Tony Blair
Tony Blair, full name Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born May 6, 1953) has been the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since May 1997. He belongs to and is the current leader of the British Labour Party, having been elected to the party leadership in 1994 following the death of his predecessor, John Smith.
While the Labour Party is a self-described "democratic socialist party"[1]. Blair coined the phrase "New Labour" to distinguish his own pro-market policies from the more collectivist platform of his predecessors. He also used the phrase "The Third Way"
In the 1990s in particular, Blair was seen as a charismatic leader. His liberal policies and "slick" media image led some commentators to compare him to Bill Clinton, though there is no suggestion that his private life resembles that of his American counterpart.
A combination of Labour'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, less convincingly, in 2005.
Tony Blair has stated he will step down as the party leader in time for the Trades Union Congress conference in September 2007 [2].
During Blair's tenure as Prime Minister, the 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 has also gained a devolved Parliament, and Wales a devolved assembly, and limited attempts have been made to devolve power to the regions (although these have not been successful).
One of the most controversial aspects of Blair's premiership has been his commitment to and support of George W Bush and the Iraq war, which has strongly divided opinion, both in the Parliament and among the British people. His strong support of America and President Bush in particular have set him apart from most European leaders, especially with the parties of the left (including his own Labour Party). This has come at considerable political cost with his own popularity suffering greatly, and the government only surviving the 2005 general election due to a weak and unpopular opposition Conservative Party.
Personal
[3] The son of a barrister and lecturer, 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. He studied law at Oxford University, and went on to become a barrister himself. before entering politics. While at college Blair played in the rock group Ugly Rumours (named for a a Grateful Dead song). The group -- which, according to rock critic Paul Morley, sounded like "five Swedish cats discussing semantics with an existentialist trouser press" -- once supported Clock DVA at London's Marquee Club. Blair married his wife, Cherie Booth QC a barrister in 1980, and they have four children.
As well as being leader of the Labour Party and Prime Minister, Tony Blair is also the MP for Sedgefield, a constituency located in County Durham in North East England.
Tony Blair is a committed church goer and strongly religious, a fact which is often lampooned and contrasted with the morality of his policies in the British media . His wife, Cherie, is a Catholic, and Blair himself occasionally takes Catholic communion at Westminster Cathedral although he is officially Anglican. Although there have been rumours of his conversion to Catholicism, he disagreed with Pope John Paul II on the morality of the Iraq War.