John rentoul tony blair biography
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Tony Blair: Prime Minister - Softcover
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 L
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Tony Blair: Prime Minister
John Rentoul's first biography of Tony Blair appeared in 1995, not long after the politician's election as leader of the Labour Party - the culmination of a meteoric rise. 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's first real test looms - the battle to win an unprecedented second begrepp - fryst vatten that popularity still there? Have 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.
•
Tony Blair: Prime Minister
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.