Tony Blair British Prime Minister
Yesterday on BBC I watched live Tony Blair’s date setting stand down announcement in a speech before party activists in his Sedgefield constituency. He had just a few hours earlier briefed the Cabinet on his plans.
On June 27th Mr Blair will stand down as leader of his Labour Party and as the British Prime Minster. The announcement came as no surprise as after just over ten years in the extremely demanding position in recent months Mr Blair had broadly hinted that he thought it best for Britain and for himself to soon step down.
The Tony Blair story is an interesting look into the workings of politics in Britain. In a relatively short period of time Mr Blair went from being a cheeky argumentative schoolboy to became one of the most powerful and controversial figures on the world stage. He was only 44 years old when he started his first term as Prime Minster.
Blair has always stood out from the crowd. As a young optimistic man he even had aspirations of being a rock star and at one point managed a rock band. Music is still one of his interests as evidenced by his association and friendship with numerous high profile rock stars of today, like Bono and Sting.
While watching Mr. Blair speak I was once again struck by how wonderful an orator the man truly is. He is a charismatic figure who speaks in a powerful yet controlled and passionate manner. I have always enjoyed listening to Tony Blair speak, especially in the give and take style of the British parliament, as he is as quick witted and as articulate a speaker as one could ever hope for.
Occasionally, I have thought that Blair goes over the top with his statements, but man oh man, he has a way of getting his points across in a most persuasive manner.
Unfortunately, he used his skills as a parliamentarian and orator to persuade a reluctant and doubtful Britain to join in George W. Bush’s war in Iraq. The war in Iraq quickly cost Mr. Blair his popularity in Britain and has overshadowed the accomplishments of his government.
I dare say that few in Britain would say that their nation is worst off now than it was when Blair assumed power in 1997. But there are many in Britain who will not forgive Blair for leading Britain into the ongoing no end in sight brutal Iraq war.
As with President Bush it will be the outcome of Iraq that will define his place in the history books and define his legacy as Prime Minister. He will either go down as a far sighted leader who headed off a brutal dictator’s drive to further power or will share with George W. Bush the dubious distinction of making one of the greatest foreign policy blunders of all time.
At the moment Mr Blair’s and Mr Bush’s decision to go to war with Iraq is not looking like a brilliant move as it has further destabilized an important unstable region of the world with possibly additional grave consequences to follow.
What now for Mr. Blair?
He is only 54 years old and still appears to have almost unlimited amounts of energy and optimism at his service. With his speaking ability you can be assured that he will be able to demand and receive millions for speaking engagements at home and abroad. I expect that his financial future is quite secure as a book or two will add a few more millions to his coffers.
However, Tony Blair has been a world leader in the global warming issue at top governmental levels. He has also been a strong advocate for providing more assistance to the poor governments and peoples of Africa. And he continues to enjoy rock music.
I expect that he will continue to pursue those interests in private life. Especially since even from his school days Tony Blair has enjoyed being on center stage. At his still young age there is no reason to expect him to step off the world stage just yet.
Tony Blair as a lead singer in a rock band? How about a concert with Mr Blair as the lead singer in at least one set with the proceeds going to combat global warming and as aid to deserving projects in Africa? Now that’s a gig that would be a rock promoters dream.
I’m only kidding folks. I doubt that even the ever optimistic, charismatic, and energetic Tony Blair would go that far.
Or would he?
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