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| Tony Blair was responsible for the death of Princess Di. The blood is on his hands. | |||
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| {{Infobox Prime Minister | |||
| | name =The Rt Hon. Tony Blair | |||
| | image = Tony Blair.jpg | |||
| | order =] | |||
| | term_start =] ] | |||
| | term_end = | |||
| | deputy =] | |||
| | predecessor =] | |||
| | successor = Incumbent | |||
| | birth_date =] ]<ref name="EB">, '']''</ref> | |||
| | birth_place =], ] | |||
| | death_date = | |||
| | death_place = | |||
| | spouse =] | |||
| | constituency =] | |||
| | party =] | |||
| | languagesspoken =], some ] | |||
| | signature = | |||
| }} | |||
| '''Anthony Charles Lynton Blair''' (born ] ])<ref name="EB"/> is the ] of the ], ], ], ], and ] for the constituency of ] in ]. As a member of the ] he is also a ]. As First Lord of the Treasury, his official residence is ] in ], UK. | |||
| ^^ He is a lying scoundrel I have every reason to believe this is true. ~ Jakob | |||
| Blair became leader of the British ] in ] ] following the sudden death of his predecessor, ]. Under Blair's leadership, the party won a ] in the May ], ending 18 years of government by the UK's centre-right ]. 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. He was the youngest person to attain the office of Prime Minister since ] in 1812.<ref>, 10 Downing Street. Retrieved ] ].</ref> | |||
| Together with ] and ], Blair is both credited and criticized 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. Blair has described his political philosophy as "modern ]" and "]". | |||
| Blair has strongly supported a number of aspects of US foreign policy, notably by participating in the invasions of ] in 2001 and ] in 2003. He has encountered fierce criticism as a result, and the circumstances in which he took Britain to war in Iraq have caused many opponents of the war to perceive him as dishonest. | |||
| In ] ], Blair stated he would not serve a fourth term as Prime Minister. This led to speculation as to how long he would remain leader; by law the next general election must be held by ] ]. On ] ], the '']'' reported that Blair had privately assured ministers he would step down in the summer of 2007<ref>Francis Elliott (] ]). . The Independent. Accessed on ] ].</ref>. On ] ] he publicly stated he would step down as party leader by the time of the September 2007 ], but did not state a precise date for his departure. <ref>"", '']'', 2006-09-07</ref> ], the ], is the favourite to be the next ] leader and thereby to take over from Blair as Prime Minister. <ref></ref> | |||
| <nowiki><nowiki>Insert non-formatted text here</nowiki>'''wanker!'''</nowiki> | |||
| ==Early life== | |||
| Blair was born at the Queen Mary Maternity Home<ref name="Edinburgh Evening-birthplace">"", '']'', ] ]</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>"", ''The Observer'', ] ].</ref> The Blairs lived close to the university, in the 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 ]. Blair spent the remainder of his childhood in ], ], his father being by then a lecturer at ]. After attending Durham's ] Blair boarded at ], a ] in Edinburgh, where he met ], whom he later appointed ]. Blair 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." | |||
| After Fettes, Blair spent a year in London, where he attempted to find fame as a rock music promoter, before going up to ] to ] law at ]. As a student, he played ] and sang for a ] called ]. During this time, he dated future ] director ].<ref></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 to which party he was affiliated to than 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 ], which had been criticised by left-wingers for the perceived elitism of its selection procedures. The Blairs chose this school over a Catholic school in Labour-controlled ], where they then lived. There was further criticism from the left when it was revealed that Euan received private coaching from the staff of the fee-paying ]. | |||
| ==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 father-in-law, 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; 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 June 2006,<Ref>, ''The Daily Telegraph'', ] ]</Ref> gives an indication of his outlook at this time. | |||
| 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 the distinctly 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, more enthusiastically, supported unilateral nuclear disarmament, being a member of the ] at the time. 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 maiden speech 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></ref> <ref> LOGOS 3.4, Mark Seddon, Fall 2004</ref>. The Labour Party is declared in its constitution to be a ] party <ref>, The Labour Party, 02/06 2006</ref>, rather than a ] party - Blair himself organised this declaration of Labour to be a socialist party 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 October 1985, 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 stock market crash of October 1987, Blair raised his profile further when he castigated City traders as "incompetent" and "morally dubious". He also protested against the third-class 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 employment law meant dropping the party's traditional support for ] arrangements, whereby employers required all their employees to be members of a trade union. 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 Director of Communications, ]. His first major platform speech, at the 1990 Labour Party conference, was a major embarrassment, however: he spoke too fast and lost his place in his notes. | |||
| In the run-up to the ], Blair worked to modernize Labour's image. He had responsibility for developing the ] policy stance that that was expected to see strong opposition; during the election campaign he had a notable confrontation with the owner of a children's nursery who insisted that the policy would cost jobs. | |||
| When Neil Kinnock resigned as party leader after Labour's fourth consecutive 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 sense of community, 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 common ownership of the means of production and exchange', which was widely interpreted as referring to wholesale ]. A special conference approved this practically insignificant but 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 ]. | |||
| ==First term 1997 to 2001== | |||
| ] (now former) ].]] | |||
| ===Independence for the Bank of England=== | |||
| Immediately after taking office, ] ] gave the ] the power to set the UK base rate of interest autonomously. This decision was popular with the British financial establishment in ], which the Labour Party had been courting since the early 1990s. Together with the Government's decision to remain within projected Conservative ]s for its first two years in office, it helped to reassure sceptics of the Labour Party's fiscal "prudence". | |||
| {{-}} | |||
| ===Domestic politics=== | |||
| {{infobox polstyles| | |||
| image=]| | |||
| name=Tony Blair,<br>British Prime Minister| | |||
| prestyle=] (Rt.Hon.)| | |||
| postnom=PC (not used when ''Rt.Hon.'' used), MP|}} | |||
| In the early years of his first term, Blair relied for his political advice on a close circle of his staff, among whom his press secretary and official spokesman ] was seen as particularly influential. Controversially, Campbell was permitted to give orders to ], who had previously taken instructions only from ]. Unlike some of his predecessors, Campbell was a political appointee and had not come up through the ]. Despite his overtly political role, he was paid from public funds as a civil servant. His was one of a number of New Labour appointments that gave rise to fears that the traditional political neutrality of the civil service was being eroded. | |||
| A significant achievement of Blair's first term was the signing, on ] ], of the ], generally known as the Good Friday Agreement. Negotiations aimed at bringing peace to Northern Ireland had begun under the previous Prime Minister, ], but had collapsed after the end of the first ] in the mid-1990s. In the Good Friday Agreement, most Northern Irish political parties, together with the British and Irish Governments, agreed upon an "exclusively peaceful and democratic" framework for the governance of Northern Ireland and a new set of political institutions for the province. | |||
| Blair's first term saw an extensive programme of changes to the constitution. The ] was introduced in 1998; a ] and a ] were set up; most hereditary ] were removed from the ] in 1999; the ] and the post of ] were established in 2000; and the ] was passed later in the same year, with its provisions coming into effect over the following decade. This last Act disappointed campaigners, whose hopes had been raised by a 1998 ] which had promised more robust legislation. Also, whether the House of Lords should be fully appointed, fully elected, or be subject to a combination of the two remains a disputed question. 2003 saw a series of inconclusive votes on the matter in the House of Commons. | |||
| During Blair's first term, the age of consent for ] was equalized at 16 and the ban on gays in the armed forces was lifted. Subsequently, in 2005, a Civil Partnership Act came into effect, allowing gay couples to form legally recognised partnerships. | |||
| Tony Blair's touch was less sure with regard to the ] project. The incoming government greatly expanded the size of the project and consequently increased expectations of what would be delivered. Just before its opening Blair claimed the Dome would be "a triumph of confidence over cynicism, boldness over blandness, excellence over mediocrity".<ref>, BBC News, May 29, 2002.</ref> In the words of BBC correspondent Robert Orchard, "the Dome was to be highlighted as a glittering New Labour achievement in the next election manifesto".<ref>. BBC News, February 15, 2001.</ref> The ultimate unpopularity of what should have been a fringe project meant that its failure had a political effect that far exceeded its intrinsic importance. | |||
| ===Foreign policy=== | |||
| In 1999, Blair planned and presided over the declaration of the ]. While in opposition, the Labour Party had criticised the Conservatives for their perceived weakness during the ]n war, and Blair was among those urging a strong line by ] against ]. Blair was criticised both by those on the Left who opposed the war in principle and by some others who believed that the Serbs were fighting a legitimate war of self-defence. One month into the war, on ] ], Blair made a speech in Chicago setting out his "Doctrine of the International Community".<ref> PBS Online News Hour, ] ]</ref>. | |||
| Also in 1999, Blair was awarded the ] by the German city of ] for his contributions to the European ideal and to peace in Europe. | |||
| Blair urged his fellow ] members on ] ] to send a strong message to the ]ese government that it must allow a ] force into ], arguing that it is a critical time for ] and therefore a chance for the EU to strengthen the pressure on the ]ese government.<ref> ], ] ]</ref> | |||
| ==Second term 2001 to 2005== | |||
| ] to ], the Prime Minister's countryside retreat.]] | |||
| In the ] campaign, Blair emphasised the theme of improving public services, notably the ] and the State education system. The Conservatives concentrated on opposing British membership of ], which did little to win over ]s. The Labour Party largely preserved its majority, and Blair became the first Labour Prime Minister to win a full second term. However, the election was notable for a large fall in voter turnout. | |||
| Following the ] attacks on New York and Washington, Blair was very quick to align the UK with the United States, engaging in a round of ] to help form and maintain an international coalition prior to the ]. He maintains his diplomatic activity to this day, showing a willingness to visit countries that other world leaders might consider too dangerous to visit. In 2003, he became the first Briton since ] to be awarded a ] by the ] for being "a staunch and steadfast ally of the United States of America",<ref>''Congressional Record'' ] ]</ref> although media attention has been drawn to the fact that Blair has yet to attend the ceremony to receive his medal; some commentators point to the unpopularity in Britain of his support for the U.S. as the explanation for the delay. In 2003, Blair was also awarded an ] for his support of the United States after 9/11 - the first non-American to receive the honour.<ref> BBC, ] ]</ref> | |||
| ===Iraq war=== | |||
| Blair gave strong support to ] ]'s invasion of Iraq in 2003. He soon became the face of international support for the war, often clashing with ] ], who became the face of international opposition. Widely regarded as a more persuasive speaker than Bush, Blair gave many speeches arguing for the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in the days leading up to the invasion. | |||
| Blair's case for war was based on Iraq's alleged possession of ] and consequent violation of UN resolutions. He was wary of making direct appeals for ], since international law does not recognize this as a ground for war. A ] from a July 2002 meeting that was leaked in April 2005 showed that Blair believed that the British public would support regime change in the right political context; the document, however, stated that legal grounds for such action were weak. On ] ] the Government published a ] based on the intelligence agencies' assessments of ]. Among the items in the dossier was a recently received intelligence report that "the Iraqi military are able to deploy chemical or biological weapons within 45 minutes of an order to do so". A further briefing paper on Iraq's alleged WMDs was issued to journalists in February 2003. This document was discovered to have taken a large part of its text without attribution from a PhD thesis available on the internet. Where the thesis hypothesized about possible WMDs, the Downing Street version presented the ideas as fact. The document subsequently became known as the "]". | |||
| Forty-six thousand British troops, one-third of the total strength of the ] (land forces), were deployed to assist with the invasion of Iraq. When, after the war, it was established that Iraq had not possessed any WMDs, the two dossiers, together with Blair's other pre-war statements, became an issue of considerable controversy. Many Labour Party members, including a number who had supported the war, were among the critics. Successive independent inquiries (including those by the Foreign Affairs ] of the ], the senior judge ], and the former senior civil servant ]) have found that Blair honestly stated what he believed to be true at the time, though Lord Butler's report did imply that the Government's presentation of the intelligence evidence had been subject to some degree of exaggeration. These findings have not prevented frequent accusations that Blair was deliberately deceitful, and, during the 2005 election campaign, Conservative leader Michael Howard made political capital out of the issue. | |||
| Several anti-war pressure groups want to try Blair for war crimes in Iraq at the ]. The ], ], stated in September 2004 that the invasion was "illegal", but did not state the legal basis for this assertion. Prior to the war, the UK Attorney General ], who acts as the Government's legal adviser, had advised Blair that the war was legal. | |||
| ] at the ] on his visit during the ], ], ]. White House photo by Paul Morse]] | |||
| British armed forces were active in southern Iraq to stabilise the country in the run-up to the Iraqi elections of January 2005. In October 2004, the UK government agreed to a request from US forces to send a battalion of the ] regiment to the American sector in order to free up US troops for an assault on ]. The subsequent deployment of the Black Watch was criticised by some in Britain on the grounds that its alleged ultimate purpose was to assist George Bush's re-election in the 2004 US presidential election. As of September 2006, seven thousand and five hundred British forces remain in Southern Iraq, around the city of Basra. After the presidential election, Blair tried to use his relationship with President Bush to persuade the US to devote efforts to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. | |||
| ===Domestic politics=== | |||
| After fighting the 2001 election on the theme of improving public services, Blair's government raised taxes in 2002 (described by the Conservatives as "]") in order to increase spending on education and health. Blair insisted the increased funding would have to be matched by ]. The government introduced the ] scheme to allow NHS hospitals financial autonomy, although the eventual shape of the proposals, after an internal struggle with ], allowed for less freedom than Blair had wished. Several healthcare trusts established under the foundation hospitals scheme are now in severe financial difficulties, having spent large proportions of their funding increases on pay rises for staff and on expensive drugs. As a result, with supply of healthcare services increasing less quickly than demand, benefits from the NHS have not increased to the same degree, and the NHS had an £800 million deficit for the 2005/6 financial year. | |||
| The peace process in Northern Ireland hit a series of problems. In October 2002, the Northern Ireland Assembly established under the Good Friday Agreement was suspended. Attempts to persuade the ] to decommission its weapons were unsuccessful, and, in the second set of elections to the Assembly in November 2003, the staunchly unionist ] replaced the more moderate ] as Northern Ireland's largest unionist party, making a return to devolved government more difficult. At the same time, ] replaced the more moderate ] as the province's largest nationalist party. | |||
| In its first term, the government had introduced an annual fixed tuition fee of around £1,000 for higher education students (rejecting requests from ] to be allowed to vary the fee), with reductions and exemptions for poor students. At the same time, the remaining student maintenance grant was replaced with a low-interest loan, which was to be repaid once the student was earning over a certain threshold. In 2003, Blair controversially introduced legislation permitting universities to charge variable fees of up to £3,000 per year. At the same time, the repayment of student loans was delayed until the graduate's income was much higher, and grants were reintroduced for some students from poorer backgrounds. It was claimed the increase in university fees violated a promise in Labour's 2001 election manifesto, though this claim is arguably unsustainable if the relevant promise is interpreted strictly and literally. At its ] in the House of Commons in January 2004, the ] which contained the changes was passed with a majority of only five, due to a large-scale backbench Labour rebellion. A defeat was averted by a last-minute change of intention by a small number of Gordon Brown's backbench allies. | |||
| ] demonstrations against the ]]] | |||
| On ] ] Blair became the longest continuously serving Labour Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, surpassing ]'s 1964-1970 term. By this time, the Government was confronted with the crisis over the suicide of Dr. ], and there were no celebrations. The ] into Kelly's death reported on ], and, despite widespread expectations that Hutton's report would criticise Blair and his government, Hutton cleared the Government of deliberately inserting false intelligence into the ], while criticising the ] editorial process which had allowed unfounded allegations to be broadcast. Evidence to the inquiry raised further questions over the use of intelligence in the run up to the war, and the report did not satisfy opponents of Blair and of the war. After a similar decision by President Bush, Blair set up another inquiry - the ] - into the accuracy and presentation of the intelligence relating to Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction. Opponents of the war, especially the ], refused to participate in this inquiry, since it did not meet their demands for a full public inquiry into whether the war was justified. | |||
| The political fallout from the Iraq War continued to dog Blair's premiership after the Butler Review. On ] ] ] MP ] announced he would attempt to ] Blair, <ref>BBC ] ]</ref> hoping to invoke a Parliamentary procedure that has lain dormant for 150 years but has never been abolished. In principle, the British House of Commons has the power to indict Tony Blair before the House of Lords, who would in turn have the power to pass whatever sentence it considered appropriate upon him, without reference to the ordinary criminal courts. This move was supported by Plaid Cymru and the ], as well as by ]'s ] and Independent MP ]. Ten Conservative MPs signed the relevant motion, as did two ]s, making a total of 23 MPs. The campaign attracted the support of writers ] and ], and actor ]. The case for Blair's impeachment was outlined by Adam Price in a report entitled "A case to answer" <ref>ImpeachBlair.org </ref>. | |||
| In April 2004, Blair announced that a ] would be held on the ratification of the ]. This represented a significant development in British politics: only one nationwide referendum had previously been held (in 1975, on ]), though a referendum had been promised if the Government decided to join the Euro, and referenda had been held on devolved structures of government in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It was a dramatic change of policy for Blair, who had previously dismissed calls for a referendum unless the constitution fundamentally altered the UK's relationship with the EU. ] seized upon this "EU-turn", reminding Blair of his declaration to the 2003 Labour Party conference that "I can only go one way. I haven't got a reverse gear". The referendum was expected to be held in early 2006; however, after the French and Dutch rejections of the constitution, the Blair government announced it was suspending plans for a referendum for the foreseeable future. | |||
| During his second term, Blair was increasingly the target for protests. His speech to the 2004 Labour Party conference, for example, was interrupted both by a protester against the Iraq War and by a group that opposed the government's decision to allow the House of Commons to ban ]. | |||
| On ] ] Blair delivered a speech on the environment and the 'urgent issue' of ]. In unusually direct language he concluded that ''If what the science tells us about climate change is correct, then unabated it will result in catastrophic consequences for our world... The science, almost certainly, is correct.'' The action he proposed to take appeared to be based on business and investment rather than legislative or tax-based attempts to reduce ] emissions: ''...it is possible to combine reducing emissions with economic growth... investment in science and technology and in the businesses associated with it....'' <ref>Guardian 15 September 2004</ref>. | |||
| ===Health problems=== | |||
| On ] ] it emerged Blair had received treatment for an irregular heartbeat. Having felt ill the previous day, he went to hospital and was diagnosed with ]. This was treated by ] and he returned home that night. He was reported to have taken the following day (]) a more gently than usual and returned to a full schedule on ]. Downing Street aides later suggested the palpitations had been brought on by drinking lots of strong ] at an ] summit and then working-out vigorously in the gym. However, former minister ], a doctor, said the treatment was more serious than ] had admitted: "Anaesthetising somebody and giving their heart electric shocks is not something you just do in the routine run of medical practice." | |||
| In September 2004, in off-the-cuff remarks during an interview with ITV news, ] said Blair was "under colossal strain" over "considerations of his family" and that Blair had thought "things over very carefully." This led to speculation Blair would resign. Although details of a family problem were known by the press, no paper reported them because according to one journalist, to have done so would have breached "the bounds of privacy and media responsibility."<ref>Peter Fray ] ]</ref> | |||
| Blair underwent a ] to correct his irregular heartbeat on ] ], after announcing the procedure on the previous day, in a series of interviews in which he also declared he would seek a third term but not a fourth.<ref>BBC ] ]</ref> The planned procedure was carried out at ]'s ] hospital. | |||
| ===Connaught Square=== | |||
| At the same time as Blair's operation it was disclosed the Blairs had purchased a house at 29 ], ], for a reported £3.5 million.<ref>BBC ] ]</ref> Some have speculated that part of No. 29 is to be converted into offices for a future '''Blair Foundation'''. The purchase also led to more speculation Blair was preparing for life after government. | |||
| ==Third term 2005 to present== | |||
| The Labour Party won the 2005 general election and a third consecutive term in office. The next day, Blair was invited to form a Government by ]. The reduction in the Labour majority (from 167 to 66) and the low share of the popular vote (35%) led to some Labour MPs calling for Blair to leave office sooner rather than later; among them ] who had served in Blair's cabinet during his first term. However, dissenting voices quickly vanished as Blair in June 2005 took on European leaders over the future direction of the ]. | |||
| ===G8 and EU presidencies=== | |||
| The rejection by ] and the ] of the ] to establish a ] presented Blair with an opportunity to postpone the doubtful UK ] on the constitution without taking the blame for failing from the EU. ] ] announced that the Parliamentary Bill to enact a referendum was suspended indefinitely. It had previously been agreed that ratification would continue unless the treaty had been rejected by at least five of the 25 ] who must all ratify it. In an address to the ], Blair stated: "I believe in Europe as a political project. I believe in Europe with a strong and caring social dimension." <ref>David Rennie and Brendan Carlin ''Telegraph'' ] ]</ref> | |||
| Chirac held several meetings with Schröder and the pair pressed for the UK to give up its ], famously won by Margaret Thatcher in 1984. After verbal conflict over several weeks, Blair, along with the leaders of all 25 member states, descended on Brussels for the EU Summit of the ] ] to attempt to finalise the EU budget for 2007-2013. Blair refused to renegotiate the rebate unless the proposals included a compensating overhaul of EU spending, particularly on the ] which composes 44% of the EU budget. After intense arguments inside closed doors, talks broke down late at night and the leaders emerged, all blaming each other. It is widely accepted that Blair came out on top, making allies in the ] and ] and potentially (and crucially) several of the Eastern European accession countries. | |||
| It fell to Blair to broker a deal on the EU budget during the UK's ] during the latter half of 2005. Early international opinion, particularly in the French press, suggested that Blair held a very strong opening position partly on account of the concurrence of British presidencies of the EU and ]. However, early in the UK's six-month term the ] distracted political attention from the EU despite some ambitious early statements about Blair's agenda.<ref>BBC ] ]</ref> Domestically, Blair faced further distractions from European affairs including a resurgent ] under its newly-elected leader ], and assessments of the British presidency's achievements under Blair have been <ref>BBC (Paul Reynolds) ] ]</ref>lukewarm in spite of some diplomatic success including a last-minute budget deal. The most controversial result was an agreement to increase British contributions to the EU development budget for new member countries, which effectively reduced the UK rebate by 20%. | |||
| ===2012 Summer Olympics=== | |||
| On ] ], during the 117th International Olympic Committee (]) session in ], the IOC announced that the ], the Games of the XXX Olympiad, were awarded to ] over ] by a small (four votes) margin. The competition between Paris and London to host the Games had become increasingly heated particularly after French President ] commented three days before the vote that "one cannot trust people whose cuisine are so bad." <ref>BBC ] ]</ref> The surprise win by ] over the perceived frontrunner ] was said to have been decided by the presence of Blair at the IOC session. Irish IOC member Patrick Hickey said, "This is down to Tony Blair. If he hadn't come here I'd say that six to eight votes would have been lost and London would not be sitting here today winners".<ref>Mihir Bose ] ]</ref> | |||
| ===2005 London bombings=== | |||
| ].]] | |||
| On Thursday ] ], ] struck London's public transport system during the morning rush-hour. All four incidents were ]. Fifty-six people were killed and 700 injured. The incident was the deadliest single act of terrorism in the ] since 270 died in the 1988 bombing of ] over ], and it was the deadliest bombing in London since ]. | |||
| Blair made ] about the day's bombings, saying that he believed it was "reasonably clear" that it was an act of terror, and that he hoped the people of Britain could demonstrate that their will to overcome the events is greater than the terrorists' wish to cause destruction. He also said that his determination to "defend" the British way of life outweighed "extremist determination" to destroy it. On ] ], he told that international cooperation would be needed to "pull up this evil ideology by its roots".<ref name=guardian-05-07-14>{{cite news|title=Criticism of Israel Is not 'anti-Semitism'|date=] | |||
| publisher=]|url=http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7§ion=0&article=75857&d=5&m=9&y=2006}}</ref> | |||
| On ] ], ] were reported in ], two weeks and some hours after the ]. Four controlled explosions, of devices considerably less advanced than those of the previous attacks, were carried out at ], ] and ] underground stations, and on a bus in ]. Even though the attacks on the 21st were less severe than those on the 7th, Blair was reported to have said that the bombings in London today were intended "to scare people and to frighten them, to make them anxious and worried". He went on to say how the "police have done their very best, and the security services too, in the situation, and I think we have just got to react calmly and continue with our business as much as possible normal". | |||
| Concerns about terror attacks led to 10 Downing Street requesting media organizations not to identify the location of Blair's 2005 summer holiday. After Blair attended a public function it was acknowledged that the holiday was in ], as a guest of the singer ] with whom Blair has stayed before. During a renewed stay there in August 2006, Blair refused to endorse calls for a ceasefire in Lebanon. | |||
| A ''Guardian''/ICM poll conducted after the first wave of attacks found that 64% of the British population believed that Blair's decision to wage war in Iraq had led indirectly to the terrorist attacks on London. <ref>''The Guardian'' ] ]</ref> The public did however indicate approval of Blair's handling of the attacks, with his approval rating moving into positive territory for the first time in five years. <ref>Anthony King ''Telegraph'' ] ]</ref> In December 2005, the Prime Minister was presented with the "Statesman of the Decade" award by the EastWest Institute, a trans-Atlantic think tank that organizes an annual Security Conference in Brussels<ref></ref>. | |||
| ] to cope with the threat of terrorism proved extremely controversial; an amendment to require that glorifying terrorism be deliberate in order to be an offence was rejected in the House of Commons by just three votes (a result initially announced as a one-vote margin, due to a miscount). The proposal to allow terrorist suspects to be held for questioning for up to 90 days was defeated on ] by a margin of 31 <ref>BBC ] ]</ref> with 49 Labour MPs voting against the government. Instead, MPs supported an amendment to allow questioning for 28 days proposed by veteran backbencher ]. This was Blair's first defeat on the floor of the House of Commons since he became Prime Minister in 1997, and most commentators saw this as seriously undermining his authority <ref>BBC ] ]</ref>. | |||
| ===Education reforms 2006=== | |||
| The introduction of further reforms to the education system, which restricted the involvement of local education authorities in opening new schools, proved controversial. Labour backbenchers opposed to the proposals produced a rival manifesto, and the Bill to introduce the changes was delayed while the government negotiated with them. The Conservative Party declared its support for the reforms, making passage certain but increasing the likelihood that Labour MPs would vote against them. On ] ] the Education and Inspections Bill passed its second reading, with 52 Labour MPs voting against; had the Conservative Party also voted against it would have been defeated. | |||
| ===Local elections on 4 May 2006 and cabinet reshuffle=== | |||
| The local elections in England on ] ] dealt a blow to Blair, with the loss of 317 seats and 18 councils. This result was thought to be partly continued fallout from public dissatisfaction over the decision to invade Iraq, and partly due to a scandal concerning the Home Office's mishandling of foreign criminals' deportation. At the same time, an affair of the Deputy Prime Minister ] with his diary secretary had been made public. Further, some Primary Care and Hospital Trust sustained significant deficits and had to release staff, which called into question the position of Health Secretary ]. On ], Blair reshuffled his Cabinet. Most significantly, Charles Clarke and Foreign Secretary ] were relieved of their duties and many other positions were reassigned. Many commentators saw this as a panic reaction designed to ward off calls for Blair to step down. | |||
| ===Resignation as Labour Party leader and Prime Minister=== | |||
| {{current-section}} | |||
| {{See also|Labour Party (UK) leadership election, 2007}} | |||
| On ] ], Blair announced that the 2006 Labour Party conference would be his last as leader(i.e. he planned to resign by September 2007). | |||
| ====Background==== | |||
| After Labour's 2004 conference, Blair announced in a BBC interview <ref>BBC (RAM file)</ref> that he would serve a "full third term" but would not fight a fourth general election. No term limits exist in British politics, and such an announcement was historically unprecedented. Blair said he would give "ample time" for his successor to establish himself before the next ], likely to be held in 2009 or 2010. | |||
| Following the 2005 election there has been constant speculation over the date of Blair's departure. At Westminster, he was expected to retire after the proposed UK referendum on the ], but the constitution's demise eliminated this possibility{{fact}}. The July 2005 terror attacks also reduced the likelihood of an early departure. Speculation as to the likely timing of Blair's departure increased in May 2006, following Labour's poor results in English local elections. His successor is widely expected to be ], the current ]. The only politician to formally declare himself a contender for Labour leadership following Blair's departure is ] Labour MP ], who launched his campaign on ] ]. <ref>John4Leader </ref> | |||
| If Blair remains in office until ] ], he would surpass ] as the longest continuously serving Prime Minister since ], 1812-27. | |||
| On 22 August 2005, the Sunday Mirror | |||
| <ref>Rupert Hamer </ref> suggested Blair would join the ] upon leaving Number Ten. The chairman of Carlyle is ], whom Blair personally recommended for a knighthood in 2001<ref>Jonathan Oliver </ref>. | |||
| Blair has said that after stepping down as Prime Minister, he plans to leave front-line politics and does not intend to take a seat in the House of Lords, commenting that it is, "...not my scene". <ref>Oonagh Blackman ''Mirror'' ] ]</ref> There have been rumours in the British press that Blair will stand for the position of ] when ] steps down on ] ]. <ref>BBC </ref> Former US President ], in an interview, said he believed Blair would be a good secretary-general.<ref>BBC ] ]</ref> | |||
| It was reported on ]] that Blair has shaken hands on a £4m deal for his diaries with a publishing firm owned by ].<ref>Francis Elliott ]]</ref> | |||
| On ] ] a letter signed by 17 Labour MPs called for Tony Blair to resign. On the same day 49 other Labour MPs signed a statement supporting Blair's departure timetable <ref></ref>. The next day ] reported that Blair would step down as Labour leader on ] ], and as Prime Minister when a new ]. That same day, seven of the MPs who signed the letter resigned as Parliamentary Private Secretaries (unpaid and unofficial posts assisting Government ministers). | |||
| Regarding his departure, on ] ] he stated that the next Labour Party conference would be his last as leader. He did not announce a specific timetable for either his departure or the election of a new leader, but he did state that he would "set a precise date" at some point in the future. <ref> ] ] ]</ref> On ] ] he restated this at Labour's annual conference "this is my last conference as leader" <ref> ]</ref>. | |||
| ===Row over Muslim women wearing veils=== | |||
| A row over Muslim women wearing veils developed after Leader of the Commons ] said he asked women in his constituency to remove them when they visited him. The Prime Minister believed that this was a "mark of separation" and made some "outside the community feel uncomfortable". He also backed ] Council, which sacked classroom assistant ] for refusing to remove her full face veil at school.<ref> 24dash.com</ref> There was criticism from some areas asserting that the Prime Minister may have breached the ministerial code with his outspoken intervention in Miss Azmi's ongoing case. <ref> </ref> | |||
| {{See also|United Kingdom debate over veils}} | |||
| ==Blair and Parliament== | |||
| ] Tony Blair standing his ground in the ] during ]. To the right is Chancellor ].]] | |||
| Blair has changed procedures to Parliament. 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 press conferences, at which he fields questions in a less confrontational manner than in the Commons.<ref>10 Downing Street </ref> <ref>Matthew Tempest ''Guardian''</ref> | |||
| Other procedural reforms supported by Blair include changes to the rules concerning the times when Parliament sits. These latter changes are said to allow Parliament to operate in a more business-like manner, but they have also arguably reduced MPs' ability to scrutinise legislation effectively. | |||
| ==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. His best known television appearance was perhaps 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 news management techniques . | |||
| '']'''s "Born to be Queenie" and , Michael Kelly's ] portray a ] sexual encounter between Blair and Brown. | |||
| ==Blair and 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 opinion poll 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, British TV 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, Deputy Prime Minister ] has reportedly acted as their "marriage guidance counsellor".{{fact}} | |||
| 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>, David Cracknell and Isabel Oakeshott, The Sunday Times, September 17, 2006.</ref> | |||
| ==Blair's religious faith== | |||
| Blair has rarely discussed his religious faith 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 Westminster Cathedral, 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 Cardinal ] 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 Christian faith 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>BBC ] ]</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."'' His comments were later interpreted by some of his critics as indicating that he believed that God had endorsed his decision to participate in the invasion. | |||
| ==Political overview== | |||
| Which part of the political spectrum Tony Blair occupies is disputed. Many Britons would place him in the centre ground. His party (Labour) is traditionally on the Left, and Conservatives consider him left of centre. 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 (to a rather larger extent than popularly realised); 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 gay people in the Civil Partnerships Act; and signed treaties integrating Britain more closely with the EU). He has also firmly supported George W. Bush's foreign policy (while reportedly attempting to act as a restraining influence on him); introduced substantial market-based reforms in the education and health sectors; introduced student tuition fees; sought to reduce certain categories of welfare payments; and introduced tough anti-terrorism and identity card legislation (with claimed public support). | |||
| ==Criticism== | |||
| {{main|Criticism of Tony Blair}} | |||
| The criticism of Tony Blair includes accusations of dishonesty and ], as well as criticism about his alliance with U.S. President ] and his policies in the ], including the ], the ] and the ]. Signs of increasing public animosity towards him came in a poll by the British television station ] in 2003 which found Tony Blair listed as first in a list of the ]. <ref> {{cite web| | |||
| title=The one hundred ... WORST BRITONS| publisher = ]| url=http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/G/greatest/britons/results.html|accessdate=2006-09-11}} </ref> | |||
| ===Spin, authoritarianism and alleged dishonesty=== | |||
| A widely-levelled criticism of Blair and his subordinates is that they make use of spin to such an extent that his government has fundamentally lost credibility with the British public. It is also claimed that the Government has on occasions crossed the line between selective presentation of information and deliberate misleading. | |||
| Blair is perceived by many as an excessively autocratic leader, paying insufficient attention both to the views of his own Cabinet colleagues and to those of the ]. His style is sometimes compared to not that of a prime minister and head of government, which he is, but more to a president and head of state, which he is not.<ref>http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1004735,00.html</ref> | |||
| Blair has consistently supported the police and sought to increase police powers. While this policy initially attracted widespread support, the government's legislative response to the threat of militant Islamism has been regarded by some as ].{{fact}} | |||
| Blair has often (particularly after the invasion of Iraq) been labelled as an insincere "King of Spin" and "Phoney Tony", and has been accused of ] in his perceived penchant for promoting his friends to top jobs. In his early years, Blair was often criticised as an unscrupulous opportunist who was solely interested in doing anything that would get him elected, a ] politician. More recently, his unpopular support of the United States over Iraq has shown more commitment to his own beliefs, despite public opposition. His name has been deliberately mis-spelt 'Tony Bliar' (sometimes 'B. Liar') or 'Tory Blur' by critics of his actions and his policies (particularly his stance on Iraq). '']'' on ] ] devoted its front cover to a photograph of Blair and the headline, "Bliar?". | |||
| ===Relationship with the U.S.=== | |||
| ] ].]] | |||
| 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>BBC ] ]</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 British people.<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 life peer 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> ], ], ], Stuart Wavell</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. They 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 and 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>http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,1833538,00.html Cabinet in open revolt over Blair's Israel policy], ], ], ]</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 the West Indies 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 child poverty, 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. | |||
| ===Approval rating=== | |||
| In May 2006, the ] reported that Blair's personal approval rating had dipped to just 26 per cent, 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 British Prime Ministers, only ] 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.<ref>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/05/10/nlab10.xml</ref> | |||
| ==Portrayals in fiction== | |||
| * ] has portrayed Blair twice in the films '']'' (2003) and '']'' (2006). | |||
| ==References== | |||
| <div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;"> | |||
| <references /> | |||
| </div> | |||
| ==Works== | |||
| {{Sisterlinks|Tony Blair}} | |||
| * 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'' Institute for Public Policy Research, ISBN 1-86030-075-8 | |||
| * Blair, Tony (1997). ''New Britain: My Vision of a Young Country'' Basic Books, 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 | |||
| ==Miscellany== | |||
| * Blair, T. (2004). "Blair, The Right Hon. A. C. L." from ''Who's Who'', 156th ed., London: A & C Black. | |||
| * ] (2004), reference to impeachment in volume on Constitutional Law and Human Rights, paragraph 416 | |||
| * '']'' (2006 film) | |||
| ==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|}} | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| * official site | |||
| * an on-line documentary by Tony Blair on life as Prime Minister | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * voting record | |||
| * | |||
| * {{imdb name|id=0086363|name=Tony Blair}} | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * , ], Patrick Wintour, ] ]. | |||
| * Thirty British, US, French and Canadian scholars assess Blair's policies and style after two terms, in May 2005. Links to papers and video. | |||
| * (requires registration) from | |||
| * | |||
| ==Political offices== | |||
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Revision as of 22:32, 27 October 2006
Tony Blair was responsible for the death of Princess Di. The blood is on his hands.
^^ He is a lying scoundrel I have every reason to believe this is true. ~ Jakob