june 2007 uppersecondary students

PHOTOCOPIABLE

Bye Bye Mr. Blair: the end of a political era

A long-expected exit

It was hardly a surprise in the end
when on 10 May Tony Blair finally
announced his intention to step
down as Prime Minister. There had
been endless speculation in the me-
dia about the exact date, but it was
well known that he was planning
to leave 10 Downing Street sooner
rather than later.

The route to the top

Tony Blair is a Scot, born
in Edinburgh, the capital of Scot-
land, but his political career is very
much an English one. His first at-
tempt to win election was not very
successful, however: he scored only
10% of the vote and lost his deposit
(the money candidates have to pay
to take part in elections). Success
came in 1983, when he was elected
to Parliament, representing the con-
stituency of Sedgefield in the north-
east of England. In 1994 Blair was
elected leader of the Labour Party
and he spent the next years, as he

described it, modernising the party
and making its policies more cen-
trist. In 1997 he defeated the ruling
Conservative Party and became the
first Labour Prime Minister for 18
years.

Blair as Prime Minister

From the beginning Blair’s govern-
ment focused on improving public
services like education and health.
The idea was to do this with money
and reforms: spending was increased
steadily and market-like mechan-
isms were introduced to try to in-
crease efficiency. Standards have
improved, though how far this is the
result of the reforms is open
to discussion.

How will Blair be remem-
bered?

However, some important points
are clear, on both the positive and
the negative sides. He will probably
be most warmly remembered as the
man who helped to bring peace

to Northern Ireland. His predeces-
sors may have started the process,
but it is Blair’s patience and energy
which is credited with bringing
about the current peaceful and stable
situation where power is shared by
both the catholic and protestant
communities. Indeed, his popularity
has already fallen very low as a re-
sult.
Whatever one’s opinion of the Blair
governments’ policies, however,
Blair will be remembered as a win-
ner more than anything else. He has
won three general elections in a row,
has been Prime Minister for a dec-
ade and has been the dominant poli-
tician of his generation.

What next?

The next Prime Minister will

be the Chancellor of the Exchequer
(Secretary of State for Finance)
Gordon Brown. Certainly less cha-
rismatic than Blair but highly intel-
ligent and determined, his attempts
to step into Blair’s shoes will be
carefully watched.

Key dates in Tony Blair’s
political career

1983

Blair is elected to Parliament for the first time

1994

Blair is elected Leader of the Labour Party

1997

Blair wins the general election and becomes the youngest Prime Minister since 1812

2001

Blair wins a second term as Prime Minister

2005

Blair wins a third term as Prime Minister

2007

Blair announces his decision to step down as Prime Minister

PETER MORAN
JUNE 2007

After a decade as Prime Minister, To-
ny Blair is stepping down. How will
the UK remember him?

TONY
BLAIR

Crown Copyright

PHOTOCOPIABLE

around English

activities sheet

Before you read

Look at the statements about Tony Blair below. True or false?
Tony Blair is English.

T ☐ F ☐

He was successful from the very beginning.

T ☐ F ☐

He is the leader of the Labour Party.

T ☐ F ☐

He became leader of his party very quickly.

T ☐ F ☐

As leader, Blair made his party’s programme more moderate.

T ☐ F ☐

Blair is still as popular today as ever.

T ☐ F ☐

First reading

Read the text quickly to check your answers.

Connections in the text

Four sentences have been taken out of the text. Where should they go? NB - they are not in the right order.

Time will tell if he can step out of Blair’s shadow.

It is, of course, impossible to say with any certainty.

Other policies of Blair’s governments include
introducing a minimum wage, devolving power to
Scotland and Wales and introducing university tuition
fees.

On the other hand, Blair’s involvement of the UK in the
invasion of Iraq will cast a shadow over his
achievements.

Vocabulary 1

Ten words and phrases in the text are underlined. Match them to the definitions below.

someone who takes a job or position previously held by
someone else

someone who had your job before you started doing it

a group of people who have the same interests, religion,
race etc

when people vote to choose someone for an official
position

to give special attention to one particular person or
thing

to officially speak or take action for another person or
group of people

to make something such as a system or building more
modern

to officially tell people about something, especially
about a plan or a decision

a way of doing something that has been officially
agreed and chosen by a political party, business, or
other organization

the quality of doing something well and effectively,
without wasting time, money, or energy

(all definitions from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English)

PETER MORAN
JUNE 2007

PHOTOCOPIABLE

Vocabulary 2

Complete the sentences using one of the words above. You may need to change the form of the word.

1. In the United Kingdom, ____________________ must take place every five years.

2. George W. Bush is Bill Clinton’s ____________________ as President of the United States.

3. Bill Clinton was George W. Bush’s ____________________ as President of the United States.

4. There is a large Polish ____________________ in the UK now.

5. When two people get married, it is normal to ____________________ it in the local newspaper.

6. A political party’s ____________________ are published in its programme.

7. A lawyer ____________________ you in court.

8. It can cost a lot of money to ____________________ computer networks.

9. Modern car engines are much more ____________________ that older ones.

10. When you have an important job to do, it is important to ____________________ it and not get

distracted.

Word-building

Try to complete the table below. The first line is done for you as an example.

noun

person

adjective

verb

election

- - -

elected

elect

economy

politics

- - -

efficient

- - -

moderniser

- - -

government

- - -

succeed

speculate

Discussion

1. Tony Blair is very good at using the media but is sometimes accused of being too concerned with presentation.

Do you think politicians today are too concerned with the media and how they look or sound?

2. Do you find politics interesting? Why (not)? Do you plan to vote if you can in the next election? Why (not)?

3. Should politicians behave better than the majority of the population? Do they have a responsibility to set an ex-

ample?

4. What are the most important characteristics for a politician to be a success?