors at the ]. In 1988 Blair entered the ] as ] and the following year he became Shadow Employment Secretary. In this post he realised that the Labour Party's support for the emerging European "Social Charter" policies on ] meant dropping the party's traditional support for ] arrangements, whereby employers required all their employees to be members of a ]. He announced this change in December 1989, outraging the left wing of the Labour Party. As a young and telegenic Shadow Cabinet member, Blair was given prominence by the party's ], ]. He gave his first major platform speech at the 1990 ]. | |||
| In the run-up to the ], Blair worked to modernise Labour's image. He had responsibility for developing the controversial ] policy. | |||
| When Neil Kinnock resigned as party leader after his electoral defeat, Blair became ] under ]. The Labour Party at this time was widely perceived as weak on crime and Blair worked to change this: he accepted that the prison population might have to rise, and bemoaned the loss of a ], which he was prepared to blame (at least partly) on "1960s liberalism". On the other hand, he spoke in support of equalising the ] for ] at 16, and opposed ]. He defined his policy, in a phrase coined by ], as "], tough on the causes of crime". | |||
| John Smith died suddenly in 1994 of a ]. Blair beat ] and ] in the ]. After becoming ], Blair was, as is customary for the holder of that office, appointed a ], which permitted him to be ] with the style "]". | |||
| ===Leader of the Labour Party=== | |||
| ] ]]] | |||
| Blair announced at the end of his speech at the 1994 Labour Party conference that he intended to replace ] of the party's constitution with a new statement of aims and values. This involved the deletion of the party's stated commitment to 'the ] of the ] and exchange', which was widely interpreted as referring to wholesale ]. The clause was replaced by a statement that the party is one of ]. A special conference approved this highly symbolic change in April 1995. | |||
| Blair also revised party policy in a manner that enhanced the image of Labour as competent and modern — he used the term "New Labour" to distinguish the party from its past. Although the transformation aroused much criticism (its alleged superficiality drawing fire both from political opponents and traditionalists within the "rank and file" of his own party), it was nevertheless successful in changing public perception. At the 1996 Labour Party conference, Blair stated that his three top priorities on coming to office were "education, education and education". | |||
| Aided by the unpopularity of ]'s Conservative government (itself deeply divided over the ]), "New Labour" won a landslide victory in the ] with Blair the youngest person to attain the office of Prime Minister since ] in 1812.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/page4.asp| title = Biography: The Prime Minister Tony Charles Lynton Blair| accessdate = 2006-11-18| date = | work = www.number-10.gov.uk| publisher = }}</ref> | |||
| ==Blair as Prime Minister== | |||
| {{main|Prime Ministry of Tony Blair}} | |||
| Blair first became the ] on ] ]. While serving as Prime Minister, Blair concurrently serves as the ], the ], the ], and a ] for the constituency of ] in the ] of ]. As a member of the British ] he is also a ]. Blair is the Labour Party's longest-serving prime minister, the only person to have led the party to three consecutive general election victories, and the only Labour prime minister to serve more than one full consecutive term. | |||
| Blair is both credited with and criticised for moving the Labour Party towards the ] of British politics, using the term "]" to distinguish his pro-] policies from the more ] policies which the party had espoused in the past. | |||
| In domestic government policy, Blair has significantly increased ] on health and education while also introducing controversial market-based reforms in these areas. Blair's tenure has also seen the introduction of a ], tuition fees for higher education, ] such as ] in ] and ], and progress in the ]. The British economy has performed well, and Blair has kept to Conservative commitments not to increase income tax. | |||
| Since the start of the ] in 2001, Blair has strongly supported ], notably by participating in the invasions of ] in 2001 and ] in 2003. He has encountered fierce criticism as a result, over the policy itself and the circumstances in which it was decided upon. | |||
| On ] ] Blair publicly stated he would step down as party leader by the time of the ] conference in September 2007, but has not yet given a date for his departure.<ref name="iwillquit"> {{cite news| title = I will quit within a year - Blair| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5322094.stm| publisher = BBC News| date = 2006-09-07| accessdate = 2006-11-18}}</ref> | |||
| ===Relationship with Parliament=== | |||
| ] Tony Blair responding to a question in the ] during ]. To the right is Chancellor ].]] | |||
| Blair has changed Parliamentary procedures significantly. One of his first acts as Prime Minister was to replace the two weekly 15-minute sessions of ], held on a Tuesday and Thursday, with a single 30-minute session on a Wednesday. This reform was said to have led to greater efficiency, but critics have noted that it is easier to prepare for one long set of questions than for two shorter sessions. In addition to PMQs, Blair has held monthly ], at which he fields questions in a less confrontational manner than in the Commons.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.number10.gov.uk/output/Page3347.asp | title = PM: Saddam and his regime will be removed| accessdate = 2006-11-21| date = 2003-03-25| format = | work = www.number10.gov.uk| publisher = }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | first = Matthew | last = Tempest | title = Tony Blair's press conference | url = http://politics.guardian.co.uk/media/story/0,,1299024,00.html | work = The Guardian | publisher = Guardian Newspapers Ltd. | date = 2004-09-07 | accessdate = 2006-11-21}}</ref> | |||
| Other procedural reforms include changing the official times for Parliamentary sessions in order to have Parliament operate in a more business-like manner. | |||
| ==Blair in the media== | |||
| While evaluations of Blair's skills as a parliamentarian differ, he is acknowledged to be a highly skillful media performer in other contexts, appearing modern, charismatic, informal and articulate. Perhaps his best known television appearance was his tribute to ] on the morning of her death in August 1997, in which he famously described her as "the people's princess". | |||
| After taking office in 1997, Blair gave particular prominence to his press secretary, who became known as the ] (the two roles have since been separated). Blair's first PMOS was ], who served in that role from May 1997 to ] ], after which he served as the Prime Minister's Director of Communications and Strategy until his resignation on ] ] in the aftermath of the ]. Campbell acquired a reputation as a sinister and Machiavellian figure, and both Blair and Campbell have frequently been criticised or ] for their allegedly excessive use of "spin" and ] techniques (see below under ''Criticism''). | |||
| ==Blair and Gordon Brown== | |||
| After the death of John Smith in 1994, both Blair and Gordon Brown were viewed as possible candidates for the leadership of the Labour Party. They had agreed that they would not stand against each other, and Brown had previously been considered to be the more senior of the two men — he understood this to mean that Blair would give way to him. It soon became apparent, however, that Blair had greater public support.<ref>A MORI ] published in the '']'' on ] found that among the general public, Blair had the support of 32%, John Prescott, 19%, Margaret Beckett 14%, Gordon Brown 9%, and ] 5%.</ref> At the ] restaurant in ] on ], Brown agreed with Blair that he would not contest the leadership election. He understood Blair to have agreed in return to step down as party leader after a specified period (after 8 years, according to some reports), but Blair has always denied striking any such deal with him. It may be that both men placed honestly differing interpretations on the same conversation. In September 2003, ] Channel ] broadcast a one-off drama about the alleged agreement, called ], which culminated in the conversation in question. The final words of it, as spoken by the actors playing Blair and Brown, were as follows: | |||
| '''Brown:''' And the election after that? (''i.e. the election following two terms of a Labour Government'') | |||
| '''Blair:''' Well... Obviously, I couldn't go on for ever. | |||
| It has also been alleged that while in office as Prime Minister, Blair gave Brown further indications (and even promises) that he would step down in Brown's favour at specified times. Whatever the truth of these reports, Blair's consistent refusal to leave office (so far) has led to relations between the two men becoming irretrievably embittered. At certain times, ] ] has reportedly acted as their "marriage guidance counsellor".<ref>{{cite news | url = http://politics.guardian.co.uk/labour2003/comment/0,,1056215,00.html | title = A marriage on the rocks | author=] | work = ] | publisher = Guardian Newspapers Ltd. | date = October 5, 2003 | accessdate = 2007-03-05}}</ref> | |||
| Another aspect of the political relationship between Blair and Brown is the exceptional freedom given by Blair from the start of his time in office to his Chancellor in the area of economic policy. Downing Street insiders have subsequently reported that Blair grew to regret granting Brown this freedom, since he has been excluded from important fiscal decisions as a result. | |||
| Blair is still seen as refusing to endorse Gordon Brown as his successor. Commentators speculate that this reflects hopes in Downing Street that, given sufficient time, other candidates for Prime Minister will emerge so as to force a full leadership contest.<ref>{{cite news | first = David | last = Cracknell | coauthors =Oakeshott, Isabel | title = Blair fails to back Brown | url = http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-2361498,00.html | work = The Times | publisher = Times Newspapers Ltd. | date = 2006-09-17 | accessdate = 2006-11-21}}</ref> | |||
| ==Blair's religious faith== | |||
| Blair has rarely discussed his ] in public, but he is often identified as an ] — that is, a member of the ] branch of the ], sympathetic to the beliefs and practices of the ]. His wife ] is a practising Roman Catholic, and Blair has attended Catholic Masses at ], while on holiday in Italy, and with his family at his current home in Number 10 Downing Street. At one point, he was reprimanded by ] for receiving ] at Mass despite not being a Roman Catholic, a contravention of Catholic doctrine. | |||
| In an interview with ] broadcast on ] on ] ], Blair referred to the role of his ] in his decision to go to war in Iraq, stating that he had ] about the issue, and saying that God would judge him for his decision:<ref>{{cite news | title = Blair 'prayed to God' over Iraq | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4772142.stm | publisher = BBC News | date = 2006-03-03 | accessdate = 2006-11-18}}</ref> ''"I think if you have faith about these things, you realise that judgement is made by other people … and if you believe in God, it's made by God as well."'' | |||
| A longer exploration of his faith can be found in an interview he did with ]. He says there that 'I was brought up as , but I was not in any real sense a practising one until I went to Oxford. There was an Australian priest at the same college as me who got me interested again. In a sense, it was a rediscovery of religion as something living, that was about the world around me rather than some sort of special one-to-one relationship with a remote Being on high. Suddenly I began to see its social relevance. I began to make sense of the world.'<ref></ref> | |||
| These comments prompted a number of questions on Mr Blair's faith, questions that he was advised not to answer. At the time, the bar on the topic was so rigid that ], Mr Blair's director of strategy and communications, intervened in an interview, preventing the Prime Minister from answering a question about his Christianity, explaining, "We don't do God".<ref>, ''The Daily Telegraph'', 3 May 2003</ref> | |||
| ==Political overview== | |||
| Which part of the ] Tony Blair occupies is disputed. Many Britons would place him in the centre ground. His party (Labour) is a ] political party, and Conservatives consider him ]. Yet some of his Labour-party backbenchers and other Left-wing critics would place him to the right of centre. Blair rarely applies such labels to himself, though he promised, in advance of the 1997 election, that New Labour would govern "from the radical centre", and he is on record as describing himself as a "]". | |||
| An overview of Blair's policies gives an idea of the difficulty of defining him politically. He has raised taxes; implemented redistributive policies; introduced a minimum wage and some new employment rights (while keeping Margaret Thatcher's trade union legislation); introduced significant constitutional reforms (which remain incomplete and controversial); promoted new rights for ]s in the Civil Partnerships Act; and signed treaties integrating Britain more closely with the EU. He has also firmly supported President George W. Bush's foreign policy (while reportedly attempting to act as a restraining influence on him), leading to Blair's rule being characterised as an interventionist foreign policy; introduced substantial ] reforms in the education and health sectors; introduced student tuition fees; sought to reduce certain categories of welfare payments; and introduced tough ] and ] legislation. | |||
| ==Criticism== | |||
| {{main|Criticism of Tony Blair}} | |||
| The ] includes criticism about his alliance with U.S. President ], and his policies in the ], including the ], the ] and the ]. | |||
| ===Presidentialism=== | |||
| Blair is sometimes perceived as paying insufficient attention both to the views of his own Cabinet colleagues and to those of the ]. His style is sometimes criticised as not that of a prime minister and ], which he is, but of a president and ], which he is not.<ref>http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1004735,00.html</ref> | |||
| ===Relationship with the United States=== | |||
| ] ].]] | |||
| Along with enjoying a close relationship with ] during the latter's time in office, Blair has formed a strong political alliance with President ] of the ], particularly in the area of foreign policy: at one point, ] described Blair as "the US foreign minister".<ref>{{cite news | title = Mandela condemns US stance on Iraq | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2710181.stm | publisher = BBC News | date = 2003-01-30|accessdate = 2006-11-18}}</ref> Blair has also often openly been referred to as "Bush's poodle."<ref>{{cite news | title = Blair battles "poodle" jibes | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2721513.stm | publisher = BBC News | date = 2003-02-03|accessdate = 2006-11-30}}</ref> Such claims received added credence in statements made by Kendall Myers, a senior analyst at the ], who reportedly said that he felt "a little ashamed" of Bush's treatment of the Prime Minister and that his attempts to influence ] policy were typically ignored - "It was a done deal from the beginning, it was a one-sided relationship that was entered into with open eyes... There was nothing, no payback, no sense of reciprocity.".<ref> {{cite news | title = Bush 'routinely ignoring Blair' | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6158435.stm | publisher = BBC News | date = 2006-11-30|accessdate = 2006-11-30}}</ref> | |||
| For his part, President ] has lauded Blair and the UK. In his post-September 11 speech, for example, he stated that "America has no truer friend than Great Britain".<ref></ref> The alliance between Bush and Blair has seriously damaged Blair's standing in the eyes of many ]s.<ref></ref> | |||
| ===Middle East policy and links with Israel=== | |||
| One of Blair's first actions in joining the Labour Party was to join ]. In 1994, a friend and former colleague of Blair at ], ], ] (one time president of the ]) introduced Blair to ], a ] mogul and major fundraiser for Jewish and Israeli causes, at a dinner party hosted by the ]i diplomat ].<ref name="bagman">{{cite news | url=http://politics.guardian.co.uk/funding/story/0,,1734529,00.html?gusrc=rss | title=There was once a jolly bagman | author=Euan Ferguson | publisher=Guardian|date=March 19, 2006}}</ref> Blair and Levy soon became close friends and ] partners. Levy ran the Labour Leader's Office Fund to finance Blair's campaign before the 1997 General Election and received substantial contributions from such figures as ] and ], both of whom were ennobled by Blair after he came to power. Levy was created a ] by Blair in 1997, and in 2002, just prior to the Iraq War, Blair appointed Levy as his personal envoy to the ]. Levy has praised Blair for his "solid and committed support of the State of Israel"<ref>, Fundraising Dinner 2006 </ref> and has been described himself as "a leading international ]".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-2092803,00.html |title=Lord Cashpoint's touch of money magic |date=] |last=Wavell |first=Stuart |publisher=] |accessdate=2007-02-21}}</ref> In 2004, Blair was heavily criticised by 50 former diplomats, including ambassadors to ] and ] for his policy on the ] and the Iraq War. They stated they had "''watched with deepening concern''" at Britain following the U.S. into war in Iraq in 2003 also stating, "''We feel the time has come to make our anxieties public, in the hope that they will be addressed in parliament and will lead to a fundamental reassessment,''" and asked Blair to exert "''real influence as a loyal ally''". The ambassadors also accused the allies of having "''no effective plan''" for the aftermath of the invasion of Iraq and the apparent disregard for the lives of Iraqi civilians. The diplomats also criticised Blair for his support for the ] which included the retaining of ] on the ] stating, "''Our dismay at this backward step is heightened by the fact that you yourself seem to have endorsed it, abandoning the principles which for nearly four decades have guided international efforts to restore peace in the Holy Land''".<ref>, ], ], ], ]</ref> | |||
| In 2006, Blair was heavily criticised for his failure to call for a ceasefire in the ], with members of his ] openly criticising Israel. ], the ] and former ] stated that Israel's actions risked destabilising all of Lebanon. Kim Howell, a minister in the Foreign Office, stated that it was "''very difficult to understand the kind of military tactics used by Israel''", "''These are not surgical strikes but have instead caused death and misery amongst innocent civilians.''". ] newspaper claimed that at a cabinet meeting before Blair left for a summit with President George Bush on ], ], a significant number of ministers pressured Blair to publicly criticise Israel over the scale of deaths and destruction in Lebanon.<ref>, ], ], ]</ref> | |||
| ===Relationship with Labour party=== | |||
| Blair's apparent refusal to set a date for his departure has been criticised by the British press and members of parliament. It has been reported that a number of cabinet ministers believed that Blair's timely departure from office would be required to be able to win a fourth election.<ref name=independent-09-04-06/> Some ministers viewed Blair's announcement of policy initiatives in September 2006 as an attempt to draw attention away from these issues.<ref name=independent-09-04-06>{{cite news|title='Deluded': Extraordinary attack on Blair by Cabinet |date=] |publisher=]|url=http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article1325433.ece}}</ref> Upon his return from his holiday in ] he announced that all the speculation about his leaving must stop. This stirred not only his traditional critics but also traditional party loyalists. | |||
| While the Blair government has introduced social policies supported by the left of the Labour Party, such as the ] and measures to reduce ], Blair is seen on economic and management issues as being to the right of much of the party. A possible comparison may be made with ] ] such as ], who have been accused by their party's "base" of adopting their opponents' political stances. Some critics describe Blair as a reconstructed ] or ]. He is occasionally described as "Son of Thatcher", though ] herself rejected this identification in an interview with ] on the night of the 2005 election, saying that in her opinion the resemblances were superficial. Blair himself has often expressed admiration for Thatcher.<ref>, Didcock, Barry, '']'', February 13, 2005</ref> | |||
| ===Approval rating=== | |||
| In May 2006, the ] reported that Blair's personal approval rating had dipped to 26 percent, lower than ] rating after devaluation of the pound and ] during the ], meaning that Blair had become the most unpopular post-war Labour Prime Minister. Of all ], ] and ] have recorded lower approval (the former in the aftermath of the ]). Previously Blair had achieved the highest approval ratings of any British Prime Minister of either party in the months following his election in 1997. | |||
| ==Portrayals== | |||
| * ] has portrayed Blair twice in the films '']'' (2003) and '']'' (2006). | |||
| * Tony Blair made a ] as himself in '']'' episode, '']'' (2003). | |||
| * Blair was portrayed by ] in '']'' and Lindsay reprised his role in '']''. | |||
| * Blair is recognisable as the Bible-reading Prime Minister, receiving inspiration directly from ], in ]'s satirical novel, '']''. | |||
| * The '']'' is a regular feature in the magazine ], containing the messages of the incumbent 'Rev. A. R. P. Blair MA (Oxon)', and his diatribes against (amongst others) the ] treasurer, Mr. Brown. | |||
| * The climax of ]'s satirical play on ],'' 'Feelgood' '', is a Blair-like speech given by a Blair lookalike, using typical Blair gestures. | |||
| * On ] ], Blair made a ] as himself in a sketch with ] who appeared in the guise of her character ] from '']''. The sketch was made for the ] ] fundraising programme of 2007. | |||
| ==Works== | |||
| * Blair, Tony (2003). ''Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction: The Assessment of the British Government'' Diane Publishing, ISBN 0-7567-3102-X | |||
| * Blair, Tony (2002). ''The Courage of Our Convictions'' ], ISBN 0-7163-0603-4 | |||
| * Blair, Tony (2000). ''Superpower: Not Superstate? (Federal Trust European Essays)'' Federal Trust for Education & Research, ISBN 1-903403-25-1 | |||
| * Blair, Tony (1998). ''The Third Way: New Politics for the New Century'' ], ISBN 0-7163-0588-7 | |||
| * Blair, Tony (1998). ''Leading the Way: New Vision for Local Government'' ], ISBN 1-86030-075-8 | |||
| * Blair, Tony (1997). ''New Britain: My Vision of a Young Country'' ], ISBN 0-8133-3338-5 | |||
| * Blair, Tony (1995). ''Let Us Face the Future'' ], ISBN 0-7163-0571-2 | |||
| * Blair, Tony (1994). ''What Price Safe Society?'' ], ISBN 0-7163-0562-3 | |||
| * Blair, Tony (1994). ''Socialism'' ], ISBN 0-7163-0565-8 | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| * Tony Blair's keynote speech at ] conference , 2007 | |||
| *] | |||
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| ==References== | |||
| {{reflist|2}} | |||
| ==Further reading== | |||
| * {{cite book|last=Abse|first=Leo|authorlink=Leo Abse|year=2001|title=Tony Blair: The Man Behind the Smile|publisher=Robson Books|id=ISBN 1-86105-364-9|}} | |||
| * Beckett, F. & Hencke, D. (2004). ''The Blairs and Their Court'', Aurum Press, ISBN 1-84513-024-3 | |||
| * {{cite book|author=―――|year=2003|title=Tony Blair: The Man Who Lost His Smile|publisher=Robson Books|id=ISBN 1-86105-698-2|}} | |||
| * {{cite book|last=Blair|first=Tony|editor=(ed.) ]|year=1998|title=The Blair Necessities: Tony Blair Book of Quotations|publisher=Robson Books|id=ISBN 1-86105-139-5|}} | |||
| * {{cite book|author=―――|editor=(ed.) ]|year=2004|title=Tony Blair: In His Own Words|publisher=Politico's Publishing|id=ISBN 1-84275-089-5|}} | |||
| * {{cite book|last=Gould|first=Philip|authorlink=Philip Gould|year=1999|title=The Unfinished Revolution: How the Modernisers Saved the Labour Party|publisher=Abacus|id=ISBN 0-349-11177-4|}} | |||
| * {{cite book|last=Naughtie|first=James|authorlink=James Naughtie|year=2001|title=The Rivals: The Intimate Story of a Political Marriage|publisher=Fourth Estate|id=ISBN 1-84115-473-3|}} | |||
| * {{cite book|author=―――|year=2004|title=The Accidental American: Tony Blair and the Presidency|publisher=Macmillan|id=ISBN 1-4050-5001-2|}} | |||
| * {{cite book|last=Rawnsley|first=Andrew|authorlink=Andrew Rawnsley|year=2000|title=Servants of the People: The Inside Story of New Labour|publisher=Hamish Hamilton|id=ISBN 0-241-14029-3|}} | |||
| * {{cite book|author=―――|year=2001|title=Servants of the People: The Inside Story of New Labour|edition=2nd edition|publisher=Penguin Books|id=ISBN 0-14-027850-8|}} | |||
| * {{cite book|last=Rentoul|first=John|authorlink=John Rentoul|year=2001|title=Tony Blair: Prime Minister|publisher=Little Brown|id=ISBN 0-316-85496-4|}} | |||
| * {{cite book|last=Riddell|first=Peter|authorlink=Peter Riddell|year=2004|title=The Unfulfilled Prime Minister: Tony Blair and the End of Optimism|publisher=Politico's Publishing|id=ISBN 1-84275-113-1|}} | |||
| * {{cite book|last=Seldon|first=Anthony|authorlink=Anthony Seldon|year=2004|title=Blair|publisher=Free Press|id=ISBN 0-7432-3211-9|}} | |||
| * {{cite book|last=Short|first=Clare|authorlink=Clare Short|year=2004|title=An Honourable Deception? New Labour, Iraq, and the Misuse of Power|publisher=Free Press|id=ISBN 0-7432-6392-8|}} | |||
| * {{cite book|last=Stephens|first=Philip|authorlink=Philip Stephens|year=2004|title=Tony Blair: The Making of a World Leader|publisher=Viking Books|id=ISBN 0-670-03300-6|}} | |||
| * {{cite book|last=Wheatcroft|first=Geoffrey|authorlink=Geoffrey Wheatcroft|year=2007|title=Yo, Blair!|publisher=Politico's Publishing|id=ISBN 978-1-84275-206-7|}} | |||
| ==Miscellany== | |||
| * Blair, T. (2004). "Blair, The Right Hon. A. C. L." from ''Who's Who'', 156th ed., London: ]. | |||
| * ] (2004), reference to impeachment in volume on ] and ], paragraph 416 | |||
| * '']'' (2006 film) | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| {{Sisterlinks|Tony Blair}} | |||
| * official site | |||
| * an on-line documentary by Tony Blair on life as Prime Minister | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * voting record | |||
| * | |||
| * {{imdb name|id=0086363|name=Tony Blair}} | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * , ], ], ] ]. | |||
| * Thirty British, US, French and Canadian scholars assess Blair's policies and style after two terms, in ]. Links to papers and video. | |||
| * (requires registration) from | |||
| * | |||
| ==Political offices== | |||
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| |NAME=Blair, Tony | |||
| |ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Blair, Anthony Charles Lynton | |||
| |SHORT DESCRIPTION=Politician; Prime minister of the United Kingdom | |||
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Revision as of 13:11, 19 March 2007
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