Book Review

A Journey
My Political Life

Tony Blair


I don't know much about British politics. If asked, I could name Margaret Thatcher, John Major, and Tony Blair as recent Prime Ministers, but before reading this book, I wouldn't have had a clue as to the names of the current Prime Minister and his predecessor.

This book took me an embarrassingly long time to read. Maybe it was because the first two chapters talk about British politics in a way that if you are an outsider to how things worked, you had to focus to figure out what he was talking about. Or maybe it's just a reflection on my American way of talking, thinking, etc. Whatever. I eventually figured out what was going on, and the story kept going anyhow.

Anyway, Tony Blair was Britan's leader during many of the major events in recent world history. He was Prime Minister from 1997 to 2007. Some of the memorable events during he tenure include: The death of Princess Diana, Kosovo, 9/11, Iraq II & Afghanistan, peace with Northern Ireland, and others. Lots of recent history.

I remember him most for standing by America after 9/11, even when others didn't want to. I thought his observations and recollections on things like Iraq were very interesting. And it's true that he stuck with it, even when it wasn't necessarily the popular thing to do. He still believes in using hard force when necessary, and using diplomacy when that tactic is more appropriate. Once the book got going, the stories he told were very interesting. I feel like I know lots more about what happened in England during the recent past, the last three years excepting...

The book wasn't just about British international relations during Tony Blair's tenure. He also pushed lots of domestic reform over his years in office, which were also interesting to read about. It sounds like the media hated him by the end of his time in office, so I guess that's a reason to like him, right?

Anyway, one of the things he talked about that I thought was interesting involved his feelings towards building peace in the world. Basically he believes that we need to understand people of other faiths, not just fear them or distrust them on principle. When we start to understand the way they think, it becomes easier to understand their point of view, and you can work towards peace. Many times, extremism from a small minority is the driving believe that is presented, which can be damaging.

It's a very large book, not one to try to rip through solely on a Saturday afternoon, but it's interesting, and provides lots of insights to British and International events over the past 14 years, give or take.