The Right Honourable  Tony Blair
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
In office 2 May 1997 – 27 June 2007
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Deputy	John Prescott
Preceded by	John Major
Succeeded by	Gordon Brown
Leader of the Opposition
In office 21 July 1994 – 2 May 1997
Prime Minister	John Major
Preceded by	Margaret Beckett
Succeeded by	John Major
Member of Parliament for Sedgefield
In office 9 June 1983 – 27 June 2007
Preceded by	New Constituency
Succeeded by	Phil Wilson
Majority	18,449 (44. The Right Honourable (abbreviated as The Rt Hon) is an Honorific prefix that is traditionally applied to certain The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom Events 1194 - King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar Events 1358 - Republic of Dubrovnik is founded 1709 - Peter the Great defeats Charles XII of Sweden Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. For the ship see RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Context States headed by Elizabeth II John Leslie Prescott (born 31 May 1938 is a British Labour Party Politician, former Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Sir John Major KG CH ACIB (born 29 March 1943 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Academic titles --> James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951 is The Leader of the Opposition (sometimes known as the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons) in the United Kingdom is the politician who leads Events 356 BC - Herostratus sets fire to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) Events 1194 - King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar Sir John Major KG CH ACIB (born 29 March 1943 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Margaret Mary Beckett (née Jackson; born 15 January 1943 is a British Labour Politician, Member of Parliament (MP for Derby Sir John Major KG CH ACIB (born 29 March 1943 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Sedgefield is a County constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Events 53 - Roman Emperor Nero marries Claudia Octavia 62 - Claudia Octavia commits Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) Events 1358 - Republic of Dubrovnik is founded 1709 - Peter the Great defeats Charles XII of Sweden Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Phil Wilson (born c 1959 is a British Labour Party politician who was elected Member of Parliament for the Sedgefield constituency on 5%)
Born	6 May 1953 (1953-05-06) (age 55)[1] Edinburgh, Scotland
Nationality	British
Political party	Labour
Spouse	Cherie Booth
Residence	Connaught Square
Alma mater	St John's College, Oxford
Occupation	Envoy
Profession	Lawyer
Religion	Roman Catholic (Anglican in office)
Signature

Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007, Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007 and Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007. Events 1527 - Spanish and German troops sack Rome; some consider this the end of the Renaissance. Year 1953 ( MCMLIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Edinburgh ( ˈɛdɪnb(ərə Dùn Èideann) is the Capital of Scotland and is its second largest city after Glasgow. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the Cherie Blair (born 23 September 1954 known professionally as Cherie Booth QC, is an English Barrister. Connaught Square, in the City of Westminster (a London Borough) was the first square of city houses to be built in the Bayswater area Alma mater is Latin for "nourishing mother" It was used in Ancient Rome as a title for the mother Goddess, and in Medieval __FORCETOC__ St John's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting Negotiations between representatives of groups or states A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law as an attorney, Counsel or Solicitor; a person Anglicanism is a tradition of Christian faith Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs Events 1527 - Spanish and German troops sack Rome; some consider this the end of the Renaissance. Year 1953 ( MCMLIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A politician (from Greek " Polis " is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making through the influence of Politics or a person The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom Events 1194 - King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar Events 1358 - Republic of Dubrovnik is founded 1709 - Peter the Great defeats Charles XII of Sweden Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories Sedgefield is a County constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. On the day he stood down as Prime Minister, he was appointed official Envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East on behalf of the United Nations, the European Union, the United States and Russia, and stepped down as an MP. Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting Negotiations between representatives of groups or states The Quartet on the Middle East, sometimes called the Diplomatic Quartet or Madrid Quartet or simply the Quartet, is a foursome of nations and International The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. ^{[2] [3]}

Tony Blair was elected Leader of the Labour Party in July 1994 following the sudden death of his predecessor, John Smith. A leadership election was held on July 21, 1994 for the Labour Party in the United Kingdom, after the death of incumbent leader John Smith. John Smith QC (13 September 1938&ndash12 May 1994 was a Scottish Politician who served as leader of the Labour Party from July 1992 until his Under Blair's leadership the party abandoned many policies that it had held for decades. Labour won a landslide victory in the 1997 general election, which ended 18 years of rule by the Conservative Party with the heaviest Conservative defeat since 1832. In Politics, a landslide victory (or landslide) is the victory of a candidate or Political party by an overwhelming margin in an Election Results The election was fought under new boundaries with a net increase of eight seats compared to the 1992 election The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. The 1832 UK general election, the first after the Reform Act, saw the Whigs win a large majority with the Tories winning less than 30% of the vote ^[4]

Blair is the Labour Party's longest-serving Prime Minister and the only person to have led the Labour Party to three consecutive general election victories. This is a list of United Kingdom general elections since the first in 1802

Gordon Brown, Blair's Chancellor of the Exchequer during his ten years in office, succeeded him as Leader of the Labour Party on 24 June 2007 and as Prime Minister on 27 June 2007. WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Academic titles --> James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951 is The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all Economic and Financial Events 972 - Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces takes place Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1358 - Republic of Dubrovnik is founded 1709 - Peter the Great defeats Charles XII of Sweden Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[5]

Contents 1 Background and family life 2 Early political career 3 In opposition 3.1 Leader of the Labour Party 4 Prime Minister 4.1 Relationship with Parliament 4.2 Resignation 5 Post-Prime Ministerial career 5.1 Middle East envoy 5.2 Private sector 5.3 Teaching 5.4 Potential candidacy for President of Europe 5.5 The Tony Blair Sports Foundation 5.6 The Tony Blair Faith Foundation 5.7 Honours 6 Relationship with media 6.1 Rupert Murdoch 6.2 Contacts with UK media proprietors 6.3 Media portrayal 7 Relationship with Gordon Brown 8 Religious faith 9 Political overview 10 Environmental record 11 Criticism 11.1 Presidentialism 11.2 Relationship with the United States 11.3 Relationship with other European nations 11.4 Middle East policy and links with Israel 11.5 Relationship with Labour Party 11.6 Approval rating 12 Portrayals and cameo appearances 12.1 Appearances 12.2 Portrayals 12.3 Blair in fiction, satire and drama 13 Titles and honours 13.1 Styles from birth 13.2 Honours 14 Works 15 See also 16 Notes 17 Further reading 18 Miscellany 19 External links

Background and family life

Blair was born at the Queen Mary Maternity Home^[6] in Edinburgh, Scotland on 6 May 1953,^[1] the second son of Leo and Hazel Blair (née Corscadden). Edinburgh ( ˈɛdɪnb(ərə Dùn Èideann) is the Capital of Scotland and is its second largest city after Glasgow. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Events 1527 - Spanish and German troops sack Rome; some consider this the end of the Renaissance. Year 1953 ( MCMLIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Leo Charles Lynton Blair (born Charles Leonard Augustus Parsons in August 1923 in Filey, Yorkshire, England) is a retired University of Leo Blair, the illegitimate^[7] son of two English actors, had been adopted by a Glasgow shipyard worker named James Blair and his wife Mary as a baby. Hazel Corscadden was the daughter of George Corscadden, a butcher and Orangeman who had moved to Glasgow in 1916 but returned to (and later died in) Ballyshannon in 1923, where his wife Sarah Margaret née Lipsett gave birth to Blair's mother Hazel above her family's grocery shop. The Orange Institution, more commonly known as the Orange Order or the Orange Lodge, is a Protestant fraternal organisation based predominantly Ballyshannon ( Béal Átha Seanaidh in Irish) is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. A grocery store is a store established primarily for the Retailing of Food. ^[8][9] The Lipsett family in Donegal supposedly originated with a German Jewish immigrant to Ireland prior to the 18th century. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world ^[10] George Corscadden was from a family of Protestant farmers in County Donegal, Ireland,^[11] who descended from Scottish settlers that took their family name from Garscadden, now part of Glasgow. Early Modern Ireland saw the first full conquest of Ireland by England and its colonization with Protestant settlers from England and Scotland County Donegal (ˌdʌnəˈgɔːl Irish: Contae Dhún na nGall. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Ulster Scots, also known as Ullans, Hiberno-Scots, or Scots-Irish, refers to the variety of Scots (sometimes referred to as Garscadden ( Gaelic: Gart Sgadan) is a District in the Scottish city of Glasgow. Glasgow (ˈglæzgoʊ is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom The Blair family was often taken on holiday to Rossnowlagh, a beach resort near Hazel's hometown of Ballyshannon in south County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland. Rossnowlagh ( Irish: Ros Neamhlach) is a seaside resort located in County Donegal, in the north-west of Ireland. Ballyshannon ( Béal Átha Seanaidh in Irish) is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. County Donegal (ˌdʌnəˈgɔːl Irish: Contae Dhún na nGall. Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. Tony Blair has one elder brother, William Blair, who is a barrister and Queen's Counsel (QC), and a younger sister, Sarah. Sir William James Lynton Blair (born 31 March 1950) styled The Hon A barrister is a Lawyer found in many Common law Jurisdictions that employ a split profession (as opposed to a Fused profession) in relation Queen's Counsel ( postnominal QC) &ndash known as King's Counsel ( KC) during the reign of a male sovereign  &ndash are Blair spent the first 19 months of his life at the family home in Paisley Terrace in the Willowbrae area of Edinburgh. During this period his father worked as a junior tax inspector whilst also studying for a law degree from the University of Edinburgh. The University of Edinburgh (Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann founded in 1582 is a renowned centre for teaching and research in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. ^[6] His family spent three and a half years in the 1950s living in Adelaide, Australia, where his father was a lecturer in law at the University of Adelaide. Adelaide is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of South Australia, and is the fifth largest city in Australia with a For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The University of Adelaide (colloquially Adelaide University or Adelaide Uni) is a Public university located in Adelaide, South Australia ^[12] The Blairs lived close to the university, in the suburb of Dulwich. Dulwich is a Suburb in the City of Burnside, Adelaide, South Australia with a census area population of 2663 people

The family returned to Britain in the late 1950s, living for a time with Hazel Blair's stepfather William McClay and her mother at their home in Stepps, near Glasgow. Stepps is a small town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, on the north-eastern outskirts of Glasgow. He spent the remainder of his childhood in Durham, England, his father being by then a lecturer at Durham University. Durham (ˈdʌrəm in RP, locally ˈdʏrəm is a small city and main settlement of the City of Durham district of County Durham, England England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Durham University is a University in Durham, England. It was founded as the University of Durham (which remains its official and legal name After attending Durham's Chorister School from 1961 to 1966,^[13] Blair boarded at Fettes College, a notable independent school in Edinburgh, where he met Charlie Falconer (a pupil at the rival Edinburgh Academy), whom he later appointed Lord Chancellor. The Chorister School is a pre-preparatory and preparatory day and boarding school for boys and girls aged 3-13 in Durham, England. Fettes College is an independent boarding and Day school in Edinburgh, Scotland. An independent school is a school which is not dependent upon national or local Government for financing its operation and is instead operated by tuition charges gifts and Charles Leslie Falconer Baron Falconer of Thoroton, PC, QC (born 19 November 1951 is a British Barrister and Labour Party The Edinburgh Academy is an Independent school. It is self-governed and financed though it remains subject to inspection by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor is a senior and important functionary in the Government of the United Kingdom. He reportedly modelled himself on Mick Jagger. Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger, Kt (born 26 July 1943 is a Golden Globe -winning and two-time Grammy -winning English rock ^[14] His teachers were unimpressed with him: his biographer, John Rentoul reported that, "All the teachers I spoke to when researching the book said he was a complete pain in the backside, and they were very glad to see the back of him". ^[15] Blair was arrested at Fettes, having being mistaken for a burglar as he climbed into his dormitory using a ladder, after being out late. ^[16]

After Fettes, Blair spent a year in London, where he attempted to find fame as a rock music promoter, before going up to the University of Oxford to read jurisprudence at St John's College. Cherie Blair (born 23 September 1954 known professionally as Cherie Booth QC, is an English Barrister. Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. The University of Oxford (informally "Oxford University" or simply "Oxford" located in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England is the __FORCETOC__ St John's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. As a student, he played guitar and sang for a rock band called Ugly Rumours. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles A musical ensemble is a group of two or more Musicians who perform instrumental or vocal Music. Ugly Rumours was the name of a rock band founded in part by the former UK Prime minister Tony Blair, while studying law at St John's College During this time, he dated future American Psycho director Mary Harron. American Psycho is a Thriller novel by Bret Easton Ellis published in 1991 Mary Harron (born January 12 1953) is a Canadian film director and screenwriter most well known for her films I Shot Andy Warhol ^[17] He became influenced by fellow student and priest Peter Thomson, who awakened within Blair a deep concern for religious faith and left wing politics. Peter Thomson (priest is an Australian Anglican clergyman most famous for influencing future British Prime Minister Tony Blair while they were Whilst at Oxford, Blair's mother Hazel died of cancer which was said to have greatly affected Blair. After graduating from Oxford in 1976 with a Second Class Honours BA in Jurisprudence, Blair became a member of Lincoln's Inn, enrolled as a pupil barrister and met his future wife, Cherie Booth (daughter of the actor Tony Booth) at the Chambers founded by Derry Irvine (who was to be Blair's first Lord Chancellor), 11 King's Bench Walk Chambers. Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading scheme for Undergraduate degrees ( Bachelor's degrees and some Master's degrees The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which Barristers of England and Wales belong and where Cherie Blair (born 23 September 1954 known professionally as Cherie Booth QC, is an English Barrister. Antony "Tony" George Booth (born 9 October 1931 in Liverpool, better known as Tony Booth) is an English Actor, best known for A judge's chambers - often just called his or her chambers - is the office of a Judge. Alexander Andrew Mackay Irvine Baron Irvine of Lairg, PC, QC (born 23 June 1940 known as Derry Irvine, is a British Lawyer and He acted predominantly for employers or wealthier clients, as in Nethermere v. Gardiner where he unsuccessfully defended employers that had refused holiday pay to employees at a trouser factory. Nethermere (St Neots Ltd v Gardiner And Another ICR 612 is a British Labour law case in the Court of Appeal in the field of Home work and vulnerable 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 Prime Minister. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom

Blair married Booth, a practising Roman Catholic and future Queen's Counsel, on 29 March 1980. Queen's Counsel ( postnominal QC) &ndash known as King's Counsel ( KC) during the reign of a male sovereign  &ndash are Events 1461 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Towton - Edward of York defeats Queen Margaret to become King Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar) They have four children (Euan, Nicky, Kathryn and Leo). Euan Anthony Blair (born 19 January 1984, London) is the eldest son of Cherie Blair and former British Prime Minister Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to Leo (born 20 May 2000) was the first legitimate child born to a serving Prime Minister in over 150 years, since Francis Russell was born to Lord John Russell on 11 July 1849. Events 325 - The First Council of Nicaea &ndash the first Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church is held 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. John Russell 1st Earl Russell, KG, GCMG, PC (18 August 1792 &ndash 28 May 1878 known as Lord John Russell before 1861 was an English Events 911 - Signing of the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte between Charles the Simple and Rollo of Normandy. Year 1849 ( MDCCCXLIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common

Although the Blairs stated that they had wished to shield their children from the media, their children's education was a cause of political controversy. All three attended the Roman Catholic London Oratory School, criticised by left-wingers for its selection procedures, instead of a poorly-performing Roman Catholic school in Labour-controlled Islington, where they then lived, in Richmond Avenue. The London Oratory School is a Roman Catholic, voluntary aided, comprehensive Secondary school in Fulham, London. This article is about Catholic schools in general for specific schools named Catholic High School, see Catholic High School (disambiguation. The London Borough of Islington ( is a London borough in North and Inner London. There was further criticism when it was revealed that Euan received private coaching from staff from Westminster School. The Royal College of St Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain 's leading boys' Independent schools with

Early political career

Blair joined the Labour Party shortly after graduating from Oxford in 1975. The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the During the early 1980s, he was involved in Labour politics in Hackney South and Shoreditch, where he aligned himself with the "soft left" of the party. Hackney South and Shoreditch is a Borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The soft left was the name given to the more moderate left wing forces in the British Labour Party in the 1980s He unsuccessfully attempted to secure selection as a candidate for Hackney Borough Council. The London Borough of Hackney ( is a London borough in North-East London and forms part of Inner London. Through his father-in-law, the actor Tony Booth, he contacted Labour MP Tom Pendry to ask for help in pursuing a Parliamentary career. A father-in-law is a spouse's Father. See also Affinity (law Marriage Mother-in-law Antony "Tony" George Booth (born 9 October 1931 in Liverpool, better known as Tony Booth) is an English Actor, best known for Thomas Pendry Baron Pendry PC (born 10 June 1934) is a Labour politician and member of the House of Lords. Pendry gave him a tour of the House of Commons and advised him to stand for selection as a candidate in the forthcoming by-election in the safe Conservative seat of Beaconsfield, where Pendry knew a senior member of the local party. A by-election or bye-election (called special election in the United States) is an Election held to fill a political office that has become vacant The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Blair was chosen as the candidate; at the Beaconsfield by-election he won only 10% of the vote and lost his deposit, but he impressed Labour Party leader Michael Foot and acquired a profile within the party. The Beaconsfield by-election 1982 was a parliamentary by-election held on 27 May 1982 for the British House of Commons constituency Michael Mackintosh Foot (born 23 July 1913 is a British politician and writer In contrast to his later centrism, Blair described himself in this period as a Socialist. Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution A letter that he wrote to Foot in July 1982, eventually published in June 2006, gives an indication of his outlook at this time. ^[18]

In 1983 Blair found that the newly created constituency of Sedgefield, a notionally safe Labour seat near where he had grown up in Durham, had no Labour candidate. Sedgefield is a County constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Durham (ˈdʌrəm in RP, locally ˈdʏrəm is a small city and main settlement of the City of Durham district of County Durham, England 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 Les Huckfield. John Burton is a Labour Party councillor in County Durham, England. Leslie John Huckfield (born 7 Apr, 1942) is a British Labour Party politician who served as Member of Parliament for Nuneaton Burton later became his agent and one of his most trusted and longest-standing allies.

Blair's election literature in the 1983 UK general election endorsed left-wing policies that the Labour Party advocated in the early 1980s. Results The Conservatives won with a majority of 144 seats|} Total votes cast 30661309 He called for Britain to leave the EEC, though he had told his selection conference that he personally favoured continuing membership. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in He also supported unilateral nuclear disarmament as a member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. Nuclear disarmament is the proposed dismantling of Nuclear weapons. Blair was helped on the campaign trail by soap actress Pat Phoenix, his father-in-law's girlfriend. A soap opera is an ongoing episodic work of Fiction, usually broadcast on Television or Radio. Patricia Phoenix (best known as Pat Phoenix) ( November 26 1923 &ndash September 18 1986) was a British actress who Blair was elected as MP for Sedgefield, despite the party's landslide defeat in the general election.

Blair stated in his maiden speech in the House of Commons on 6 July 1983: "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. A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly- elected members of a Legislature or Parliament. Events 1044 - The Battle of Ménfő takes place 1189 - Richard the Lionheart is crowned King of England Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) It stands for cooperation, not confrontation; for fellowship, not fear. It stands for equality". ^[19][20] The Labour Party is declared in its constitution to be a democratic socialist party,^[21] rather than a social democratic party—Blair himself organised this declaration of Labour to be a socialist party when he dealt with the change to the party's Clause IV in their constitution. Democratic socialism is a description used by various socialist movements tendencies and organizations to emphasize the democratic character of their political orientation Social democracy is a Political ideology of the left and centre-left Clause IV of the United Kingdom Labour Party constitution sets out the aims and values of the party and has been the object of political fights over its direction

In opposition

Once elected, Blair's ascent was rapid and he received his first front bench appointment in 1984 as assistant Treasury spokesman. In May 1985 he appeared on BBC's Question Time arguing that the Conservative Government's Public Order White Paper was a threat to civil liberties. Question Time in a Parliament occurs when Backbenchers (members of the parliament who are not Ministers) ask questions of the Prime Minister which ^[22] Blair demanded an inquiry into the Bank of England's decision to rescue the collapsed Johnson Matthey Bank in October 1985, and embarrassed the government by finding a European Economic Community report critical of British economic policy that had been countersigned by a member of the Conservative government. The Bank of England (formally the Governor and Company of the Bank of England) is a state-owned institution and the Central bank of the United Kingdom Johnson Matthey plc ( is a British chemical company which has its headquarters near Holborn in central London. Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) The European Community (EC is one of the Three pillars of the European Union (EU created under the Maastricht Treaty (1992 By this time Blair was aligned with the reforming tendencies in the party, headed by leader Neil Kinnock, and was promoted after the 1987 election to the shadow Trade and Industry team as spokesman on the City of London. Neil Gordon Kinnock Baron Kinnock PC (born 28 March 1942 is a British Politician. Results |} All parties gaining over 500 votes listed Campaign and policies The Conservatives' campaign emphasized lower taxes a strong economy and defence For London as a whole see the main article London. The City of London is a geographically In 1987, he stood for election to the Shadow Cabinet receiving 77 votes. The Shadow Cabinet (also called the Shadow Front Bench) is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government who together under the

After the stock market crash of October 1987, Blair raised his profile further when he castigated City traders as "incompetent" and "morally dubious", and criticised poor service for small investors at the London Stock Exchange. In financial markets Black Monday refers to Monday, October 19, 1987, when Stock markets around the world crashed, shedding a The London Stock Exchange or LSE is a Stock exchange located in London, England. In 1988 Blair entered the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and the following year he became Shadow Employment Secretary. The Shadow Cabinet (also called the Shadow Front Bench) is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government who together under the The Secretary of State for Energy was a UK cabinet position from 1974 to 1992. 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 closed shop arrangements, whereby employers required all their employees to be members of a trade union. Labour law (also known as employment or labor law is the body of Laws administrative rulings and precedents which address the legal rights of and restrictions In North America a closed shop is a Business or industrial factory in which union membership (often of a specific union and no other is A trade union or labour union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages hours and working conditions forming 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, Peter Mandelson. Director of Communications is a position in the private and public sectors Peter Benjamin Mandelson (born 21 October 1953 called "Mandy" by much of the British News media, is a British Labour Politician who is the serving He gave his first major platform speech at the 1990 Labour Party conference. The Labour Party Conference, or annual national conference of the Labour Party, is formally the supreme decision-making body of the Party

In the run-up to the 1992 general election, Blair worked to modernise Labour's image and was responsible for developing the controversial minimum wage policy. Results |} The turnout was 33514074 from an Electorate of 43275316 voting in a total of 651 seats A minimum wage is the lowest hourly daily or monthly Wage that employers may legally pay to employees or workers

When Neil Kinnock resigned as party leader after Labour's fourth successive election defeat, Blair became Shadow Home Secretary under John Smith. In British politics, the Shadow Home Secretary is the person within the shadow cabinet who 'shadows' the Home Secretary; this effectively means scrutinising John Smith QC (13 September 1938&ndash12 May 1994 was a Scottish Politician who served as leader of the Labour Party from July 1992 until his The Labour Party at this time was widely perceived as weak on crime and Blair worked to change this, accepting that the prison population might have to rise, and bemoaning the loss of a sense of community, which he was prepared to blame (at least partly) on "1960s liberalism". Sense of community (or psychological sense of community) is a concept in social psychology (or more narrowly in Community psychology) which focuses on On the other hand, he spoke in support of equalising the age of consent for gay sex at 16, and opposed capital punishment. While the phrase age of consent typically does not appear in legal Statutes when used with in relation to sexual activity, the age of consent is the minimum age at Human sexual behavior or different human sexual practices encompass a wide range of activities such as strategies to find or attract partners ( Mating and display Capital punishment, the death penalty or execution, is the Killing of a person by judicial process as Punishment. He defined his policy, in a phrase coined by Gordon Brown, as "Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime". WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Academic titles --> James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951 is

In 1993, while still Shadow Home Secretary, Blair attended the annual invitation-only Bilderberg conference. The Bilderberg Group, Bilderberg conference, or Bilderberg Club is an unofficial annual invitation-only conference of around ^[23]

John Smith died suddenly in 1994 of a heart attack. Myocardial infarction ( MI or AMI for acute myocardial infarction) also known as a heart attack, occurs when the blood supply Blair beat John Prescott and Margaret Beckett in the subsequent leadership election. John Leslie Prescott (born 31 May 1938 is a British Labour Party Politician, former Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Margaret Mary Beckett (née Jackson; born 15 January 1943 is a British Labour Politician, Member of Parliament (MP for Derby A leadership election was held on July 21, 1994 for the Labour Party in the United Kingdom, after the death of incumbent leader John Smith. After becoming Leader of the Opposition, Blair was, as is customary for the holder of that office, appointed a Privy Counsellor, which permitted him to be addressed with the style "The Right Honourable". The Leader of the Opposition (sometimes known as the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons) in the United Kingdom is the politician who leads Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council is a body of advisors to the British Sovereign. A style of office, or honorific, is a term which by Tradition or Law precedes a reference to a person who holds a post or Title, or to the The Right Honourable (abbreviated as The Rt Hon) is an Honorific prefix that is traditionally applied to certain

Leader of the Labour Party

Blair announced at the end of his speech at the 1994 Labour Party conference that he intended to replace Clause IV of the party's constitution with a new statement of aims and values. Results The election was fought under new boundaries with a net increase of eight seats compared to the 1992 election For the Roxy Music album see Manifesto (album. A manifesto is a public declaration of principles and intentions often Clause IV of the United Kingdom Labour Party constitution sets out the aims and values of the party and has been the object of political fights over its direction 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 nationalisation. Common ownership is a principle according to which the assets of an enterprise or other organization are held indivisibly rather than in the names of the individual members or Means Of Production is a compilation of Aim 's early 12" and EP releases recorded between 1995 and 1998 Nationalization, also spelled nationalisation, is the act of taking an industry or assets into the Public ownership of a national government The clause was replaced by a statement that the party is one of democratic socialism. Democratic socialism is a description used by various socialist movements tendencies and organizations to emphasize the democratic character of their political orientation 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 using 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 John Major's Conservative government (itself deeply divided over the European Union), "New Labour" won a landslide victory in the 1997 general election with Blair the youngest person—at age 43—to attain the office of Prime Minister since Lord Liverpool in 1812—at age 42. Sir John Major KG CH ACIB (born 29 March 1943 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in Results The election was fought under new boundaries with a net increase of eight seats compared to the 1992 election Robert Banks Jenkinson 2nd Earl of Liverpool (7 June 1770 &ndash 4 December 1828 was a British politician and the longest-serving Prime Minister of the ^[24]

Prime Minister

Main article: Premiership of Tony Blair

Blair became the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on 2 May 1997, serving concurrently as First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, Leader of the Labour Party, and Member of Parliament for the constituency of Sedgefield in the North East of England and Privy Counsellor. The Premiership of Tony Blair began on 2 May 1997 and ended on 27 June 2007 The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom Events 1194 - King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar The First Lord of the Treasury is the head of the commission exercising the ancient office of Lord High Treasurer in the United Kingdom, usually but not In British government, the Minister for the Civil Service is the head of the Her Majesty's Civil Service, the role of which is to assist the governments of the The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. Sedgefield is a County constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. North-East England is one of the nine official Regions of England and comprises the combined area of Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council is a body of advisors to the British Sovereign. With victories in 1997, 2001, and 2005, Blair was the Labour Party's longest-serving prime minister, the only person to lead the party to three consecutive general election victories. Results |} Total votes cast 26368204 All parties with more than 500 votes shown Results Overview For events leading up to the date of the election see article Pre-election day events of the United Kingdom general

Blair is both credited with, and criticised for, moving the Labour Party towards the centre of British politics, using the term "New Labour" to distinguish his pro-market policies from the more collectivist policies which the party had espoused in the past. The City of Armagh ( is an ancient religious site of worship of both celtic paganism and Christianity and the oldest of the five cities in Northern Ireland, In Politics, centrism usually refers to the political ideal of promoting Moderate policies which land in the middle ground between different political extremes The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the A free market is a Market in which property rights are voluntarily exchanged at a price arranged completely by the mutual consent of sellers and buyers Collectivism is a term used to describe any moral political or social outlook that stresses human Interdependence and the importance of a Collective, rather than

In domestic government policy, Blair significantly increased public spending on health and education while also introducing controversial market-based reforms in these areas. Public finance is a field of economics concerned with paying for collective or governmental activities and with the administration and design of those activities Blair's tenure also saw the introduction of a National Minimum Wage, tuition fees for higher education, and constitutional reform such as devolution in Scotland and Wales. The National Minimum Wage Act 1998 was a flagship policy of the Labour Party in the UK during its 1997 election campaign and is still pronounced today in New Devolution is the statutory granting of powers from the central government of a State to government at subnational level Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. The British economy performed well, and Blair kept to Conservative commitments not to increase income tax, although he did introduce a large number of subtle tax increases referred to as stealth taxes by his opponents.

His contribution towards assisting the Northern Ireland Peace Process by helping to negotiate the Good Friday Agreement after 30 years of conflict was widely recognised. When discussing the History of Northern Ireland, the " peace process " is generally considered to cover the events leading up to the 1994 Provisional Irish Republican The Agreement, most often referred to as the Belfast Agreement (Comhaontú Bhéal Feirste Belfast Greeance or the Good Friday Agreement (Comhaontú Aoine an ^[25][26] Following the Omagh Bombing on 15 August 1998 by dissidents opposed to the peace process which killed 29 people and wounded hundreds, Blair visited the County Tyrone town, and met with victims at Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital. The Omagh bombing was a Paramilitary Car bomb attack carried out by the Real Irish Republican Army (RIRA a splinter group of former Provisional Irish Events 778 - The Battle of Roncevaux Pass, at which Roland is killed Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) Belfast ( is the capital city of Northern Ireland and the seat of government in Northern Ireland. ^[27] From the start of the War on Terror in 2001, Blair strongly supported United States foreign policy, notably by participating in the invasions of Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003. The War on Terrorism (also known as the War on Terror) is the common term for the military political and legal, and ideological conflict and specifically for U The foreign policy of the United States is highly influential on the world stage as it is a Superpower. The War in Afghanistan, which began on October 7 2001 as the U The 2003 invasion of Iraq, from March 20 to May 1 2003 was spearheaded by the United States, backed by British forces and smaller contingents from Australia He encountered fierce criticism as a result, over the policy itself and the circumstances in which it was decided upon, especially his claims that Iraq was developing weapons of mass destruction (which have not been discovered in Iraq). For his unwavering support of the United States government's foreign policy, Mr. Blair was honored with the Congressional Gold Medal on July 18th, 2003.

Following pressure from the Labour Party, on 7 September 2006 Blair publicly stated he would step down as party leader by the time of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) conference which was held from 10 September 2007 – 13 September 2007,^[28] having promised to serve a full term during the previous general election campaign. Events 1251 BC - A Solar eclipse on this date might mark the birth of legendary Heracles at Thebes Greece. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Trades Union Congress (TUC is a national trade union centre, a federation of Trade unions in the United Kingdom, representing the majority of trade Events 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul meet in the Council of Agde. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 509 BC - The Temple of Jupiter on Rome 's Capitoline Hill is dedicated on the ides of September Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.

Relationship with Parliament

Blair changed Parliamentary procedures significantly. One of his first acts as Prime Minister was to replace the then twice-weekly 15 minute sessions of Prime Minister's Questions, held on a Tuesday and Thursday, with a single 30 minute session on a Wednesday. Prime Minister's Questions ( PMQs) (officially Questions to the Prime Minister) is a constitutional convention in the United Kingdom, where every 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 held monthly press conferences, at which he fielded questions from journalists. ^[29][30]

Other procedural reforms included changing the official times for Parliamentary sessions in order to have Parliament operate in a more business-like manner.

Resignation

On 10 May 2007, Blair announced during a speech at the Trimdon Labour Club in his Sedgefield constituency his intention to resign as both Labour Party leader and Prime Minister the following June. Events 1291 - Scottish Nobles recognize the authority of Edward I of England. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Sedgefield is a County constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. On June 24 he formally handed over the leadership of the Labour Party to Gordon Brown at a special party conference in Manchester. Events 972 - Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces takes place WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Academic titles --> James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951 is Blair tendered his resignation as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to the Queen on 27 June 2007, his successor Gordon Brown assuming office the same afternoon. Events 1358 - Republic of Dubrovnik is founded 1709 - Peter the Great defeats Charles XII of Sweden Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. He also resigned his seat in the House of Commons in the traditional form of accepting the Stewardship of the Chiltern Hundreds to which he was appointed by Gordon Brown in one of the latter's last acts as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Appointment to the office of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the three Chiltern Hundreds of Stoke Desborough and Burnham or Manor of Northstead is a Sinecure appointment ^[31][32] (It is impossible to resign from the UK Parliament, so this device is used for MPs wishing to step down. )^[33]

The resulting Sedgefield by-election was won by Labour's candidate, Phil Wilson. The Sedgefield by-election 2007 was a By-election held on 19 July 2007 for the British House of Commons constituency of Sedgefield Phil Wilson (born c 1959 is a British Labour Party politician who was elected Member of Parliament for the Sedgefield constituency on Blair has not to date issued a list of Resignation Honours; it has been suggested that the list was delayed because of the Cash for Honours investigation by the police. The Prime Minister's Resignation Honours in the United Kingdom are honours granted at the behest of an outgoing Prime Minister following his or her resignation However, that investigation has now ended and no list has been produced; should Blair choose not to issue one he will be the first Prime Minister of the modern era not to do so. ^[34]

Post-Prime Ministerial career

Middle East envoy

On 27 June 2007, he officially resigned as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom after ten years in office, and Blair was officially confirmed as Middle East envoy for the United Nations, European Union, United States and Russia. Events 1358 - Republic of Dubrovnik is founded 1709 - Peter the Great defeats Charles XII of Sweden Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting Negotiations between representatives of groups or states The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending ^[2] Blair originally indicated that he would retain his parliamentary seat after his resignation as Prime Minister came into effect; however, he resigned from the Commons on being confirmed for the Middle East role, by taking up an office for profit . This is a list of the names and constituencies of Members of Parliament (MPs appointed as Bailiff and Steward of the Three Hundreds of Chiltern. ^[31] President George W. Bush had preliminary talks with Blair to ask him to take up the envoy role. White House sources stated that "both Israel and the Palestinians had signed up to the proposal". ^[35][36]

Private sector

In January 2008 it was confirmed that Blair would be joining investment bank JPMorgan "in a senior advisory capacity"^[37] and that he would advise the insurance firm Zurich on climate change. JPMorgan Chase & Co ( is the largest Banking institution in the United States by deposits and market capitalization and is one of the oldest operating Zurich Financial Services Group is a major Financial services group based in Zürich, Switzerland. His combined earnings then reached over £7m a year. ^[38]

Teaching

Yale University announced on March 7, 2008 that Blair will teach a course on issues of faith and globalization at the Yale Schools of Management and Divinity as a Howland distinguished fellow during the 2008–2009 academic year. Events 161 - Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius dies and is succeeded by co-Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common About the School The School conducts education and research in Leadership, Economics, Operations management, Yale Divinity School is a professional school at Yale University, in New Haven, Connecticut, U The Henry Howland Memorial Prize at Yale was created in 1915 for a "citizen of any country in recognition of some achievement of marked distinction in the field of literature ^[39]

Potential candidacy for President of Europe

Media has speculated that Blair is planning to become the first President of the European Council (often touted as the "President of the European Union" or the "President of Europe"), a post created in the Treaty of Lisbon that would come into force in 2009, if successfully ratified. The President of the European Council is a position in the European Union that chairs the European Council. The Treaty of Lisbon (also known as the Reform Treaty) is a Treaty designed to streamline the workings of the European Union (EU with amendments to the

Blair has been the most common name connected with the post. Touted as far back as 2002, rumours re-emerged since his resignation. ^[40] In June 2007 French president Nicolas Sarkozy was the first leader to propose that Blair be the first president,^[41] support which was reiterated in October 2007 following an agreement on the Treaty of Lisbon. Nicolas Sarkozy (pronounced, The Treaty of Lisbon (also known as the Reform Treaty) is a Treaty designed to streamline the workings of the European Union (EU with amendments to the

Gordon Brown, Blair's successor, added his support but noted it was premature to discuss candidates before the treaty was approved. WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Academic titles --> James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951 is A spokesman for Tony Blair has not ruled out Blair accepting the post, saying he was concentrating on his current role in the Middle East. Some believe he is unlikely to take the position as it comes with few powers. ^[42] Blair was later invited to speak on European issues at a rally of Sarkozy's party, the Union for a Popular Movement, on 12 January 2008. This fueled speculation further. ^[43][44]

He is intelligent, he is brave and he is a friend. We need him in Europe. How can we govern a continent of 450 million people if the President changes every six months and has to run his own country at the same time? I want a President chosen from the top - not a compromise candidate - who will serve for two-and-a-half years.

—French President Nicolas Sarkozy, January 2008, ^[45]

The Tony Blair Sports Foundation

On 14 November 2007, Tony Blair launched The Tony Blair Sports Foundation, a charity which aims to increase childhood participation in sports activities, especially in the North East of England, where a larger proportion of children are socially excluded, and to promote overall health and prevent childhood obesity. Nicolas Sarkozy (pronounced, Events 1533 - Conquistadors from Spain under the leadership of Francisco Pizarro arrive in Cajamarca, Inca Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland

The Tony Blair Faith Foundation

On 30 May 2008, Tony Blair launched the Tony Blair Faith Foundation as a vehicle for encouraging different faiths to join together in promoting respect and understanding, as well as working to tackle poverty. Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Reflecting Blair's own faith, but not dedicated to any particular religion, the Foundation aims to "show how faith is a powerful force for good in the modern world"^[46].

Honours

In May 2007, before his resignation, it was reported^[47] that Blair would be offered a Knighthood in the Order of the Thistle, rather than the Order of the Garter, due to his Scottish connections. The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is an Order of chivalry associated with Scotland. The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an Order of chivalry, or Knighthood, originating in Medieval England, and presently bestowed on recipients No such move has been reported since, and, on St Andrew's Day, the Queen appointed two men to the only openings in the limited Order. On 22 May 2008, Blair received a honorary law doctorate from Queen's University Belfast, alongside former taoiseach Bertie Ahern, for distinction in public service and roles in the Northern Ireland peace process. Events 334 BC - The Greek army of Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of the Granicus. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Queen's University Belfast is a university in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Patrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern ( Irish: Pádraig Parthalán Ó hEachthairn, born 12 September 1951 is an Irish politician who served When discussing the History of Northern Ireland, the " peace process " is generally considered to cover the events leading up to the 1994 Provisional Irish Republican ^[48]

Relationship with media

Rupert Murdoch

Tony Blair's close relationship with Rupert Murdoch and the reciprocated unprecedented support which he received from Murdoch's globally influential News Corporation media empire, has been the subject of much criticism. is gay Bold text' Keith Rupert Murdoch', AC, KCSG (born Melbourne, March 11 1931 usually known as Rupert Murdoch, is an Australian-American News Corporation (often abbreviated to News Corp) (,,) is one of the world's largest media conglomerate companies by Market capitalisation ^[49][50]

Contacts with UK media proprietors

A Cabinet Office freedom of information response, released the day after Blair handed over power to Gordon Brown, documents Blair having various official phone calls and meetings with Rupert Murdoch of News Corporation and Richard Desmond of Northern and Shell Media. The Cabinet Office is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for supporting the Prime Minister and Cabinet of the United Freedom of information (or information freedom) may refer to the accessibility of government-held information ( Freedom of information legislation WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Academic titles --> James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951 is is gay Bold text' Keith Rupert Murdoch', AC, KCSG (born Melbourne, March 11 1931 usually known as Rupert Murdoch, is an Australian-American News Corporation (often abbreviated to News Corp) (,,) is one of the world's largest media conglomerate companies by Market capitalisation Richard Clive Desmond (born 8 December, 1951) is a British Publisher, current owner of Express Newspapers and founder of Northern and Shell ^[51]

The response includes contacts "clearly of an official nature" in the specified period, but excludeds contacts "not clearly of an official nature. "^[52] No details were given of what subjects discussed. In the period between September 2002 and April 2005, Blair and Murdoch are documented speaking 6 times; three times in the 9 days before the Iraq war, including the eve of the March 20 US and UK invasion, and on January 29, April 25 and October 3 2004. The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or the War in Iraq, is an ongoing Military campaign Between January 2003 and February 2004, Mr Blair had three meetings with Richard Desmond; on January 29 and September 3 2003 and February 23 2004. ^[53][54]

The information was disclosed after a three and a half year battle by the Lib Dem Lord Avebury. The Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems, are a liberal Political party in the United Kingdom, formed in 1988 by merging the Baron Avebury, of Avebury in the County of Wiltshire, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. ^[51] Lord Avebury's initial October 2003 information request was dismissed by then leader of the Lords, Baroness Amos. Valerie Ann Amos Baroness Amos, PC (born 13 March 1954) is a British Labour Party Politician and Life peer, ^[51] A following complaint was rejected, with Downing Street claiming the information compromised free and frank discussions, while Cabinet Office claimed releasing the timing of the PM's contacts with individuals is undesirable, as it might lead to the content of the discussions being disclosed. Downing Street is the street in London, England, which for over two hundred years has contained the official residences of two of the most senior British cabinet ministers The Cabinet Office is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for supporting the Prime Minister and Cabinet of the United ^[51] While awaiting a following appeal from Lord Avebury, the cabinet office announced that it would release the information. Lord Avebury said: "The public can now scrutinise the timing of his (Murdoch's) contacts with the former Prime Minister, to see whether they can be linked to events in the outside world. "^[51]

Media portrayal

Tony Blair is acknowledged by most to be a highly skilful media performer who comes over as charismatic, informal and articulate. A few months after becoming Prime Minister he gave a tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales 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 Prime Minister's Official Spokesman (the two roles have since been separated). The Prime Minister's Spokesman (formerly Prime Minister's Official Spokesman) is a role employed by the British Prime Minister whereby a spokesperson addresses the Blair's first PMOS was Alastair Campbell, who served in that role from May 1997 to 8 June 2001, after which he served as the Prime Minister's Director of Communications and Strategy until his resignation on 29 August 2003 in the aftermath of the Hutton Inquiry. This is about the political associate of Tony Blair for others see Alistair Campbell (disambiguation. Events 68 - The Roman Senate accepts emperor Galba. 536 - St Silverius becomes Pope (probable Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Events 708 - Copper coins are minted in Japan for the first time (Traditional Japanese date: August 10, 708) Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. The Hutton Inquiry was a British Judicial inquiry chaired by Lord Hutton, appointed by the United Kingdom Labour government with the Campbell acquired a reputation as a sinister and Machiavellian figure, and both Blair and Campbell have frequently been criticised or satirised for their allegedly excessive use of "spin" and news management techniques (see below under Criticism). Satire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and Performing arts In satire human Managing the news refers to acts which are intended to influence the presentation of information within the news media

Relationship with Gordon Brown

See also: Blair-Brown deal

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. The Blair-Brown deal, also known as the Granita Pact, is a shorthand term for a widely-held belief in British politics that Tony Blair and Gordon Brown John Smith QC (13 September 1938&ndash12 May 1994 was a Scottish Politician who served as leader of the Labour Party from July 1992 until his WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Academic titles --> James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951 is They had agreed that they would not stand against each other. Brown had previously been considered to be the more senior of the two and he understood this to mean that Blair would give way to him. It soon became apparent, however, that Blair had greater public support. ^[55] This gave rise to the alleged Blair-Brown deal. The Blair-Brown deal, also known as the Granita Pact, is a shorthand term for a widely-held belief in British politics that Tony Blair and Gordon Brown At certain times, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has reportedly acted as their "marriage guidance counsellor". A Deputy Prime Minister or Vice Prime Minister is in some countries a government minister who can take the position of acting Prime Minister when the John Leslie Prescott (born 31 May 1938 is a British Labour Party Politician, former Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First ^[56]

Religious faith

On 22 December 2007, it was disclosed that Blair had converted to the Catholic faith, and that it was "a private matter". Events 1790 - The Turkish fortress of Izmail is stormed and captured by Suvorov and his Russian armies Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[57][58] He had informed Pope Benedict XVI on 23 June 2007 that he wanted to become Catholic. Pope Benedict XVI ( Latin: Benedictus PP XVI; Italian: Benedetto XVI; German: Benedikt XVI; born Joseph Alois Ratzinger Events 1180 - First Battle of Uji, starting the Genpei War in Japan 1305 - The Flemish Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Pope and his advisors criticised some of Blair's political actions, but followed up with a reportedly unprecedented red-carpet welcome that included Archbishop of Westminster Cormac Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor, who would be responsible for Blair's Catholic instruction. The Archbishop of Westminster heads the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster, in England. Cormac Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor, (born August 24, 1932) is a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, the Archbishop of Westminster The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (often abbreviated RCIA) is the process through which interested adults are gradually introduced to the Roman Catholic ^{[59][60][61][62][63]}

Blair had previously rarely discussed his religious faith in public, but had often been identified as an Anglo-Catholic—that is, a member of the high church branch of the Church of England, sympathetic to the beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. Faith is a Belief in the trustworthiness of an Idea. Formal usage of the word "faith" is usually reserved for concepts of Religion, as in The terms Anglo-Catholic and Anglo-Catholicism (or sometimes possibly incorrectly High Church &mdashsee below describe people " High Church " relates to Ecclesiology and Liturgy in Anglican theology and practice The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican His wife Cherie Booth is a practising Roman Catholic, and Blair had attended Catholic Masses at Westminster Cathedral, with his family at Number 10 Downing Street, and also while on holiday in Italy. Cherie Blair (born 23 September 1954 known professionally as Cherie Booth QC, is an English Barrister. Westminster Cathedral in London, England, is the Mother church of the Roman Catholic community in England and Wales and the Metropolitan During one such visit to that country, on 22 February 2003, when he met with Pope John Paul II, Blair and his wife stayed at the Irish College in Rome^[64]. Pope The Pontifical Irish College is a Roman Catholic seminary for the training of priests in Rome In 1996, he was reprimanded by Basil Cardinal Hume for receiving Holy Communion at Mass despite not being a Roman Catholic, a contravention of Catholic Canon Law. George Basil Cardinal Hume OSB, OM ( March 2, 1923 &mdash June 17, 1999) was an English Prelate The Eucharist, also called Holy Communion or Lord's Supper and other names is a Christian Sacrament by which in a common interpretation those ^[65]

In an interview with Michael Parkinson broadcast on ITV1 on 4 March 2006, Blair referred to the role of his Christian faith in his decision to go to war in Iraq, stating that he had prayed about the issue, and saying that God would judge him for his decision:^[66] "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. Sir Michael Parkinson, CBE (born March 28 1935) is an English broadcaster and Journalist. This article deals with the ITV1 brand name as it is broadcast at present Events 51 - Nero, later to become Roman Emperor, is given the title Princeps iuventutis (head of the youth Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Prayer is the act of attempting to communicate with a Deity or spirit "

A longer exploration of his faith can be found in an interview with Third Way Magazine. Third Way Magazine is a UK current-affairs magazine written from a Christian perspective He says there that "I was brought up as [a Christian], 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". ^[67] The death of Blair's mother Hazel in 1975 is said to have greatly affected him and prompted his renewed spiritual commitment whilst at Oxford.

These comments prompted a number of questions on Blair's faith. At one point Alastair Campbell, 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". This is about the political associate of Tony Blair for others see Alistair Campbell (disambiguation. ^[68]

Cherie Blair's friend and "spiritual guru" Carole Caplin is credited with introducing her and her husband to various New Age symbols and beliefs, including "magic pendants" known as "BioElectric Shields". Carole Caplin (born January 8, 1962) was the style adviser to Cherie Blair. New Age ( New Age Movement and New Age Spirituality) is a Social Collective Phenomenon and a Spiritual Nature ^[69] The most controversial of the Blairs' New Age practices occurred when on holiday in Mexico. The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. The couple, wearing only bathing costumes, took part in a rebirthing procedure that involved smearing mud and fruit over each others' bodies while sitting in a steam bath. ^[70]

Political overview

The Labour Party is historically a socialist political party. Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution In 2001, Tony Blair said, "We are a left of centre party, pursuing economic prosperity and social justice as partners and not as opposites". The centre-left (or center-left) is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals political parties or organizations (such as Think ^[71] Blair has rarely applied such labels to himself, but he promised before the 1997 election that New Labour would govern "from the radical centre", and according to one lifelong Labour Party member, has always described himself as a social democrat. Social democracy is a Political ideology of the left and centre-left ^[72] However, Labour Party backbenchers and other left wing critics typically place Blair to the right of centre. The centre-right is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals political parties or organizations (such as Think tanks whose views ^[73] A YouGov opinion poll in 2005 also found that a small majority of British voters, including many New Labour supporters, place Blair on the right of the political spectrum. YouGov is an international Internet -based market research firm launched in the UK in May 2000 by Stephan Shakespeare (now Chief Innovation Officer ^[74][75] The Financial Times on the other hand has argued that Blair is not conservative, but instead a populist. The Financial Times ( FT) is a British international business Newspaper. Conservatism is a term used to describe political philosophies that favour Tradition, where tradition refers to various religious cultural or nationally defined ^[76]

Critics and admirers tend to agree that Blair's electoral success was based on his ability to occupy the centre ground and appeal to voters across the political spectrum, to the extent that he has been fundamentally at odds with traditional Labour Party values. ^[77] Some left wing critics have argued that Blair has overseen the final stage of a long term shift of the Labour Party to the right, and that very little now remains of a Labour Left. ^[78][79] There is also evidence that Blair's long term dominance of the centre has forced his Conservative opponents to shift a long distance to the left, in order to challenge his hegemony there. Hegemony (hɨˈdʒɛməni (Amer /hɨˈɡɛməni/ (Brit (ἡγεμονία hēgemonía) is a concept that has been used to describe and explain the dominance of one social ^[80][81]

Blair 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 gay people in the Civil Partnership Act 2004, and signed treaties integrating Britain more closely with the EU. See Civil partnerships in the United Kingdom for a detailed discussion of the Act and its implementation. He introduced substantial market-based reforms in the education and health sectors, introduced student tuition fees (also controversial), sought to reduce certain categories of welfare payments, and introduced tough anti-terrorism and identity card legislation. A market economy is a realized Social system based on the Division of labour in which the prices of Goods and Services are determined in a Counter-terrorism or counterterrorism refers to the practices tactics, techniques and strategies that Governments militaries, Police departments An identity document, also called a piece of identification ( ID) is a document used to verify aspects of a person's Identity. ^[82]

Environmental record

Tony Blair talks a lot about the environment abroad and criticizes other governments for not doing enough. In 1997 Tony Blair in a visit to the United States made an comment of "great industrialized nations" that fail to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Again in 2003 Mr. Blair went before the United States Congress and said that climate change "cannot be ignored," insisting "we need to go beyond even Kyoto. The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses (IPA /kʲoːto / is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. " ^[83] His record at home tends to say something different. Tony Blair and his party have promised a 20% reduction in carbon dioxide but during his term the emissions rose. The Labour Party also claimed that by 2010 10% of the energy would come from renewable resources but in fact only 3% currently does. ^[84]

In 2000 Mr. Blair "flagged up" 100 million Euros for green policies in an effort to get greens and businesses to work together. ^[85]

Criticism

Main article: Criticism of Tony Blair

Tony Blair has been criticised for his alliance with U. Criticism of Tony Blair includes accusations of dishonesty Authoritarianism, and subservience in his relationship with U S. President George W. Bush and his policies in the Middle East, including the Iraq War, the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or the War in Iraq, is an ongoing Military campaign Background See also Israel-Lebanon conflict The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO had engaged in cross-border attacks from Southern Lebanon ^[86] Blair is also criticised for an alleged tendency to spin important information in a way that can be misleading. In Public relations, spin is a usually Pejorative term signifying a heavily biased portrayal in one's own favor of an event or situation it is a Euphemism ^[87] Blair is the first ever Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to have been formally questioned by police officers whilst in office, although he was not under caution when interviewed. In the United States, the Miranda warning is a Warning given by Police to criminal Suspects in police custody or in a custodial situation before ^[88]

Critics also regard Tony Blair as having eroded civil liberties and increased social authoritarianism, by increasing police powers, in the form of more arrestable offences, DNA recording, and the issuing of dispersal orders. thumb| |Broken Liberty Istanbul Archaeology Museum Civil liberties are freedoms that protect the Individual from the Government. Authoritarianism describes a Form of government characterized by an emphasis on the Authority of the State in a republic or union ^[89]

Presidentialism

Blair was sometimes perceived as paying insufficient attention both to the views of his own Cabinet colleagues and to those of the House of Commons. The House of Commons' is the Lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords ^[90] His style was sometimes criticised as not that of a prime minister and head of government, which he was, but of a president and head of state, which he was not. This article focuses on the cases where the Head of Government is a separate office from the Head of State Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a Monarchic or Republican Nation-state ^[91]

Relationship with the United States

Along with enjoying a close relationship with Bill Clinton during the latter's time in office, Blair has formed a strong political alliance with George W. Bush, particularly in the area of foreign policy. William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III, August 19 1946 served as the forty-second President of the United States George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. At one point, Nelson Mandela described Blair as "the U. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (xolíɬaɬa mandéːla born 18 July 1918 is a former President of South Africa, the first to be elected in fully representative S. foreign minister". ^[92] Blair has also often openly been referred to as "Bush's poodle". ^[93] Kendall Myers, a senior analyst at the State Department, reportedly said that he felt "a little ashamed" of Bush's treatment of the Prime Minister and that his attempts to influence U.S. government 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. The federal government of the United States is the central United States Governmental body established by the United States Constitution. . . There was nothing, no payback, no sense of reciprocity". ^[94]

For his part, Bush 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". ^[95]

The alliance between Bush and Blair has seriously damaged Blair's standing in the eyes of many Britons. British people, or Britons, are the native inhabitants of Great Britain and their descendants or citizens of the United Kingdom, of the ^[96] Blair has argued it is in Britain's interest to "protect and strengthen the bond" with the United States regardless of who is in the White House. ^[97]

Relationship with other European nations

Blair played a key role in extending the membership of the European Union from 15 to 27 states, and worked to ensure that free-market values were adopted. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in A free market is a Market in which property rights are voluntarily exchanged at a price arranged completely by the mutual consent of sellers and buyers ^[98]

Blair also forged allegiances with several conservative European leaders, including Silvio Berlusconi of Italy,^[99] Angela Merkel of Germany^[100] and more recently Nicolas Sarkozy of France. (born 29 September 1936 is an Italian politician, Entrepreneur, Real estate and Insurance Tycoon, Bank and Media proprietor Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest (ˈaŋɡela doʁoˈteːa ˈmɛɐ̯kəl (born Angela Dorothea Kasner, 17 July 1954 in Hamburg, West Germany) is the Chancellor of Germany. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Nicolas Sarkozy (pronounced, This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. ^[101]

Middle East policy and links with Israel

One of Blair's first actions in joining the Labour Party was to join Labour Friends of Israel. Labour Friends of Israel is a UK Parliament -based Lobby group promoting support within the British Labour Party for a strong bilateral relationship between In 1994, a friend and former colleague of Blair at 11 King's Bench Walk Chambers, Eldred Tabachnik, Q.C. (one time president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews) introduced Blair to Michael Levy, later Lord Levy, a pop music mogul and major fundraiser for Jewish and Israeli causes, at a dinner party hosted by the Israeli diplomat Gideon Meir. Eldred Tabachnik, QC (born 5 November 1943) is a South African born English barrister recorder and a former president of the Queen's Counsel ( postnominal QC) &ndash known as King's Counsel ( KC) during the reign of a male sovereign  &ndash are The Board of Deputies of British Jews is the main representative body of British Jews. Michael Abraham Levy Baron Levy of Mill Hill in the Pop music as a genre features a noticeable rhythmic element catchy melodies and hooks, a mainstream style and conventional structure For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. Gideon Meir (גדעון מאיר has served as the Ambassador of Israel to Italy since his appointment on July 7, 2006 ^[102] Blair and Levy soon became close friends and tennis partners. Tennis is a sport played between two players ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles) 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 Alex Bernstein and Robert Gavron, both of whom were ennobled by Blair after he came to power. Alexander Bernstein Baron Bernstein of Craigweil (born 15 March 1939 is a former television executive and a Labour member of the House of Lords. Robert Gavron Baron Gavron CBE (born 13 September 1930) is a British printing millionaire philanthropist and a Labour Life 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 Middle East. In the United Kingdom, life peers are created members of the Peerage whose titles may not be inherited (those whose titles are inheritable are known as Hereditary The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. Levy has praised Blair for his "solid and committed support of the State of Israel"^[103] and has been described himself as "a leading international Zionist". History of Zionism|Timeline of Zionism|World Zionist Organization|Zionist political violence Zionism is an international political movement that originally supported the ^[104] In 2004, Blair was heavily criticised by 50 former diplomats, including ambassadors to Baghdad and Tel Aviv for his policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Iraq War. Baghdad (بغداد) is the Capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate, with which it is also coterminous Tel Aviv-Yafo (תֵּל ־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ تل أبيب Tal ʾAbīb) (usually Tel Aviv) is the second-largest city in Israel 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 road map which included the retaining of settlements on the West Bank 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". The "road map" for peace is a Plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict proposed by a " quartet " of international entities the Israeli settlements are communities inhabited by Israelis in territory that was captured as a result of Jordanian attacks during the 1967 Six-Day War. The West Bank (الضفة الغربية, הגדה המערבית Hagadah Hamaaravit) also referred to in Israel as " Judea and Samaria ^[105]

In 2006, Blair was heavily criticised for his failure to call for a ceasefire in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, with members of his cabinet openly criticising Israel. Background See also Israel-Lebanon conflict The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO had engaged in cross-border attacks from Southern Lebanon A cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of Government, typically representing the executive branch. Jack Straw, the Leader of the House of Commons and former Foreign Secretary stated that Israel's actions risked destabilising all of Lebanon. John Whitaker Straw (born 3 August 1946 most commonly known as Jack Straw, is a senior British Labour Party Politician. The Leader of the House of Commons is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Commons The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, commonly referred to as the Foreign Secretary, is a member of the United Kingdom Government heading the Kim Howells, 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. ". The Observer newspaper claimed that at a cabinet meeting before Blair left for a summit with President George Bush on 28 July 2006, a significant number of ministers pressured Blair to publicly criticise Israel over the scale of deaths and destruction in Lebanon. The Observer is a British Newspaper published on Sundays In about the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Events 1540 - Thomas Cromwell is executed at the order of Henry VIII of England on charges of Treason. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[106]

In May 2008 Tony Blair announced a new plan for peace and for Palestinian rights, based heavily on the ideas of the Peace Valley plan. The Valley of Peace initiative is an effort to promote economic cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians. ^[107]

Relationship with Labour Party

Blair's apparent refusal to set a date for his departure was 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. ^[108] Some ministers viewed Blair's announcement of policy initiatives in September 2006 as an attempt to draw attention away from these issues. ^[108] Upon his return from his holiday in the West Indies he announced that all the speculation about his leaving must stop. The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting 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 minimum wage 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 minimum wage is the lowest hourly daily or monthly Wage that employers may legally pay to employees or workers Poverty (also called penury) is deprivation of common necessities that determine the quality of life including food clothing shelter and safe Drinking water, and A possible comparison may be made with American Democrats such as Joe Lieberman, who have been accused by their party's "base" of adopting their opponents' political stances. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. Joseph Isadore "Joe" Lieberman (born February 24 1942 is the junior United States Senator from Connecticut. Some critics describe Blair as a reconstructed neoconservative or Thatcherite. Neoconservatism (or Neocon is a Right-wing political philosophy that emerged in the United States from the rejection of the Social liberalism, Moral relativism Margaret Hilda Thatcher Baroness Thatcher LG, OM, PC, FRS (born 13 October 1925 He is occasionally described as "Son of Thatcher", though Lady Thatcher herself rejected this identification in an interview with ITV1 on the night of the 2005 election, saying that in her opinion the resemblances were superficial. Margaret Hilda Thatcher Baroness Thatcher LG, OM, PC, FRS (born 13 October 1925 This article deals with the ITV1 brand name as it is broadcast at present Results Overview For events leading up to the date of the election see article Pre-election day events of the United Kingdom general Blair himself has often expressed admiration for Thatcher. ^[109]

Approval rating

In May 2006, The Daily Telegraph reported that Blair's personal approval rating had dipped to 26%, lower than Harold Wilson's rating after devaluation of the pound and James Callaghan's during the Winter of Discontent, meaning that Blair had become the most unpopular post-war Labour Prime Minister. For "The Daily Telegraph" in Australia see The Daily Telegraph (Australia. James Harold Wilson Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, PC (11 March 1916 &ndash 24 May 1995 was one of the most prominent British politicians Leonard James Callaghan Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, KG, PC (27 March 1912 – 26 March 2005 was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 The "Winter of Discontent" is a term used to describe the British Winter of 1978 &ndash 1979, during which there were widespread Of all post-war British Prime Ministers of both parties, only Margaret Thatcher and John Major have recorded lower approval (the former in the aftermath of the Poll Tax Riots). Wikipedia talkFeatured lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below -->This is a list of Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom, and Margaret Hilda Thatcher Baroness Thatcher LG, OM, PC, FRS (born 13 October 1925 Sir John Major KG CH ACIB (born 29 March 1943 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The Poll Tax Riots were mass disturbances or riots, which occurred in Britain during protests against the Community Charge (commonly known as the ^[110] Previously Blair had achieved the highest approval ratings of any British Prime Minister or party leader of either party in the months following his election in 1997. ^[111] Two months later, in July 2006, Blair's approval rating hit a further low of 23%, the lowest rating he ever received. Blair is not however the most unpopular post-war Labour Party leader, with Michael Foot recording 13% approval in August 1982, although Foot was merely Leader of the Opposition at the time, rather than Prime Minister. Michael Mackintosh Foot (born 23 July 1913 is a British politician and writer No Labour leader other than Foot, whether in office or opposition, has recorded lower approval than Blair. Blair's approval rating during the final month of his premiership was 35%. Hence, he left office having experienced the extremes of being both the most popular and least popular Labour Prime Minister since the Second World War. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including ^[112]

Portrayals and cameo appearances

Appearances

Blair made a 'virtual' cameo appearance as himself in The Simpsons episode, "The Regina Monologues" (2003). A cameo role or cameo appearance (often shortened to just cameo) is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the Performing arts, such as " The Regina Monologues " is the fourth episode of The Simpsons ' fifteenth season, and originally aired November 23 2003 ^[113] He has also appeared himself at the end of the first episode of The Amazing Mrs. Pritchard. The Amazing Mrs Pritchard is a British Drama series that aired on BBC One in 2006 a British TV series about an unknown housewife becoming Prime Minister, and, on March 16, 2007, in a comedy sketch with Catherine Tate who appeared in the guise of her character Lauren Cooper from The Catherine Tate Show. Events 597 BC - Babylonians capture Jerusalem, replace Jehoiachin with Zedekiah as king Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Catherine Tate (born Catherine Ford 12 May 1968) is an English comedienne and Actress. Lauren Alesha Masheka Tanesha Felicia Jane Cooper is a fictional character in The Catherine Tate Show. The Catherine Tate Show is an award-winning British Television Sketch comedy written by Catherine Tate who stars in all of the show's The sketch was made for the BBC Red Nose Day fundraising programme of 2007. Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character or scene or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work often to relieve tension During the sketch, Blair used Lauren's most famous catchphrase "Am I bovvered?". ^[114]

Portrayals

Michael Sheen has portrayed Blair twice in the films The Deal (2003) and The Queen (2006). Michael Sheen (born 5 February 1969) is a BAFTA and Laurence Olivier Award - nominated Welsh Actor perhaps best known for The Deal is a 2003 British Television film directed by Stephen Frears from a script by Peter Morgan, based in part upon The Rivals The Queen Drama film directed by Stephen Frears, Peter Morgan and starring Dame Helen Mirren in the title role Queen Blair was portrayed by Robert Lindsay in the TV programme A Very Social Secretary; he reprised the role in The Trial of Tony Blair. Robert Lindsay (born 13 December 1949 is an award-winning English actor who is best known for his television work especially his roles in Citizen Smith The Trial of Tony Blair is a satirical drama based around the notion that the former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair is to

Blair in fiction, satire and drama

Blair's appearance in fiction has been discussed in The Guardian. The Guardian (until 1959 The Manchester Guardian) is a British Newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ^[115]

During Blair's tenure as Prime Minister, the St. Albion Parish News was a regular feature in the magazine Private Eye, containing the messages of the incumbent "Rev. St Albion Parish News was a regular feature in the British satirical magazine Private Eye during the premiership of Tony Blair Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical Magazine, edited by Ian Hislop. A. R. P. Blair MA (Oxon)", and his diatribes against (amongst others) the parish treasurer, Mr. A parish is a Local church; it is an administrative unit typically found in episcopal or presbyterian churches Brown.

Blair is recognisable as the Bible-reading Prime Minister, receiving inspiration directly from God, in A. N. Wilson's satirical novel, My Name is Legion. God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. Andrew Norman Wilson (born 27 October, 1950) is an English writer known for his critical biographies novels and works of popular and cultural history My Name Is Legion is a novel by A N Wilson first published in 2004. He is also a clear model for the ex-Prime Minister in Robert Harris's novel, The Ghost. Robert Dennis Harris (born March 7, 1957 in Nottingham) is a best-selling English Novelist.

The climax of Alistair Beaton's satirical play on political spin, 'Feelgood' , is a Blair-like speech given by a Blair lookalike, using typical Blair gestures. Alistair Beaton (born 1947 is a Scottish left wing political satirist, journalist radio presenter novelist and television writer Public relations (PR is the practice of managing the flow of Information between an Organization and its Publics Public relations - often referred

Titles and honours

Styles from birth

• Anthony Charles Lynton Blair, (1953–1983)
• Anthony Charles Lynton Blair, Esq, MP (1983–1994)
• The Rt Hon Anthony Charles Lynton Blair, MP (1994–2007)
• The Rt Hon Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (2007–)

Honours

• Privy Councillor (1994)
• Congressional Gold Medal^[116]

Political offices
Preceded by Unknown	Shadow Treasury Spokesperson Date unknown – 1987	Succeeded by Unknown
Preceded by Unknown	Shadow Trade Minister 1987 – 1988	Succeeded by Unknown
Preceded by John Prescott	Shadow Energy Secretary 1988 – 1989	Succeeded by Frank Dobson
Preceded by Michael Meacher	Shadow Employment Secretary 1989 – 1992
Preceded by Roy Hattersley	Shadow Home Secretary 1992 – 1994	Succeeded by Jack Straw
Preceded by Margaret Beckett	Leader of the Opposition 1994 – 1997	Succeeded by John Major
Preceded by John Major	Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 2 May 1997 – 27 June 2007	Succeeded by Gordon Brown
Preceded by Bill Clinton United States	Chair of the G8 1998	Succeeded by Gerhard Schröder Germany
Preceded by George W. Bush United States	Chair of the G8 2005	Succeeded by Vladimir Putin Russia
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by (constituency re-created)	Member of Parliament for Sedgefield 9 June 1983 – 27 June 2007	Succeeded by Phil Wilson
Preceded by Terry Davis	Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds 27 June 2007 – present	Succeeded by Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by Margaret Beckett	Leader of Labour Party (UK) 21 July 1994 – 24 June 2007	Succeeded by Gordon Brown

Works

• Blair, Tony (2002). Esquire (abbreviated Esq) is a term of British origin originally used to denote social status The Right Honourable (abbreviated as The Rt Hon) is an Honorific prefix that is traditionally applied to certain Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council is a body of advisors to the British Sovereign. Not to be confused with the Medal of Honor, sometimes called the "Congressional Medal of Honor" which is the highest military decoration of the United States HM Treasury, in full Her Majesty's Treasury, informally The Treasury, is the United Kingdom government department responsible for developing and executing The Department of Trade and Industry was a United Kingdom government department which was disbanded with the announcement of the creation of the Department for Business John Leslie Prescott (born 31 May 1938 is a British Labour Party Politician, former Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First The Secretary of State for Energy was a UK cabinet position from 1974 to 1992. Frank Gordon Dobson (born March 15, 1940) is a British Labour Party Politician. Michael Hugh Meacher (born November 4 1939) is a British Labour party Politician, and Member of Parliament (MP for The Department for Work and Pensions (or DWP) ( Welsh: Adran Gwaith a Phensiynau) is the largest government department in the Government Roy Sydney George Hattersley Baron Hattersley, PC, (born 28 December 1932 is a British Labour Party Politician, published author and journalist In British politics, the Shadow Home Secretary is the person within the shadow cabinet who 'shadows' the Home Secretary; this effectively means scrutinising John Whitaker Straw (born 3 August 1946 most commonly known as Jack Straw, is a senior British Labour Party Politician. Margaret Mary Beckett (née Jackson; born 15 January 1943 is a British Labour Politician, Member of Parliament (MP for Derby The Leader of the Opposition (sometimes known as the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons) in the United Kingdom is the politician who leads Sir John Major KG CH ACIB (born 29 March 1943 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Sir John Major KG CH ACIB (born 29 March 1943 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Academic titles --> James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951 is William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III, August 19 1946 served as the forty-second President of the United States The United States of America —commonly referred to as the ˌɡeɐ̯haɐ̯t fʁɪʦ kʊɐ̯t ˈʃʁøːdɐ (born 7 April 1944 German politician, was Chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005 Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (; born 7 October 1952 in Leningrad, USSR; now Saint Petersburg, Russia was the second President of Russia Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. Sedgefield is a County constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Results The Conservatives won with a majority of 144 seats|} Total votes cast 30661309 The Sedgefield by-election 2007 was a By-election held on 19 July 2007 for the British House of Commons constituency of Sedgefield Phil Wilson (born c 1959 is a British Labour Party politician who was elected Member of Parliament for the Sedgefield constituency on Terence Anthony Gordon Davis (born 5 January 1938) known as Terry Davis, is a British Labour Party politician and former Member This is a list of the names and constituencies of Members of Parliament (MPs appointed as Bailiff and Steward of the Three Hundreds of Chiltern. Events 1358 - Republic of Dubrovnik is founded 1709 - Peter the Great defeats Charles XII of Sweden Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Margaret Mary Beckett (née Jackson; born 15 January 1943 is a British Labour Politician, Member of Parliament (MP for Derby The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the Events 356 BC - Herostratus sets fire to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) Events 972 - Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces takes place Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Academic titles --> James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951 is The Courage of Our Convictions Fabian Society, ISBN 0-7163-0603-4
• Blair, Tony (2000). The Fabian Society is a British Intellectual Socialist movement whose purpose is to advance the principles of Social democracy via Gradualist 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 Fabian Society, ISBN 0-7163-0588-7
• Blair, Tony (1998). The Fabian Society is a British Intellectual Socialist movement whose purpose is to advance the principles of Social democracy via Gradualist Leading the Way: New Vision for Local Government Institute for Public Policy Research, ISBN 1-86030-075-8
• Blair, Tony (1997). The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR is a UK Think-tank with strong ties to the Labour party that claims to produce progressive ideas committed New Britain: My Vision of a Young Country Basic Books, ISBN 0-8133-3338-5
• Blair, Tony (1995). Basic Books is a book publisher founded in 1952. It publishes books in the fields of Psychology, Philosophy, Economics, Science, Let Us Face the Future Fabian Society, ISBN 0-7163-0571-2
• Blair, Tony (1994). The Fabian Society is a British Intellectual Socialist movement whose purpose is to advance the principles of Social democracy via Gradualist What Price Safe Society? Fabian Society, ISBN 0-7163-0562-3
• Blair, Tony (1994). The Fabian Society is a British Intellectual Socialist movement whose purpose is to advance the principles of Social democracy via Gradualist Socialism Fabian Society, ISBN 0-7163-0565-8

See also

• Tony Blair's Cabinets
• Blairite
• Blair Brown Deal
• 'Cash for Honours' scandal
• Impeach Blair campaign
• Labour Party leadership election, 2007
• Politics of the United Kingdom

Notes

Further reading

• Abse, Leo (2001). Leopold Abse ( 22 April 1917 &ndash 19 August 2008) was a Welsh lawyer politician and gay rights campaigner Tony Blair: The Man Behind the Smile. Robson Books. ISBN 1-86105-364-9.  
• Beckett, F. & Hencke, D. (2004). The Blairs and Their Court. Aurum Press. ISBN 1-84513-024-3.  
• ——— (2003). Tony Blair: The Man Who Lost His Smile. Robson Books. ISBN 1-86105-698-2.  
• Blair, Tony (1998). in (ed. ) Iain Dale: The Blair Necessities: Tony Blair Book of Quotations. Iain Campbell Dale (born 15 July 1962) is a British Author, Journalist and aspirant Politician for the Conservative Robson Books. ISBN 1-86105-139-5.  
• ——— (2004). in (ed. ) Paul Richards: Tony Blair: In His Own Words. Paul Richards is a British Labour Party politician and author Politico's Publishing. ISBN 1-84275-089-5.  
• Gould, Philip (1999). Philip Gould Baron Gould of Brookwood (born 30 March, 1950) is a British political adviser closely linked with the Labour Party and Tony Blair The Unfinished Revolution: How the Modernisers Saved the Labour Party. Abacus. ISBN 0-349-11177-4.  
• Naughtie, James (2001). James (" Jim " Naughtie (born 9 August 1952) is a Scottish journalist and radio news presenter for the BBC The Rivals: The Intimate Story of a Political Marriage. Fourth Estate. ISBN 1-84115-473-3.  
• ——— (2004). The Accidental American: Tony Blair and the Presidency. Macmillan. ISBN 1-4050-5001-2.  
• Rawnsley, Andrew (2000). Andrew Nicholas James Rawnsley (born January 5, 1962) is a British political journalist and broadcaster Servants of the People: The Inside Story of New Labour. Hamish Hamilton. ISBN 0-241-14029-3.  
• ——— (2001). Servants of the People: The Inside Story of New Labour, 2nd edition, Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-027850-8.  
• Rentoul, John (2001). Tony Blair: Prime Minister. Little Brown. ISBN 0-316-85496-4.  
• Riddell, Peter (2004). Peter Riddell is a British Journalist writing for The Times since 1991. The Unfulfilled Prime Minister: Tony Blair and the End of Optimism. Politico's Publishing. ISBN 1-84275-113-1.  
• Seldon, Anthony (2004). Anthony F Seldon MA PhD FRSA MBA FRHisS is a political commentator best known as Tony Blair's biographer and the Master of Wellington College. Blair. Free Press. ISBN 0-7432-3211-9.  
• Short, Clare (2004). Clare Short, PC, MP, (born 15 February 1946 is a British politician and a member of the British Labour Party. An Honourable Deception? New Labour, Iraq, and the Misuse of Power. Free Press. ISBN 0-7432-6392-8.  
• Stephens, Philip (2004). Tony Blair: The Making of a World Leader. Viking Books. ISBN 0-670-03300-6.  

Miscellany

• Blair, T. (2004). "Blair, The Right Hon. A. C. L. " from Who's Who, 156th ed. , London: A & C Black. A & C Black is a British book publishing company The firm was founded in 1807 by Adam and Charles Black in Edinburgh, and moved to the Soho
• Halsbury's Laws of England (2004), reference to impeachment in volume on Constitutional Law and Human Rights, paragraph 416
• The Queen (2006 film)

External links

• Tony Blair's post-Downing Street official website
• Video of Tony Blair Celebrating 100 years of Scouting
• A Day in the Life an on-line documentary by Tony Blair on life as Prime Minister
• Tony Blair’s Resignation Speech Audio and Transcript of Tony Blair’s Resignation Speech at Trimdon Labour Club on 10 May 2007
• Tony Blair A Decade in Power Photo Gallery from Time. Halsbury's Laws of England is a definitive encyclopedic treatise on the laws of England published by LexisNexis Butterworths. Constitutional law is the study of foundational or basic Laws of nation states and other political organizations Human rights refers to the "basic Rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled The Queen Drama film directed by Stephen Frears, Peter Morgan and starring Dame Helen Mirren in the title role Queen com
• Tony Blair at the Internet Movie Database
• pm.gov.uk "Tony Blair - Biography" at the Internet Archive Wayback Machine
• The Blair Years—Timeline
• Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Tony Blair MP
• TheyWorkForYou.com—Tony Blair MP
• The Public Whip—Tony Blair MP voting record
• BBC News: Special Report - The Blair years 1997-2007
• Triple A Accessible version of Tony Blair's resignation speech
• Tony Blair Online A website providing news, info, pictures etc on Tony Blair. The Internet Archive ( IA) is a Nonprofit organization dedicated to maintaining an on-line Library and archive of Web and
• Tony Blair's keynote speech at Policy Network conference 'Britain and Europe in the Global Age', 2007
• Blair reinvented the Middle Ages and called it liberal intervention, Simon Jenkins in The Sunday Times on Blair's legacy
• Hansard - Prime Ministers Question Time, June 27 2007 – Official transcript of Tony Blair's final appearance in the Commons containing a mix of day to day business, tributes, quips and light hearted put downs. Policy Network is a london-based international Thinktank which is dedicated to promoting progressive policies and the renewal of social democracy The Sunday Times is a Sunday Broadsheet Newspaper distributed in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. Hansard is the traditional name for the printed transcripts of Parliamentary debates in the Westminster system of Government.
• "Tony Blair's UN Role May Conflict with New Job with JP Morgan Chase" by Matthew Russell Lee, Inner City Press, January 10, 2008

Persondata
NAME	Blair, Tony
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Blair, Anthony Charles Lynton
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Politician; Former Prime minister of the United Kingdom
DATE OF BIRTH	6 May 1953
PLACE OF BIRTH	Edinburgh, Scotland
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH

Events 1527 - Spanish and German troops sack Rome; some consider this the end of the Renaissance. Year 1953 ( MCMLIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Edinburgh ( ˈɛdɪnb(ərə Dùn Èideann) is the Capital of Scotland and is its second largest city after Glasgow. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain.

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