Tony Blair
| Tony Blair | |
|---|---|
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| Name | Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 2 May, 1953) |
| Nicknames | Tony (everyone), Tone (some colleagues), Big Tone (media), Bambi (media), the Vicar of St. Albions (Private Eye), BLiar (his opponents), Poodle (his opponents) |
| Politics | |
| Party | Labour |
| Constituency | Sedgefield (1983-2007) |
| Positions | • Prime Minister (1997-2007) • Leader of the Opposition (1994-1997) • Shadow Home Secretary (1992-1994) • Shadow Secretary of State for Employment (1989-1992) |
| Likes | Football, playing the guitar, Mick Jagger, God, devouring love, garish boxers |
| Dislikes | Genocide, the Labour Party, wearing clothing |
| Friends | Alastair Campbell,Peter Mandelson, Anji Hunter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush,David Miliband, Jonathan Powell, God |
| Enemies | Gordon Brown, Clare Short, Robin Cook, Saddam Hussein, Slobodan Milosevic, George Galloway |
| Relationships | |
| Partners | Mary Harron (at Oxford) Cherie Booth (1980-present) |
| Children | Euan (1984), Nicky (1986), Kathryn (1988), Leo (2000) |
| Personal Attributes | |
| Nationality | English/Scottish |
| Religion | Anglo-Catholic (up to 2007), Roman Catholic (since 2007) |
| Sexuality | Straight |
| Height | 6'0" |
| Eye Colour | Blue |
| Handedness | Right |
| Accent | Received pronunciation (natural), convincing Estuary (for public speaking) |
| Languages | French |
Hand on heart, I did what I thought was right. I may have been wrong. That's your call.... I have been very lucky and very blessed. This country is a blessed nation. ~ Tony Blair
Tony Blair was the longest serving Labour Prime Minister. He founded New Labour in the mid-1990s with Gordon Brown and Peter Mandelson, moving the Party towards the centre ground and went on to win large majorities in 1997, 2001 and 2005. He is best known for devolution to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, the Good Friday Agreement, action in Kosovo and the Iraq war, the shadow of which dominated the second half of his premiership. In the face of weak Conservative opposition during the majority of his leadership, he was incredibly media-savvy, gaining widespread electoral support even after invading Iraq.
Life and Career[edit | edit source]
Early Life[edit | edit source]
Tony was born in Scotland to Conservative parents. He had one older brother, William, and a younger sister, Sarah. He was sent to Fettes, known as the "Eton of Scotland". As a young student, he was described as a "complete pain in the backside" and being very good at talking himself out of difficult situations, which he constantly found himself in. He enjoyed acting and playing the guitar, modelling himself on his hero, Mick Jagger, wishing to become a rock star, and having very little interest in politics. He was once arrested as a student after trying to climb into his dormitory using a ladder after a late night out.
Tony spent his gap year in London, seeking out fame in the music industry, which failed. He went to Oxford to study Law, but wished he had chosen History instead. He spent his university years playing the guitar, boating and finding God. It was his friend, Peter Thomson, who first interested him in left-wing politics and religion.
At the Bar[edit | edit source]
He enrolled at Lincoln's Inn and met Cherie Booth, a Socialist who politicised him. They married in 1980. He joined the Labour Party, and aligned himself with the soft-left. His father-in-law Tony Booth helped him be selected for the Conservative safe seat of Beaconsfield, in which he stood for Labour in a by-election. He was hammered, as could only be expected in the constituency and political climate, and lost his deposit, but it was the first step in his political career.
In Opposition[edit | edit source]
No rising hope on the political scene who offered his services to Labour when I happened to be its leader can be dismissed as an opportunist. ~ Michael Foot
Using his old connections with the county of Durham, Tony was selected for the Labour safe seat of Sedgefield, and was elected to Parliament, despite the weakness of the Labour Party under its left-wing leadership. When elected, he supported a traditionally hard-left vision of unilateral nuclear disarmament, departure from the EEC and widespread nationalisation. He met Gordon Brown in 1983 when they found themselves sharing a Parliamentary office. Within a year, he was sent to the front bench and began a rapid rise beneath Gordon and egged on by Peter Mandelson, who had become Director of Communications for Neil Kinnock in 1985. By 1994, he was Shadow Home Secretary and considered a strong candidate for the leadership.
Leader of the Opposition[edit | edit source]
After the shock death of John Smith in 1994, there were two obvious candidates for the leadership - Tony and Gordon, though in recent weeks, Tony had been pulling ahead as the more charismatic, centrist candidate considered more likely to poll votes in the South. While Gordon dallied, Tony was given Peter's support and began his leadership campaign. Gordon saw this as treachery, and the relationship between the three of them was ruined. At the Granita restaurant in Islington, the two men met and Gordon agreed not to run for the leadership, as it would have harmed Tony's campaign. Allegedly, Tony promised Gordon that he would stand down after the first term, to allow Gordon the job he was 'destined for'.
Tony became Leader of the Opposition, and Gordon was kept at his side as Shadow Chancellor. While the Government was harmed by scandal and a trailing economy, the Labour Party began its transformation into a Party of Government. He appointed Alastair Campbell as his spokesman, who took a fierce approach to the media. By scrapping Clause 4, Tony proved to the Party that he was serious about turning away from its reputation as an outdated, left-wing institution, and gradually the Party regained its credibility. Labour won a huge landslide victory in 1997, with a majority of 179.
First Term as Prime Minister (1997-2001)[edit | edit source]
Tony was waved into Downing Street amidst crowds of flag-waving supporters (orchestrated by Alastair Campbell). Smiling triumphantly to the strains of "Things Can Only Get Better", he declared "A new dawn has broken, has it not?" He appointed Gordon as Chancellor, and the two ruled in a duopoly of power. In the first few months of power, they grabbed the low-hanging policy fruit - banning of handguns, free entry into museums, etc. He struck up a good relationship with Bill Clinton, and declared his support for the EU, and remained popular in the polls, while the Leader of the Opposition, William Hague, was dogged for his apparent uselessness. In particular, his excellent handling of the death of Princess Diana was admired. He led the nation in mourning the premature death of the Princess - his own popularity becoming so great as to threaten that of the Royal Family.
He expanded the Prime Ministerial department - adding the Policy Unit (headed by David Miliband) and appointing a Chief of Staff - Jonathan Powell. His old friend, Anji Hunter became his diary secretary, and he kept Peter close to Number Ten as Minister Without Portfolio. Alastair was made Chief Press Secretary and given the power to issue orders to civil servants. These people formed his innermost circle and supported him in the face of the Gordon's expanding Treasury team.
Tony made himself a strong presence on the international stage, working alongside Bill Clinton in Northern Ireland, which culminated with the Good Friday Agreement, and taking action in Kosovo, ridding the oppressed people of a genocidal dictator, Milosevic. He also began to take a stance against Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein, sending British troops into Iraq for the first time in 1998. He began to form a close bond with the new American President, George W, Bush.
His first term was troubled with several resignations, including Ron Davies, and Peter Mandelson, but his swift reaction to scandal ensured that the integrity of the Cabinet was not too badly damaged. He had, after all, promised a Government "whiter than white"in contrast to the sleazy Major Cabinet, and was merciless in sacking his close friend. He is notable for having a Presidential style of leadership, with a large personal office and many bilaterals, excluding most of the Cabinet while taking important decisions. This style has also been referred to scathingly as "sofa government", due to most decisions being made between Tony, Alastair and a few other high-profile Blairites while sat around sofas in Number Ten.
Second Term as Prime Minister (2001-2005)[edit | edit source]
He was re-elected as Prime Minister in 2001 with a majority almost as large as in 1997. Already he was beginning to consider what his legacy would be, and was determined to make a difference on the international stage. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, he found himself being drawn closer to the American President in a natural Western wariness towards the Middle East, and declared his support for Bush, leading to being criticised for "Poodle-ism". This was epitomised when Bush was overheard addressing the Prime Minister while on his ranch in Texas - "Yo, Blair!"
In 2003, Tony joined Bush in deploying troops in Iraq to rid the country of its dictator. In the USA, Bush had been playing off the 'rally around the flag' effect after the 9/11 attacks, often linking Saddam Hussein with Al-Qeada by using both terms in the same sentence, and made the case for war to Congress, which was met with support from Republicans and Democrats alike.
In Britain, Tony tightened security with anti-terror legislation that arguably restricted civil liberties. With the production of the Iraq and September dossiers presenting the case that Hussein possessed WMDs that could be deployed rapidly to strike the UK within 45 minutes, Tony won the support of Parliament for the Iraq War. Though there were rebellions (including by Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary), broadly, the war was supported by Labourites and Conservatives alike and in 2003, the British troops were deployed to remove Saddam Hussein from power. However, questions were soon raised about the legitimacy of the "45 minute claim" after biological weapons expert David Kelly was found to have committed suicide, conflicted between duty and integrity.
While Tony was occupied with the Iraq War, Gordon Brown, bitter at having been denied his chance to take the premiership, began to build up support in Cabinet, taking advantage of Tony's weakness in the face of popular opposition to the war. Many MPs say that if it weren't for the Iraq War, Tony could have sought out and won an historically unprecedented fourth term.
Third Term as Prime Minister (2005-2007)[edit | edit source]
Despite his popularity falling, Tony won a third term with a comfortable majority. This infuriated Gordon, who felt that Tony had broken a promise, and he began actively fighting for the job he saw as rightfully his. He refused to share important documents with Number Ten, including the Budget, and it is widely agreed that he was uncooperative. As the Opposition picked a new, fresh leader in David Cameron, Tony found himself up against effective Opposition after thirteen years of hapless Tory leaders. In their first Commons dispute, Cameron declared "You were the future, once".
His once widespread popularity failing, under intense pressure from Gordon and his henchmen in Cabinet, and the Iraq War becoming a difficult, embarrassing and expensive mess, Tony announced that he would resign as Prime Minister and not seek a fourth term. In the summer of 2007, he resigned as Prime Minister, leader of the Labour Party and MP for Sedgefield, becoming a Middle East Peace Envoy.
| Full List of Appointments |
|---|
| • Shadow Minister of State for Trade (1987-1988) |
| • Shadow Secretary of State for Energy (1988-1989) |
| • Shadow Secretary of State for Employment (1989-1992) |
| • Shadow Home Secretary (1992-1994) |
| • Leader of the Labour Party (1994-2007) |
| • Leader of the Opposition (1994-1997) |
| • Prime Minister (1997-2007) |
Religion[edit | edit source]
Tony converted to Roman Catholicism after leaving office. His wife and children are all Roman Catholics. Though previously shrugging off religiosity, saying he couldn't stand "people who wear God on their sleeve", in recent years, he has becoming increasingly public with his Christianity. He has admitted to praying before making important foreign policy decisions, and believes that God will judge him for what he does. He may, or may not have prayed with George W. Bush before meetings, and the two men shared strong religious conviction. In 2008, he created the Tony Blair Faith Foundation.
A close friend of the Blairs, Carole Caplin, was described as a New-Age guru, and allegations exist that Tony and Cherie took part in a New-Age 'rebirthing' ceremony while on holiday during his premiership.
Portrayal[edit | edit source]
In the Media[edit | edit source]
Tony is generally portrayed as a skilled performer with a casual attitude towards Government. He is infamous in Whitehall for his "Call me Tony" attitude, referring to his preference for using first names with his civil servants and ministers. Peter Brookes, the Times cartoonist established him as "Bambi" in the media, due to his bouncy boyishness during the 1990s as a contrast to the greyness of Major's Cabinet.
In Culture[edit | edit source]
Tony appears in a number of films, TV programmes, plays, musicals and other forms of media. He was portrayed by Michael Sheen in the Blair Trilogy of The Deal, The Queen and The Special Relationship. He was played by Robert Lindsay in A Very Social Secretary and The Trial of Tony Blair, a satirical film about the impact of the Iraq War on Tony after leaving office. James Larkin portrayed him in The Government Inspector.
In Spitting Image, he was modeled as a narcissistic, shallow character with bright blue eyes and a permanent grin that would expand beyond the reaches of his face in jubilant moments. He appeared in Headcases as a tanned millionaire who constantly played pranks on Gordon. He was frequently lampooned in Dead Ringers, with Jon Culshaw imitating his distinctive manner of speech. Tony appeared as himself in 2007 for Red Nose Day, asking Catherine Tate "Am I bovvered tho?" He lent his voice to The Simpsons, in which he appears riding a jetpack.
Private Eye parodied Tony by portraying him as "Reverend Blair of St. Albions" - a young, trendy vicar who becomes increasingly mad as the years go by.
He is the lead character in the musicals TONY! The Blair Musical and Tony Blair - the Musical, in which he is involved in homoerotic relationships with Peter Mandelson and Gordon Brown respectively. The Pet Shop Boys wrote the Blair Trilogy, made up of "I Get Along", a love ballad inspired by Peter's second forced resignation, "I'm With Stupid", lampooning Tony's poodling towards George W. Bush, and "Legacy", a musically lush ballad about a world leader who has to return to a normal life.
Robert Harris' novel The Ghost thinly veils criticism of Blair. The novel involves a disgraced former Prime Minister facing the possibility of being charged for war crimes.
In Fanon[edit | edit source]
Tony is portrayed as consistently narcissistic, optimistic and self-centred. However, there is some variation in his characterisation - from an emotionally needy submissive suffering due to Gordon's unwillingness to co-operate, to a manipulative, controlling demon.
Meme[edit | edit source]
Shipping[edit | edit source]
Tony is paired with Gordon Brown (TBGB), Peter Mandelson (Mandelblair) and Alastair Campbell (Blairbell), and the four together are the NuLabOT4. He is also paired with Michael Gove (Goveblair), David Miliband (Blairband) and George W. Bush.
Prominent Portrayals in AUs[edit | edit source]
Tony is in largely warm relationships with Gordon in Hug-a-hoodie!AU and Toryshire!verse. In the Girlband!AU, Toni Blair is the shallow, noisy lead singer of the Rosettes, and has dated Gina Brown on and off. In Forumverse, Tony posts under the name of TonyPwns and his time as admin of MRz was apparently marred by his desire to upload high definition photographs of himself onto the forum.
In the Gorillaz!AU, he takes the role of 2-D, the pill-chomping, hollow-eyed vocalist of the band. In the Steampunk!AU, he is captain of the Hatshepsut and plays the ukelele, and in "Integral", he is the dictator in an authoritarian regime. He features in the NuLab Teen!AU and has a rivalry with "Gordon's gang". He is consistently a villain in strap!verse, in which he seeks to establish discipline by use of corporal punishment. He occasionally appears in abuse!verse, sometimes as a greater villain than Evilstair, and sometimes as a useless bystander who allows the domestic situation to continue without interfering.
