Tony Blair: Prime Minister [Paperback]

John Rentoul (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2001

John Rentoul's first biography of Tony Blair appeared in 1995, not long after the politician's election as leader of the Labour Party. Two years later Blair presided over the party's landslide election victory—a tremendous affirmation of his popularity and a great vindication for the modernizers he led. But as New Labour settles into its historic second term, is that popularity still there? Has Blair and the party he helped reinvent delivered on their promises? What sort of government does he lead, and is Britain anything like the country he claimed he could create? These are the questions at the heart of John Rentoul's searching new biography. Not just an updated version of the earlier work, but an entirely fresh approach to his subject, Tony Blair: Prime Minister includes a wealth of new material and represents the definitive account of a man whose potential has now been put to the biggest test of all—power.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this splendid biography, Rentoul begins his tale with Blair's father, a socialist who later became a Conservative. His son would prove every bit as difficult to pin down ideologically. Young Blair, Rentoul says, was a public school rebel "of a strongly anti-Establishment cast of mind." Before attending Oxford, Blair spent a year in London promoting rock 'n' roll acts; while at Oxford, he became the lead singer of the band Ugly Rumours. He was profoundly influenced by the Christian socialism of an Anglican priest named Peter Thomson. After graduation, Blair became a barrister and joined the Labour Party. He won a seat in Parliament in 1983 and spent the next 14 years, a time when Margaret Thatcher dominated British politics, in opposition. As a "soft left" member of Parliament, Blair met the two most important acquaintances of his political career: fellow MP Gordon Brown and media "spin master" Peter Mandelson. With Labour losing election after election, Blair became a leading proponent of party reform, advocating a move away from social permissiveness and toward moral responsibility; he also lessened the influence of trade unions within the party. From Bill Clinton, he learned the importance of seizing the political center. In 1994, Blair became the leader of the Labour Party, and in 1997, he defeated John Major to become prime minister. His first term was marked by historic progress toward peace in Northern Ireland, by fiscal conservatism, an emphasis on education, and skillful media spin control. Rentoul has written the definitive biography of Blair for the present, one that should be read by anyone with an interest in contemporary British politics. Illus. (Jan. 15)Forecast: Thanks to Blair's unflinching support of the war against terror, he may have a newfound popularity here that could result in increased sales.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Tony Blair's ascent up the "greasy pole," in Disraeli's memorable metaphor, was the most rapid of any British prime minister in the twentieth century. That fact, combined with the way Blair's UK is currently lauded as America's most stalwart ally, may prompt readers to search for a biography of its leader. Hand them this one, whose thorough research and readability pierce the inherent blizzard of political detail. In the account of Blair's youth, Rentoul detects little calculating ambition, even though he grew up in a political house: his father was a Communist turned Conservative Party MP. A dedication to Christianity is what Blair's friends and mentors remember most, leavened by heavy- metal rock 'n' roll. After a footloose year as an impresario for local London bands, Blair became a barrister and married Claire Booth, and in the early 1980s, they each stood as Labour candidates, she less victoriously. Recounting Blair's subsequent rise and ending with his reelection in June 2001, Rentoul opportunely fulfills the informational demands of the moment. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 640 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group; 2nd edition (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0751530824
• ISBN-13: 978-0751530827
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,265,248 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rentoul's Blair, October 7, 2004

By 

Matthew Escover "MM Escover" (Hollister, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tony Blair: Prime Minister (Paperback)

John Rentoul's biography of Tony Blair is a must read for those who want to understand him. The book is scholarly enough to use as a text in comparative politics. It also gives enough character development to understand who Blair is, how he was developed as a man and what Britain's youngest Prime Minister in the 20th century is like.

The text certainly gives a clear view of "The Third Way" philosophy of Blair's tenure which eschews unfettered capitalism and old labor socialism. Rentoul also illuminates Blair's Christian moral beliefs without ignoring the character of a young rock musician.

It is the best biography yet of Britain's most dynamic leader.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tony Blair - A Reverent Prime Minister and Politician, April 1, 2003

By 

Kosovar (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tony Blair: Prime Minister (Paperback)

On 4-th of july 1964,Tony was woken by his mother in the morning and as soon as he heard the first words coming out from his mother - he knew that something wasn't right and he was right
about that.
Tony's father had a stroke and it wasn't sure whether he's gonna make it or not.
This day was the day when Tony's childhood ended,a day when his political ambition began, a life which taught him the value of the family and real friends who walked with his family in the worst moments of their lives.

Tony,a child of strict parents about manners :
Was always polite,kind,helpful towards other people and he enjoyed the attention so much so when he is only 16 years old he formed a group named The Pseuds - to act.

Soon, as a 'gifted guitarist' he starts meeting people of the same interest and talked about getting into the music world.
He loved The Rolling Stones and they were going to be the next Led Zeppelin or Free (Tony's most favorite bands).
So...the band "Ugly Rumours" is formed and THE LEAD SINGER-with
a fantastic voice is someone such as : the future prime minister of Great Britain - TONY BLAIR.

...John Rentoul's biography of Tony Blair-(was made to read easy as novel, even though it was Tony's life to make that possible). It is a well-researched book and tells just about everything you'd want to know about Tony Blair.

4.0 out of 5 stars TONY BLAIR Prime Minister by John Rentoul, March 18, 2003

By 

Paul L. Whalen (Fort Thomas, Kentucky, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tony Blair: Prime Minister (Paperback)

With the advent of what may become the second Gulf War, Tony Blair-Prime Minister is a comprehensive biography of the leader of America's closest ally. Prime Minister Tony Blair is an unlikely choice to be the foreign leader closest to President George W. Bush. British Journalist, John Rentoul has written about the rise and times of Tony Blair from his roots in a middle class British family to that of a rising socialist politician who became leader of the "New" Labor Party and Prime Minister of Great Britian.

Rentoul traces Blair's family and their political leanings. Blair's father Leo Blair was born to a pair of actors and given to a James and Mary Blair in Glasgow. Leo Blair as a teenager was a member of the Scottish Young Communist League and had ambitions to become a Communist Member of Parliment. However, after service in World War II as a member of the Royal Signal Corps, Leo Blair underwent a political conversion. Upon leaving the military he became a member of the Conservative Party. Leo Blair married Blair's mother Hazel from a strongly Protestant family from County Donegal while working at the Ministry of National Insurance in Glasgow. Leo Blair studied law eventually becoming a lecturer in Administrative Law at the University of Adelaide in Australia and eventually the University of Durham in Durham. Leo Blair eventually became a practicing barrister and active in the local Conservative Party.
Tony Blair was the second of three children. He is described as being the child most like his father Leo.

In the opening chapter of the book it states "Tony Blair's political ambition began at age of eleven, when his father Leo's ended, on 4 July 1964. At the age of forty, at the height of his political powers and looking for a Conservative parlimentary seat, Leo Blair had a stroke."

However, the book indicates that many of Blair's acquaintances during his school and law school years were suprised when he decided to become active in politics. Blair was not a member of any political clubs while in school or in-between. Blair had been a singer and manager of a rock n roll band "The Ugly Rumors", had long hair and a van. Unlike his American political counter parts, he never experimented with drugs, smoked marijuana or was seen drunk. In response to the question of whether he ever smoked marijuana, he said no, but if he had "he would have inhaled" in a jab at his friend President Bill Clinton.
One of the suprising discoveries found in the book about Tony Blair is his Christian Socialism. Unlike many American politicians not much mention has been made of the fact he has been a confirmed Christian since his Oxford days. Moreover, he is the only British Prime Minister since Gladstone known to regularly read the Bible.
Tony Blair and his wife Cherie Blair are as political a couple as the Clintons. Both have worked in local politics and both have run for seats in Parliment. When Blair ran his first successful race for his current seat from the Sedgefield Riding, Cherie was seeking a seat in a "marginal" Labor district or riding. However, after Blair won his first election, Cherie decided to forego elective office as one politician was enough in the family. Since Blair's election in Parliment in 1983, the Blairs have had three children and Cherie has continued her career as a successful barrister.
Over half the book covers Blair's career as leader of the Labor Party and Prime Minister. When he became Prime Minister at age 42, only tweleve years in Parliment, he became the youngest Prime Minister since Lord Liverpool who became Prime Minister in 1812.
The book is well documented with footnotes after every chapter. Because of its "scholarliness" it may tend to drag at times in the chapters which deal with his years as Prime Minister from May 2, 1997 through the time the book was written in January 2001. As such it chronicles in detail Tony Blair's first term.
In it, the achievements of the first term include the Balkans, Northern Ireland,as well as helping provide a better standard of living for all of Britian.
Blair is described as a "hands-on" Prime Minister, informal but energized and possibly hyper-working on the phone from planes, on vacation and on the weekend.
With as much detail provided of all aspects of Blair's life, TONY BLAIR-Prime Minister gives the reader and the world great insight into Blair's actions now in his second term as Prime Minister.