In Search Of The Legacy Of Tony Blair

I was thinking about Tony Blair over the weekend as I watched the White House try to explain another of President George Bush’s challenges with the English language. The President, surrounded by children, while defending the "No Child Left Behind" law insisted that "Childrens do learn". I was thinking about Tony Blair. I was thinking about politicians who can communicate, who can use their verbal skill to articulate, shape, or even change the public mood. Tony Blair was such a politician.

He easily handled a difficult British press corps. He loved the weekly exchanges at the Prime Minister’s Questions in the House Of Commons. I used to watch some of these sessions on CSPAN. The manner in which he handled that rough political forum was something to behold. I wonder how many American politicians could stand up to the heat generated in Great Britain’s weekly Prime Minister’s Questions from the House of Commons.

Who will ever forget his understanding of what the death of Diana, Princess of Wales meant to his country when he referred to her in his famous quote as " The Peoples Princess"?

Its only been three months since the resignation of the now former, United Kingdom Prime Minister. Three short months out of office are certainly not enough time for history to determine the man’s political legacy . However, an examination of his accomplishments and political record during the last decade can provide a perspective on how history may judge his time in office.

Tony Blair was the only leader ever to win three successive elections for the Labour Party. He was Prime Minister for ten years until his resignation on June 27, 2007. In domestic government policy, Blair significantly increased public spending on health and education while also introducing controversial market-based reforms in these areas. As a result, this increased spending did not result in higher income taxes.

The end of his term saw the climax of his ten years of work for peace in Northern Ireland with DUP Ian Paisley and Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness, a former IRA commander, participating together in a power-sharing agreement. This agreement was the result of thirty seven visits by Blair in the last decade across the Irish sea. His personal popularity in Ireland is immense as outlined by Irish Independent columnist Martina Devlin, who wrote earlier this year: "He was the first British Prime Minister not to treat us as poor relations or hapless incompetents. He has been good for Ireland." The Belfast Irish News delivered its verdict with this headline about Tony Blair: "Place in Irish History Assured".

Blair can also list as positive accomplishments the devolution measures which gave Scotland a Parliament and Wales its own legislative assembly. However it was the decision to grant independence to the Bank of England to set interest rates without political interference that really helped the British economy. An unprecedented period of sustained growth and low unemployment was accompanied by the introduction of a national minimum wage.

There were, of course, the challenges. He failed in his ambition to take his country into the single European currency. Some say he was too timid in tackling public service reforms. Also, the Labour party’s "Cash for Honors" fundraising scandal in 2006 and 2007, somewhat undermined his reputation and effort to fulfill his promise to clean up public life.

However, the reason that he left office with only a 26% approval rating can be summed up in four words: the war in Iraq. Blair's decision to enter the war provoked the largest anti-war demonstrations ever seen in Britain. He claimed that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, and when the weapons were not found, it lost him the public trust. There were subsequent allegations of exaggeration and media manipulation in his case for going to war against Saddam Hussein. The British press began referring to Blair as George Bush’s "poodle" due to his close relationship with the American President and agreement with him on the Iraq war.

In fact, the Iraq invasion and its problematic aftermath are currently seen in Europe as a major blemish on his record as Prime Minister. Blair does not back down from the criticism and defends himself as follows: "I know there's a bit of us that would like me to do a Hugh Grant in "Love Actually" and tell America where to get off. But the difference between a good film and real life is that in real life there's the next day, the next year, the next lifetime to contemplate the ruinous consequences of easy applause."

In his resignation speech. Tony Blair summed up his decade as Prime Minister and his time in public life as follows: "Politics may be the art of the possible but, at least in life, give the impossible a go. So, of course, the vision is painted in the colors of the rainbow, and the reality is sketched in the duller tones of black, white, and gray. But I ask you to accept one thing - hand on heart, I did what I thought was right. I may have been wrong. That's your call. But believe one thing if nothing else - I did what I thought was right for our country."

History will ultimately judge his legacy. The eventual outcome of the war in Iraq will play a major role. However, we know for certain that Tony Blair was an excellent communicator, with a strong moral streak , who acted in what he believed to be the best interest of the United Kingdom.

When in search of a legacy, that’s not a bad place to start.

James William Smith has worked in senior management positions for some of the largest financial services firms in the United States for the last twenty five years. He has also provided business consulting support for insurance organizations and start up businesses. Mr. Smith has a Bachelor of Science Degree from Boston College. He enjoys writing articles on political, national, and world events. Visit his website at http://www.eworldvu.com