{"product_id":"tony-blair-by-steve-richards-9781800754409","title":"Tony Blair","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'One of the shrewdest political commentators we have'\u003c\/em\u003e Andrew Marr\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWas Tony Blair a visionary, impatiently looking ahead, or a leader trapped by his past—Labour's vote-losing 1980s and the dominance of Margaret Thatcher? Was the party's move to the right under Blair necessary in order for them to win, or could they, after 18 years of Tory rule, have afforded to be more daring and more left wing than their leader wished to recognise?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn Steve Richards's short, provocative and highly engaging new biography, \u003cem\u003eTony Blair\u003c\/em\u003e, he argues that Blair was often the opposite of what we remember him being: perceived as a 'moderniser', he sought to strengthen the traditional institutions that partly define the UK, from the monarchy to the military; while to Margaret Thatcher's public appreciation he cemented her economic legacy rather than moved on from it. And, while he was viewed as messianic over Iraq, he was, in fact, being characteristically expedient, clinging to the orthodoxy in which the UK stands shoulder to shoulder with the US in war.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBut the UK in 2007 was undoubtedly a different country to the one it had been in 1997: from devolution, which played its part in establishing peace in Northern Ireland, to civil partnerships and a revived NHS, Blair left Britain in a much better place. While his legacy has been overshadowed by the Iraq war, \u003cem\u003eTony Blair\u003c\/em\u003e re-establishes a more rounded view of his time in office, and shows that the challenges facing Blair were the ones that still face Labour today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47341600506092,"sku":"9781800754409","price":37.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/3644183482829.jpg?v=1772193020","url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/products\/tony-blair-by-steve-richards-9781800754409","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}