A Journey: My Political Life Book

General spoiler alert (the book is discussed in detail)

I'm writing this review because a couple of friends have said it is okay to do so, in spite of my appalling political ignorance. If you are seeking wide-ranging insights, stop here. For the most part I am simply going to plonk down what I understand that Tony Blair did and did not achieve - and I offer no criticism on any of his policies.

I liked the book, and felt that Blair wrote it with much honesty; I felt that I got to know the man, his government and his policies a lot better. That reliance on the word 'his' is not happenstance. He seems to have governed very much from the top downwards.

THINGS BLAIR WAS PROUD ABOUT:

*The fact he came to power in 1997 with a majority of 179 seats - the largest number in British history.
*The fact he worked so hard to create "New Labour", a centre-based, progressive, pro-European party. Keen to work for the aspirational working and middle classes, as well as the underdog. A party which would not kowtow to left-wing activists. A party "fit for government" (Labour had been out of government for four previous elections before the Blair overhaul). A party embraced by a huge swathe of the British public who would never have dreamed voting Labour before. A modernized party run by an inspired leader.
I felt a growing inner sense of belief, almost of destiny……I could see the opportunity to take hold of the Labour Party, rework it into an electoral machine capable of winning over the people….It's an extraordinary feeling, the sense you can achieve something beyond the ordinary.
*Radical increases in public spending to make up for the underinvestment of the Thatcher years.
*The longest period of economic growth for over 200 years.
*Over 2.5 million more people in work.
*His toughness on crime and legislation to help reduce anti-social behaviour.
*The introduction of the Proceeds of Crime Act - enabling police to seize assets that might be associated with criminal activity. (Only after each seizure would there be an inquiry as to whether they had been obtained lawfully or not.)
* Increasing rates of literacy amongst schoolchildren.
*Making a lot of schools into 'academies' - encouraging independence, ethos and identity, strong leadership, flexibility, innovation and excellence. Today academies are improving three times faster than other schools.
*The introduction of tuition fees for university students. He argues that several top universities have said this was a life-saver for them. (This was also the issue that made him more unpopular with the public than anything else - even more so than the invasion of Iraq.)
* The peace talks in Northern Ireland. The Good Friday Agreement, and the following years of negotiation. He says The Good Friday Agreement wasn't the end, it was the beginning. There was still much talking to be done. This was obviously a major undertaking for all involved, including President Clinton, John Major, the previous (Conservative) prime minister, and all the different factions in Northern Ireland.
*The independence of the Bank of England
* Overall crime down by 30% during his tenure. The employment of a record number of police - almost 13,000 more than in 1997 when he came to power, and 4,600 new community support officers.
*Decreasing waiting times both in accident and emergency departments of hospitals, and in waiting times for operations.
*5% cut in VAT on fuel, to help people with their heating bills
*The introduction of the Civil Partnership Act.
*Various bits of legislation to increase anti-terrorist monitoring and holding. These curtailed civil liberties, but Blair felt this was justified, given the seriousness of the threat.
* The ban on tobacco advertising
*The banning of the production or export of landmines
*Changed hours for drinking alcohol, to bring England in accord with the rest of Europe. Some licences now allow 24hour openings.
*The stopping of using juries for complex fraud cases .
*The broadening of the use of DNA in crime databases. This was fiercely resisted on the grounds of civil liberties at the time, but the results have been dramatic.
*Signing up to the European Social Chapter (which included legislation on employment rights like paid holidays).
*The introduction of a minimum wage.
*The introduction of a greater period for maternity leave, and paternity leave.
*The handing over of Hong Kong to China (although 99% of the legwork for this was done during Margaret Thatcher's time as prime minister). Blair said it improved Anglo-China relations greatly.
*Plans for the inclusion of the European Convention on Human Rights Act into UK Law.
*The creation of a London mayor for the first time in centuries.
*Regeneration in several inner cities, like Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield.
*The trebling of aid to Africa and the cancellation of debt.
*The way the government handled the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in 2001.


THINGS BLAIR WAS DEFENSIVE ABOUT:

*His notorious relationship with Gordon Brown. The fact he promised Brown that he would allow him to take over the leadership of the Labour Party, then reneged on that deal. Or did he? Blair would argue that Brown reneged on his promise to carry forward the policies and ideals of the 'New Labour Party', and thus Blair felt he couldn't hand over the reins of power.
*British troops in Afghanistan. He argues that we needed to do something to try and help bring order to the country, eliminate the Taliban, and reduce their reliance on poppy as a farmed crop. Later we were to experience the unexpected difficulties of keeping an ongoing presence there. Our experience in Afghanistan should have been short, sharp and decisive, but instead the situation dragged on and on, and the British people did not have the will for that sort of protracted situation.
*The invasion of Iraq. Blair still argues that Saddam had plans for weapons of mass destruction. He says that Saddam kept the scientists able to make the weapons, even if he had destroyed the facilities for making them. Blair feels that had we lifted sanctions on Iraq those scientists would have started working on wmds again. He also feels, in spite of the fighting, that the average Iraqi is better off now than they would have been under Saddam's continuing rule.
*The fox hunting ban. Blair said he had absolutely no idea the furore this would cause nor the number of people it would inflame (from both sides of the argument). He wished he had never made it an issue in the first place.
*The uproar over MPs expenses - Blair says that MPs are underpaid, and expenses were understandably used to top up income.


THINGS BLAIR WAS THWARTED IN ACHIEVING:

*Management of immigration issues - primarily his inability to lessen the endless beaucracy involved in trying to return economic migrants to their country of origin. He is at pains to point out that he is not anti-immigration per-se, just anti illegal immigration.
*Difficulties in reforming the criminal justice system "This seemed impervious to any reform beyond the further entrenching of rights for offenders and every more bureaucratic processes encumbering the police"
*The introduction of identity cards - which he feels would have particularly helped with illegal immigration. He also argues that they are used successfully in many well-functioning democracies.
*The introduction of GM foods, which he supported.
*Changing the gambling laws to allow super casinos in this country, with American financial backing. He felt this would have rejuvenated many seaside towns, and encouraged tourists.

THINGS BLAIR SAID HE DID WRONG:

*Encouraging the Freedom of Information act, which came through in January 2005. I was an absolute idiot to urge this upon us. The information sought isn't by the general public, it's by journalists - and it is used to hit politicians over the head. But another reason it is terribly bad is that governments need to be able to debate with confidentiality. This is essential. Without confidentiality, people are inhibited and that is not conducive to good decision-making."

I apologise that the above is just a synopsis of Blair's activities (and probably a pretty patchy one at that). It will however be a helpful record for me to keep. I feel there are several elephants in the room which I have not addressed. My pulse indeed throbs at some of the issues mentioned, but I (rightly) have not the confidence to pontificate upon them in public.

A big thank you to my pal Kate - who banged my inbox every day with furious emails whilst I read this book. She says everyone calls Blair "Teflon Tony", because he is so impervious to anyone else's point of view. Now I think she may be right on that….