Tony Blair - An Analysis - Introduction

As Britain enters a new phase of leadership with Gordon Brown, much has been made of the legacy left by Tony Blair, particularly those seeking to deride his premiership and the changes that have been made. No-one can deny that the Blair years have seen great changes in Britain, and even his staunchest critics admit that Tony Blair was instrumental in these changes. Instead they seek to carp the achievements relentlessly. Too many people, in my view, are quick to stress the problems that have been encountered over the last 10 years rather than the successes. Undoubtedly this is due to the fact that any leader, in the closing phases of their tenure, comes under much greater criticism. An analysis of many British PMs is sufficient.
More importantly, however, the Conservative party have successfully repositioned themselves since the 1997 general election debacle to hold a more central ground in British politics, and have also lost some of their air of stuffiness and middle-class appeal. The Conservatives are in a much better position to attack the Labour government with the failures of their term in Government very much consigned to the history books.
Some of the criticism is undoubtedly due. Government heavy-handedness and relentless cuts in the National Health Service have certainly damaged the ability of hospitals to provide treatment and care, and severe criticism will always be made of the handling of doctor training under Patricia Hewitt.
Similarly, there will be those who will always find fault the Government’s decision to send troops into Iraq. The invasion is certainly the most controversial issue of the Blairite years, and those opposed to the war will constantly use the loss of life and failure to rebuild Iraq quickly as ammunition to attack the Labour party.
However, there have been significant improvements in Britain as a result of a Labour Government in a variety of policy areas.
Economically Britain has prospered, with the Chancellor, now Prime Minister, Gordon Brown orchestrating the oft-quoted ‘longest period of economic growth in contemporary British history.’ Although house prices have risen considerably along with interest rates, the overall wealth and productivity of the nation has risen out of all proportion to other western EU countries.
Constitutional and legal reform has also been a key area of legislative success for the Labour Government, with the introduction of the Human Rights Act of 1998 and successive reductions in the numbers of hereditary peers in the House of Lords. Both of these mark significant steps in improving the democratic process and nature of the UK’s constitution.
I hope, in a series of articles, to analyse in a very amateur way, the success of the Labour party under Tony Blair over the last 10 years in many areas of policy and governance. I am a Labour voter, and I believe my analysis will reflect that. However, I recognise that there are faults, and that mistakes have been made, just as I consider their have been successes. I shall try to be as impartial as possible in my approach and judgement in order to produce a successful analysis of the Blair years.