Bye Bye Mr

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Bye Bye Mr. Blair: the end of a political era

A long-expected exit

It  was  hardly  a  surprise  in  the  end
when  on  10  May Tony  Blair finally
announced  his  intention  to step
down as Prime Minister.  There had
been  endless  speculation  in  the  me-
dia  about  the  exact  date,  but  it  was
well  known  that  he  was  planning
to leave  10  Downing  Street  sooner
rather than later.

The route to the top

Tony  Blair  is  a  Scot,  born
in Edinburgh,  the  capital  of  Scot-
land,  but  his  political  career  is very
much  an  English  one.    His  first  at-
tempt  to  win  election  was  not  very
successful,  however:  he scored  only
10%  of the vote and lost his deposit
(the  money  candidates  have  to  pay
to take  part  in  elections).    Success
came  in  1983,  when  he  was  elected
to Parliament,  representing  the  con-
stituency of Sedgefield in the north-
east  of England.    In  1994  Blair  was
elected  leader  of  the  Labour  Party
and  he  spent  the  next  years,  as  he

described  it,  modernising  the  party
and  making  its  policies  more  cen-
trist.  In 1997 he defeated the ruling
Conservative  Party  and  became  the
first  Labour  Prime  Minister  for 18
years.

Blair as Prime Minister

From  the  beginning  Blair’s  govern-
ment  focused  on  improving  public
services  like  education  and  health.
The idea was to do this with money
and reforms: spending was increased
steadily  and  market-like  mechan-
isms  were  introduced  to  try  to  in-
crease  efficiency.    Standards  have
improved, though how far this is the
result  of  the  reforms  is open
to discussion.

How will Blair be remem-
bered?

However,  some  important  points
are clear,  on  both  the  positive  and
the negative sides.  He will probably
be most  warmly  remembered  as  the
man  who  helped  to  bring  peace

to Northern  Ireland.    His  predeces-
sors  may  have  started  the  process,
but it is Blair’s patience and energy
which  is  credited  with  bringing
about the current peaceful and stable
situation  where  power  is  shared  by
both  the  catholic  and  protestant
communities.  Indeed, his popularity
has  already  fallen  very  low  as  a  re-
sult.
Whatever one’s opinion of the Blair
governments’  policies,  however,
Blair  will  be  remembered  as  a  win-
ner more than anything else.  He has
won three general elections in a row,
has  been  Prime  Minister  for  a  dec-
ade and has been the dominant poli-
tician of his generation.

What next?

The next Prime Minister will

be the Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer
(Secretary  of  State  for  Finance)
Gordon  Brown.    Certainly  less  cha-
rismatic  than  Blair  but  highly  intel-
ligent  and  determined,  his  attempts
to  step  into  Blair’s  shoes  will  be
carefully watched.

Key dates in Tony Blair’s
political career

1983

Blair is elected to Parliament for the first time

1994

Blair is elected Leader of the Labour Party

1997

Blair wins the general election and becomes the youngest Prime Minister since 1812

2001

Blair wins a second term as Prime Minister

2005

Blair wins a third term as Prime Minister

2007

Blair announces his decision to step down as Prime Minister

PETER MORAN
JUNE 2007

After a decade as Prime Minister, To-
ny Blair is stepping down. How will
the UK remember him?

TONY
BLAIR

Crown Copyright

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around English

activities sheet

Before you read

Look at the statements about Tony Blair below. True or false?
Tony Blair is English.

T ☐ F ☐

He was successful from the very beginning.

T ☐ F ☐

He is the leader of the Labour Party.

T ☐ F ☐

He became leader of his party very quickly.

T ☐ F ☐

As leader, Blair made his party’s programme more moderate.

T ☐ F ☐

Blair is still as popular today as ever.

T ☐ F ☐

First reading

Read the text quickly to check your answers.

Connections in the text

Four sentences have been taken out of the text. Where should they go? NB - they are not in the right order.

Time will tell if he can step out of Blair’s shadow.

It is, of course, impossible to say with any certainty.

Other policies of Blair’s governments include
introducing a minimum wage, devolving power to
Scotland and Wales and introducing university tuition
fees.

On the other hand, Blair’s involvement of the UK in the
invasion of Iraq will cast a shadow over his
achievements.

Vocabulary 1

Ten words and phrases in the text are underlined. Match them to the definitions below.

someone who takes a job or position previously held by
someone else

someone who had your job before you started doing it

a group of people who have the same interests, religion,
race etc

when people vote to choose someone for an official
position

to give special attention to one particular person or
thing

to officially speak or take action for another person or
group of people

to make something such as a system or building more
modern

to officially tell people about something, especially
about a plan or a decision

a way of doing something that has been officially
agreed and chosen by a political party, business, or
other organization

the quality of doing something well and effectively,
without wasting time, money, or energy

(all definitions from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English)

PETER MORAN
JUNE 2007

PHOTOCOPIABLE

Vocabulary 2

Complete the sentences using one of the words above. You may need to change the form of the word.

1. In the United Kingdom, ____________________ must take place every five years.

2. George W. Bush is Bill Clinton’s ____________________ as President of the United States.

3. Bill Clinton was George W. Bush’s ____________________ as President of the United States.

4. There is a large Polish ____________________ in the UK now.

5. When two people get married, it is normal to ____________________ it in the local newspaper.

6. A political party’s ____________________ are published in its programme.

7. A lawyer ____________________ you in court.

8. It can cost a lot of money to ____________________ computer networks.

9. Modern car engines are much more ____________________ that older ones.

10. When you have an important job to do, it is important to ____________________ it and not get

distracted.

Word-building

Try to complete the table below. The first line is done for you as an example.

noun

person

adjective

verb

election

- - -

elected

elect

economy

politics

- - -

efficient

- - -

moderniser

- - -

government

- - -

succeed

speculate

Discussion

1. Tony Blair is very good at using the media but is sometimes accused of being too concerned with presentation.

Do you think politicians today are too concerned with the media and how they look or sound?

2. Do you find politics interesting? Why (not)? Do you plan to vote if you can in the next election? Why (not)?

3. Should politicians behave better than the majority of the population? Do they have a responsibility to set an ex-

ample?

4. What are the most important characteristics for a politician to be a success?