Last Day – 52 Books in 52 Weeks

Prime Minister Tony Blair’s book, A Journey: My Political Life was the final book in my 52 books in 52 weeks series. Though I don’t agree with all of his policies, I think overall he was the right man in the right office at the right time. His dedication to the war in Iraq, understanding the consequences of having to see it through despite the onslaught of the media, shows how much backbone this guy has.

The book starts with his first foray into politics, which if you’re unfamiliar with the British Parliamentary system, makes for some slow reading. I had to look up several terms. Then there’s the fact that I didn’t know half the people he was talking about… so that took a while to get used to the names and what positions they held.

Once you got past the first few chapters, however, things picked up. He talks about his passion for New Labour (as opposed to the traditional Labour movement) and really spells out what their positions are. Throughout the book, Tony wastes no time in telling the reader what his position was, why he believes it was the right position, and what he had to go through to get the policy implemented, who he had to fight, and how the public and media responded.

More than President Bush’s book, Decision Points, Blair lays out far more information regarding the decision to invade Iraq. He even goes so far as to dedicated to pages to a table of United Nations resolutions that had been imposed on Iraq, and if they were complying. He draws from various intelligence reports as well as the inquiries that were made following the invasion.

One thing is for sure, Tony Blair is very comprehensive in laying out everything for the reader. He makes sure you understand every detail and why it’s important.

He also has a great sense of humor. You can be in the thick of the Northern Ireland negotiations and he drops in a funny anecdote. Then at times he comes off as a little arrogant, but I think that’s just a matter of his passion for what he was doing at the time.

As for his friendship with Bill Clinton and George Bush… he states that his political views are more in line with Clinton’s, and expresses how brilliant he thinks Clinton is and why. But he shows as much enthusiasm for George Bush and states that they’re two entirely different men but that doesn’t mean he can’t be friends with both, nor admire them both. At one point, when discussing a G8 Summit (the year the London rail system was bombed by terrorists), he states that no world leader would make a move unless Bush led the way. If Bush didn’t go for it, Blair knew the others would jump ship.

Anyway, a good read and gives insight into many world leaders, especially Tony Blair himself.