Events Calendar
Tony Blair
Monday, April 20, 2009, 08:00pm
photo: Remy Steinegger
Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British politician, who served as Prime Minister from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007 and the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007. On the day he stood down as Prime Minister and MP, he was appointed official Envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East on behalf of the United Nations, the European Union, the United States and Russia.
Tony Blair was elected Leader of the Labour Party in the leadership election of July 1994 following the sudden death of his predecessor, John Smith.
Blair was instrumental in the modernization of the Labour party. Under his leadership the party adopted the term "New Labour," abandoned policies it had held for decades and moved towards the centre ground. After the party had been 18 years in opposition, Blair led Labour to landslide victory in the 1997 general election. In the first years of the New Labour government, Blair introduced the minimum wage, signed the Good Friday agreement, established the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Blair's political persona is one of charisma and charm and he is one of Britain's most internationally recognized statesmen. He was the Labour Party's longest-serving Prime Minister and the only leader to have taken the party to three consecutive general election victories, two of them landslides.
On September 11th, immediately following the terror attacks, Blair declared: "this mass terrorism is the new evil in our world today," and vowed to stand "shoulder to shoulder" with America. He aligned Britain as the most important US ally in the war on terror and the Iraq war both, politically and militarily.
Blair stood down as prime minister on 27 June 2007, and was replaced by Gordon Brown.
On 22 May 2008, Blair received an honorary law doctorate from Queen's University Belfast, alongside former taoiseach Bertie Ahern, for distinction in public service and roles in the Northern Ireland peace process.
On 13 January 2009 Blair was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush. The President stated that Blair was given the award "in recognition of exemplary achievement and to convey the utmost esteem of the American people" and cited Blair's support for the War on Terror and his role in achieving peace in Northern Ireland as two reasons to justify his being presented with the award.
On 16 February 2009 Blair was awarded the Dan David Prize by Tel Aviv University for "exceptional leadership and steadfast determination in helping to engineer agreements and forge lasting solutions to areas in conflict." He will be awarded the prize in May 2009.
Monday, April 20, 2009
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