Tony Blair: The Prime Ministers Series
About this ebook
In Steve Richards' short, provocative and highly engaging new biography, he argues that Blair was often the opposite of what we remember him being; perceived as a 'moderniser,' he sought to strengthen the traditional institutions that partly define the UK, from the monarchy to the military; while to Margaret Thatcher's public appreciation he partly cemented her economic legacy rather than move on from it. And, while he was viewed as messianic over Iraq, he was in fact being characteristically expedient, clinging to the orthodoxy in which the UK stands shoulder to shoulder with the US in war.
But the UK in 2007 was undoubtedly a different country to the one it had been in 1997 – from devolution, which played its part in establishing peace in Northern Ireland, to civil partnerships and a revived NHS, Blair left Britain in a better place than it had been. While his legacy has been overshadowed by the Iraq war, Tony Blair re-establishes a more rounded view of his time in office, and shows that the challenges facing Blair were the ones that still face Labour today.
About the author
Steve Richards is a political columnist, journalist, author and presenter. He regularly presents The Week in Westminster on BBC Radio 4 and has presented BBC series on Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn. He is the author of The Prime Ministers, Turning Points and The Prime Ministers We Never Had, the latter of which was named a ‘Book of the Year’ in The Guardian and The Times. He writes for several national newspapers including The Guardian, the Independent and the Financial Times. He also presents a popular political one-man show each year at the Edinburgh Festival and across the UK.
