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Tony Blair

2007-12-27T00:06:01Z

Aidanpower: Blair's change in religion

{{Prime Minister
|image=Tblair.jpg
|seq=73
|term_start=May 2 1997
|term_end=June 24 2007
|previous=John Major
|party=Labour Party
|next=Gordon Brown
|birth_date=May 6 1953
|birth_place=Edinburgh
|death_date=
|death_place=
|spouse=[[Cherie Blair|Cherie Booth]]
|spouse2=
|religion=[[Church of England]]
}}
'''Tony Blair''', full name '''Anthony Charles Lynton Blair''' (born May 6, 1953) is a former [[Prime Minister]] of the [[United Kingdom]]. The [[Labour Party]]'s longest-serving Prime Minister, he served from May 2, 1997 to June 27, 2007. Blair is also the only person to have led the Labour Party to three consecutive general election victories, and the only Labour Prime Minister to serve more than one full consecutive term.

He was elected to the Labour Party leadership in 1994 following the death of his predecessor, John Smith. As well as being leader of the Labour Party and Prime Minister, Blair also served as the [[MP]] for Sedgefield, a constituency in [[County Durham]] in North East England.

While the Labour Party is a self-described "democratic [[socialist]] party"<ref>[http://www.labour.org.uk/index.php?id=labourdemocracy]</ref>, Blair coined the phrase "[[New Labour]]" to distinguish his own pro-[[business]] policies from the more [[collectivist]] platform of his predecessors. He also used the phrase "[[The Third Way]]". He was criticized by some more left-wing members of the Labour Party for "selling out" to conservative thinking, particularly in his support for the [[United States]] in the [[Iraq War]]. On the other hand, Blair's policies were decidedly [[liberal]] by American standards: they have included increases in taxation, increases in government spending (particularly on public schools and Britain's [[National Health Service|socialized healthcare system]]), the introduction of an increased minimum wage, and support for the [[homosexual agenda]].

== Personal ==
[http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page4.asp] The son of a barrister and lecturer Leo Blair, Tony Blair was born in [[Edinburgh]], but spent most of his childhood in Durham. At the age of 14 he returned to Edinburgh to finish his education at Fettes College. Blair was known as a cheeky, rebellious, and argumentative schoolboy, and at 17 he was threatened with expulsion for persistently breaking school rules.<ref name="bbc">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6506365.stm BBC News | UK | UK Politics | The Tony Blair Story]</ref>. After leaving Fettes with three A levels he studied law at [[Oxford University]], and went on to become a barrister (Lincoln's Inn) himself, before entering politics. Blair married his wife, Cherie Booth QC a barrister and daughter of the actor Tony Booth, in 1980, and they have four children. Cherie hails from [[Liverpool]].

Blair is a competent guitar player and at university was a member of a rock band called Ugly Rumours. His favourite music includes [[The Beatles]], [[The Rolling Stones]], [[Led Zeppelin]], [[Free (band)|Free]], [[Bruce Springsteen]], [[U2]], [[Coldplay]], [[The Foo Fighters]], and [[Simply Red]].<ref name="bbc" />

While Blair rarely discusses his religious faith in public, he is a convinced Christian, a fact for which he is often criticised or mocked by British commentators. His wife Cherie is a Catholic and Blair converted to Catholicism in 2007.

==Blair's political career==

A combination of the Labour Party's new-found moderation, Blair's personal popularity and the deep unpopularity of the Conservatives under [[John Major]] resulted in a landslide victory for Blair and his party in the 1997 general [[election]], ending 18 years of [[Conservative]] government. Labour easily won re-election in 2001 and in 2005, although with losses.

Blair became the first active prime minister to be interviewed in a police investigation, in December 2006<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/6292033.stm BBC NEWS | UK | Scotland | Honours police quizzed McConnell]</ref> and again in January 2007<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6320399.stm BBC NEWS | Politics | Blair interviewed again by police]</ref>, over allegations he had illegally ''nominated'' donors to the Labour Party for peerages - the so called "Cash for Honours" scandal. The government stressed that he was being interviewed only as a witness however, and the nominations of the money lenders were rejected by the independent appointments' commission.<ref name="bbc" /> However the allegations were a popular story in the media, and dogged his final months in office.
Tony Blair was superseded by [[Gordon Brown]] as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in June 2007.

==Blair's policies==

During Blair's tenure as Prime Minister, the [[Labour party|Labour]] government made the Bank of England independent, allowing them to set the nation's interest rates (which had previously been set by the Chancellor of the Exchequer), and has introduced a national [[minimum wage]], in 1998, which has gradually been increased over time. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have gained their own legislatures, and limited attempts have been made to devolve power to the regions of England (although these have not been successful). Blair's government has also banned fox-hunting and cigarette smoking in public places.

One of the most controversial aspects of Blair's premiership was been his commitment to and support of the Iraq war, which strongly divided opinion, both in the House and among the British people. His strong support of America and President [[George W. Bush]] in particular have set him apart from most European leaders, especially with the parties of the left (including his own Labour Party). This came at considerable political cost with his own popularity suffering greatly, and the Government may have lost considerable support in the 2005 general election as a result.

==Blair and the media==

In the 1990s in particular, Blair was seen as a charismatic leader, with formidable media performing skills. His most famous television appearance was his tribute to [[Diana, Princess of Wales]] on the morning after her death in August 1997, in which he described her as "the People's Princess" and "the Queen of Hearts". Blair has, however, acquired a reputation for excessive news management, and even for dishonesty, particularly after the Iraq War.

==See also==

* [[British politics]]
* [[Labour Party]]

==References==
<references/>

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blair, Tony}}
[[Category:United Kingdom Prime Ministers]]

Monty Python

2007-12-26T01:05:05Z

Aidanpower: Terry Jones is very much alive.

'''Monty Python''' is a British comedy troupe. They created the sketch show "[[Monty Python's Flying Circus]]," a legendary British comedy series commissioned by the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation). It ran from October 5, 1969 to December 5, 1974 on BBC One, completing four seasons, with 45 episodes in total. 

== Humor ==
Despite the crude, random appearance, the humor of the show was quite sophisticated, poking fun at famous historical figures, literary beacons, and noted philosophers.

The writers and principal performers were 
- [[John Cleese]] 
- [[Eric Idle]] 
- [[Michael Palin]] 
- [[Terry Gilliam]] 
- [[Terry Jones]] 
- [[Graham Chapman]] (deceased) 

Although Gilliam's contributions were mainly the [[animation]]s, often used to link [[sketch comedy|sketch]]es together, he does appear occasionally in person as a character. He was also the only American in the troupe.

[[Carol Cleveland]] often appeared when the script called for a buxom young female part.

==Notable sketches==
===The Spanish Inquisition===
This consisted of the recurring entrance of three characters dressed in ecclesiastical attire, in response to the denouement of previous sketches where one of the characters, becoming frustrated by repeated questioning, erupts: "I didn't expect a kind of Spanish Inquisition!"

At this point the ensemble of the Inquisition—consisting of Cardinals Ximinez (Michael Palin), Biggles (Terry Jones), and Fang (Terry Gilliam)—would burst into the room, with Ximinez declaring: "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition! Our main weapon is surprise... and fear! Our two main weapons... etc." The only instrument of torture to have been deployed by Ximinez, Biggles and Fang was the 'comfy chair'.

This phrase has now passed down into common usage, so that when someone is being questioned, they might reply "I didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition".

===The Parrot Shop Sketch===
Sometimes known as the '''Dead Parrot Sketch''', this is one of the most popular sketches and is arguably one of the most famous in the history of British television comedy [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4052641.stm].

In it a customer, played by Cleese, and a shopkeeper (Palin), are discussing the earthly status of a parrot sold previously in the shop. Pain is arguing that the parrot is alive, but merely "having a kip" (sleeping), or is "shagged out after a long squark". Cleese is not convinced and argues vociferously that the parrot, is, in fact, completely dead.

Soon after Palin claims that the parrot's lack of movement is due to the parrot "pining for the fjords", the sketch builds to a climax with a diatribe from Cleese who in the following excerpt, uses almost every available [[euphemism]] for death in the English language:

"It's not pinin', it's passed on! This parrot is no more! It has ceased to be! It's expired and gone to meet its maker! This is a late parrot. It's a stiff, bereft of life, it rests in peace, if you hadn't nailed it to the perch it would be pushing up the daisies! It has rung down the curtain and joined the choir invisible! This is an ex-parrot!"

===The LumberJack Song===
The sketch appears in various different forms, but each time, it starts with a man who expresses discontent with his current job. On some occasions this is the owner of the pet shop in The Parrot Shop Sketch, who starts by saying: "I didn't want to do this job. I wanted to be a lumberjack!"

He then proceeds to sing a song which glorifies the life of a lumberjack, and paints a picture of rugged masculinity: "Leaping from tree to tree", "With my best girl by my side". As the song continues, the lumberjack begins to reveal some less than rugged tendencies: "I cut down trees, I skip and jump, I like to press wild flowers, I put on women's clothing, and hang around in bars", which begins to distress the girl at his side. In the final verse, Palin confesses that he likes to "... wear high heels, suspenders and a bra", and wishes that he "...had been a girlie, just like my dear papa!"

The sketch ends with the girl exclaiming "..and I thought you were so rugged!"

===Cheese Shop===
This consists of a customer (Cleese) wishing to purchase "some cheesy comestibles" from the "stout yeoman" or cheese shop proprietor (Palin). The humour of the sketch rests upon the frustration that Cleese encounters as he asks Palin about the availablility of different kinds of cheeses. In every case, Palin comes up with excuses as to why that particular variety of chees is not in stock. Excuses range from: "The van only comes on a Thursday", "It's too runny" to "The cat's got it". Cleese tries every known type of cheese including Venezuelan beaver cheese, finally giving up and asking for [[Cheddar]]. Of course, Palin does not have this in stock, saying "There's no call for it".

The denouement of the sketch is that Cleese gets so frustrated that he shoots Palin, saying "What a futile waste of human life."

==Films==

The team produced three feature length cinema releases between 1975 and 1983. These were:

* [[Monty Python and the Holy Grail]] (1975).
* [[The Life of Brian]] (or Monty Python's Life of Brian) (1979).
* [[The Meaning of Life]] (1983).

The Life of Brian caused much controversy, including allegations of [[blasphemy]] by [[Christian]]s, when it was originally released as it depicts the life and subsequent [[cruxifiction]] of a young Judean called Brian of [[Nazareth]], satirizing the life of [[Jesus]].

==External Links==
[http://www.pythonline.com The Official Website] 
[http://montypython.jdaltpol.co.uk An unofficial fansite]

[[category:broadcasting]]
[[category:British Comedy]]

The Beatles

2007-03-11T17:49:17Z

Aidanpower:

The Beatles were one of the most influential rock bands of the 20th century. They were the most successful band, selling over 1 billion records.

The four Beatles were John Lennon (1940-1980), George Harrison (1943-2001), Paul McCartney (1942- ), and Ringo Starr (1940- ). Most of the Beatles songs were co written by Lennon and McCartney. In the latter half of the 1960's the majority of their songs were written individually, but retained the "Lennon & McCartney" writing credit. George Harrison's songs became more prominent on the albums following Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

The two surviving Beatles are: Ringo Starr and Sir Paul McCartney.

Their albums are:

'''Please Please Me (1963)'''

'''With the Beatles (1963)'''

'''A Hard Day's Night (1964)'''

'''Beatles For Sale (1964)'''

'''Help! (1965)'''

'''Rubber Soul (1965)'''

'''Revolver (1966)'''

'''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)'''

'''The Beatles (1968)'''

'''Yellow Submarine (1969)'''

'''Abbey Road (1969)'''

'''Let It Be (1970)'''

'''The Beatles/1962-1966 (1973)'''

'''The Beatles/1967-1970 (1973)'''

'''Hey Jude (1970 - US, 1979 - UK)'''

'''Magical Mystery Tour (1976)'''

The Beatles

2007-03-11T17:48:48Z

Aidanpower: Changed some writing credit information

The Beatles were one of the most influential rock bands of the 20th century. They were the most successful band, selling over 1 billion records.

The four Beatles were John Lennon (1940-1980), George Harrison (1943-2001), Paul McCartney (1942- ), and Ringo Starr (1940- ). Most of the Beatles songs were credited as being co written by Lennon and McCartney. In the latter half of the 1960's the majority of their songs were written individually, but retained the "Lennon & McCartney" writing credit. George Harrison's songs became more prominent on the albums following Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

The two surviving Beatles are: Ringo Starr and Sir Paul McCartney.

Their albums are:

'''Please Please Me (1963)'''

'''With the Beatles (1963)'''

'''A Hard Day's Night (1964)'''

'''Beatles For Sale (1964)'''

'''Help! (1965)'''

'''Rubber Soul (1965)'''

'''Revolver (1966)'''

'''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)'''

'''The Beatles (1968)'''

'''Yellow Submarine (1969)'''

'''Abbey Road (1969)'''

'''Let It Be (1970)'''

'''The Beatles/1962-1966 (1973)'''

'''The Beatles/1967-1970 (1973)'''

'''Hey Jude (1970 - US, 1979 - UK)'''

'''Magical Mystery Tour (1976)'''

Euro

2007-03-07T21:08:05Z

Aidanpower: Removed "contintental", Ireland is not on continental Europe. Added "they feel" because it is not a statement of fact, just opinion.

The euro is the common [[currency]] in continental Europe today. Use of the euro began in January 2002, and 12 nations switched their currency immediately to the euro. It is the counterpart to the dollar in the United States.

In the United Kingdom the currency is still the [[pound]], but there is pressure to convert to the euro that is used throughout Europe. Many conservatives in England ([[Tories]]) resist converting to the European currency because they feel it represents a loss in sovereignty and control. In particular, there is fear of England becoming dependent on the fiscal policies of the larger combination of Germany, Italy, and France.

But by the end of 2006, after about five years of the euro, a French magazine reported that 52% of the French feel that the euro is a "bad thing". French workers now blame the euro for price hikes and job losses. 71% of French [[blue-collar workers]] say the euro has hurt them personally. The Telegraph, 12-27-06.

European Union

2007-03-07T05:09:23Z

Aidanpower:

The European Union is a legal and economic union of 27 European countries. It began with in 1992 with the [[Maastricht Treaty]]. It is governed by a common legal system and many of its member states use a common [[currency]], the [[euro]]. [[The United Kingdom]], [[Denmark]] and several Eastern block countries such as [[Poland]] do not use the [[euro]].

There are three official candidates being considered for membership, [[Turkey]], [[Croatia]] and [[The Republic of Macedonia]]. Typically a country that is considered will have to make some economic or social changes to bring it in line with other member states.

Here is a map of the European Union as of January 2007, including countries seeking to join:

[[Image:European_Union.jpg]]

European Union

2007-03-07T05:07:58Z

Aidanpower: Removed mention of dominant religion in Turkey (irrelevant in this context) and added other candidate states

The European Union is a legal and economic union of 27 European countries. It began with in 1992 with the [[Maastricht Treaty]]. It is governed by a common legal system and many of its member states use a common [[currency]], the [[euro]]. [[The United Kingdom]], [[Denmark]] and several Eastern block countries such as [[Poland]] do not use the [[euro]].

There are three official candidates being considered for membership of the EU, [[Turkey]], [[Croatia]] and [[The Republic of Macedonia]].

Here is a map of the European Union as of January 2007, including countries seeking to join:

[[Image:European_Union.jpg]]

Currency

2007-03-07T03:41:23Z

Aidanpower:

Currency is a unit of money that facilitates the purchase of goods or services. Each modern nation has one currency, such as the US [[dollar]] in the [[United States]], the pound sterling in [[The United Kingdom]], and the [[Euro]] in several countries across [[Europe]].

Currency

2007-03-07T03:41:02Z

Aidanpower:

Currency is a unit of money that facilitates the purchase of goods or services. Each modern nation has one currency, such as the US [[dollar]] in the United States, the pound sterling in [[The United Kingdom]], and the [[Euro]] in several countries across [[Europe]].

Currency

2007-03-07T03:26:08Z

Aidanpower: added detail to currency, changed "England" to "United Kingdom", altered "Continental Europe" since Ireland also uses the euro

Currency is a unit of money that facilitates the purchase of goods or services. Each modern nation has one currency, such as the US [[dollar]] in the United States, the pound sterling in the United Kingdom, and the [[Euro]] in several countries across Europe.