Tony Blair: Prime Minister

click here for more details, find new or used items

John Rentoul

Our price £9.09 (£12.99)

New from £6.19

Used from £0.71

Pages: 640 (Paperback)

ISBN: 0751530824

Pub: Time Warner Paperbacks

Pub date: 2001-10-15

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 296318

Editorial Review:

In 1995 John Rentoul wrote his first Tony Blair biography. Six years on he has written another that he says is neither a wholesale revision of his earlier work nor the same book with new material tacked on. Entirely appropriate to his subject, Rentoul has come up with a third way. What we get is the original book tweaked to take into account Rentoul's reassessments--such as Blair's Christianity running deeper and establishing itself earlier than was first realised--and an ongoing account of Blair's time in office. And on the whole it works very well. Rentoul is scrupulously fair and every action and event is weighed from every angle before judgement is delivered. However, while this approach may be authoritative it doesn't necessarily make for a fluent read and there are several occasions when the book grinds to a standstill under the weight of its own scholarship. For instance, at one point Rentoul spends several pages cross-examining old acquaintances to determine whether Blair had ever smoked dope, before concluding that he hadn't. Predictably, as the narrative moves past Blair's election in 1997, the book becomes less personal; partly this is because--Baby Leo and Euan's night in Leicester Square apart--Blair has pulled down the shutters on his personal life in favour of his reinvention as the embodiment of the 21st century statesman, and partly because his life, to a large extent, became his job. Rentoul takes us through New Labour's achievements and his overall verdict is a cautious thumbs up, though whenever an issue appears ambivalent he seems happy to give Blair the benefit of the doubt. His opinion that firing Peter Mandelson for a second time has left Blair untainted is one that would surprise many--the Prime Minister included. Rentoul has indicated that he still sees this book as work in progress and there is certainly enough material to justify a second book. But he would be well advised to hang fire for a good many years before he completes the trilogy. --John Crace

Reader Reviews:

A good starting point on Blair (0/0 people found this helpful)

This is one of the most important biographies of Tony Blair because it was the first that covered Blair after a term as Prime Minister. John Rentoul takes us through Blair's chilhood, his arrival in the Labour Party and his determination as he climbed the ranks to move the party into the centre ground. The book is very detailed and highlights many of Blair's strengths and weaknesses as a politician. The chapters on the 1997-2001 period reveal much of Blair's character and the huge contradictions within it. He demonstrated flamboyance and bravado in Northern Ireland and Kosovo and ruthlessness in dealing with dissenting ministers, yet seemed to live in fear of the whims of the press gallery. Rentoul asks some key questions on the end about whether Blair's aims on public services are achievable, what his beliefs are and what his legacy will be. From the standpoint of 2005 the author will surely be able to update this book to answer those questions.

A Good Interim Biography. (2/3 people found this helpful)

"Tony Blair Prime Minister" is a good preliminary biography of Britain's 51st Premier. I didn't realise that Blair first stood for Parliament in Disraeli's old seat of Beaconsfield which turned out to be too much of a challenge in this Tory heartland.

Written in an enjoyable style, (although not accademic) we can see many of the successes and failures of Mr Blair's first four years. We see the death of a Princess, Kosovo, Education, Peter Mandelson resigning, fuel crisis, why the Lib/Lab pact came to nothing, devolution, Peter Mandelson's second resgnation and the Millenium Dome issue. What a busy four years it was. As always these interim accounts are instantly out of date, which is the same problem with all the sudden spate of books on Gordon Brown, Robin Cook, John Prescott, and of course Peter Mandleson, need I go on?

Rentoul's chapter on Northern Ireland is an interesting account of one of his most troublesome areas of policy as are chapters on his relations with his neighbour at 11 Downing Street and the Formula 1 scandal. I reccommend this book, as it is very easy to read and enjoy.

For more on Blair I reccommend "Tony Blair New Britain", "New Labour, New Language" and of course Anthony Giddens' "The Third Way" and "The Third Way and its Critics".

I will certainly buy the re-issue when he steps down as PM. Blair is a very interesting politician and certainly very complex, I feel he's deeper than his shallow image suggests. I'm sure chapters on the Euro, Gulf War II, the Golden Jubilee and the death of the Queen Mother would prove key reading.

Authoritative but lacking precision at times (4/7 people found this helpful)

Rentoul's biography is certainly an accomplishment given the sheer lack of quality coverage of the Blair years. However, while it is absorbing in an almost 'Adrian Mole' sense, its attempt to warm us to the character of Tony Blair does not ring true. Within itself, it successfully maintains the illusion of authority and insight, yet compared to the reality it suffers from the cosiness of Blairite spin. Nevertheless it is commendable, even within its own boundaries.

Similar Products

Blair

The Unfulfilled Prime Minister: Tony Blair's Quest for a Legacy

The Blair Years

Blair Unbound

The Blair Effect, 2001-5