Tony Blair- a decade in power

This week Tony Blair has marked a decade of living in Downing Street 10. In the wake of this years' Blair's big anniversary, I'm featuring here the unadulterated truth about Tony Blair and his three consecutive terms in office.

1. BIOGRAPHY

Anthony Charles Lynton Blair a.k.a. Tony Blair was born on 6 May, 1953, in Edinbrugh, but he spent most of his childhood in Durham, North England. At the age of 14, he found his way back to Edinbrugh, studying at "Fettes College", a famous independent school, where he is referred to by his former teachers as being"...a complete pain in the backside..." in his schooldays.

After "Fettes College" Blair studied law at St John's College, Oxford University. After graduating Blair joined the Labour Party and won the seat of Sedgefield in the 1983 general election. He was only 30 then.

In his maiden speech in the House of Commons in 1983 he said:

"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".

After being elected into the House of Commons, Blair climbed up the career ladder fast, serving in the Shadow Treasury, as the Trade and Industry spokesman, and as the Shadow Secretary of State for Energy respectively. Finally, in 1992, Labour's new leader John Smith appointed Blair as the Shadow Home Secretary.

As John Smith met an untimely death in 1994, Blair became leader of the Labour Party and introduced a new political policy namely the "New Labour" policy. This policy enabled the Labour Party to win the 1997 general election and Blair became the youngest PM since the year 1812. He was 43.

2. THE "NEW LABOUR" POLICY

The term "New Labour" was introduced for the first time as a Labour conference slogan in 1994. However, it became noted as being part of the new Labour manifesto in 1996 called "New Labour, New Life for Britain".
The "New Labour" policy is seen by the Labour party as a middle way between a socialist and a free market approach, urging public-private partnership, increases in public spending (NHS/education) etc.
Due to this policy, Blair was able to set the minimum wage in Britain and both the inflation and unemployment rates where low. His policy also led to devolution in Scotland/Wales and to a more successful Northern Irish peace process.

Until 2001 more or less everything was going as planned for Blair and the Labour Party. Then the shock of 9/11 came home and everything was turned upside down. The decision of the UK to fight side to side with America in the "war against terror" was met by massive public discontent in the UK, especially after it was made public that no weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq. In fact, the popularity and the membership of the party have ceaselessly declined since 2001 and Labour won the 2005 general elections (their third term in office) with only 35,3 % of the total vote.

The third term in office is overshadowed by the "peerages for cash scandal" which Scotland Yard is currently investigating and the pension crisis as well as calls from the public that the colossal spending on education and health wasn't fruitful.

In the May 2006 local elections, the Labour Party lost over 300 councillors across England to the Conservative Party led by David Cameron. Due to the poor election results, Blair had to have a cabinet restructuring. In 2004 Blair has for the first time voiced his intention of stepping down as PM. This week he said that "in all probability" Chancellor Gordon Brown will become the new PM "in the next few weeks". His exact words were:

"In all probability a Scot will become prime minister of the United Kingdom, someone who has built our economy into one of the strongest in the world, and who, as I have said many times before, would make a great prime minister for Britain."

Although Brown has Blair as his moral support, the polls show that the public wishes a snap election. What's more, Brown is going to face competition in his own ranks by Michael Meacher and John McDonnell.

3. TONY BLAIR'S DECADE IN OFFICE

While Blair said that during this time he has made Britain fairer, stronger and better, the opposition was all too ready to drag his name through the mud. David Cameron, Conservative leader, said that Blair will be remembered as "a successful party leader but not as a good PM." Liberal Democrat leader, Menzies Campbell, on the other hand, accused Blair of "squeezing the values out of British politics" and added that "...he will go, like Mrs Thatcher, with a great deal of disappointment surrounding him."

All in all, whatever Blair's foes or allies have to say, I hold that Blair has re-moulded British politics. If for better or for worse it is yet to be seen.

Some interesting vocab I stumbled upon:

put your foot down-to use your authority to stop something happening:
When she started borrowing my clothes without asking, I had to put my foot down.

buoy up (usually passive)-to make someone feel happier or more confident about a situation:
She was buoyed (up) by the warm reception her audience gave her.

root-and-branch reform (formal)- complete

Sources:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6612757.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6612853.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6610623.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6610931.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6612471.stm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Blair (Blair's biography)

http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page4.asp
(biography; a day in the life of a PM video; Blair's speeches)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/6609015.stm

(people talking about the day they met Tony Blair)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_0mVTOv1qw

(a link where you can laugh your head off; Blair/Bush lovesong)