Tony Blair's Decade
Coming into Office
After 13 years of conservative leadership in Britain, the Labour Party won a landslide victory in the general election in May 1997. This made Tony Blair, leader and reformer of the Labour Party, the youngest prime minister since 1812. With fresh and more pro-market ideas within his own party and priorities like "education, education and education," people's expectations were high.
Good Friday Agreement
One of the most important achievements during Blair's first term was the signing of the Belfast Agreement on April 10, 1998. This was a big step towards peace in Northern Ireland, due to the fact that British and Irish governments and most Northern Irish parties agreed on the use of "exclusively peaceful and democratic means" by all parties. Most importantly, the majority of voters of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland approved the document as well.
Kosovo War
At the time of the Kosovo conflict in 1999, Blair played a decisive role by advocating that NATO deal more consequentially with Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. Blair also supported the use of ground forces, if necessary, In the same year he was awarded the Charlemagne Award in Aachen, Germany.
War in Afghanistan
In the 2001 general election, Blair was voted into office again, becoming the first Labour Prime Minister in British history to win a full second term -- which turned out to be a particularly decisive one. After the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, Blair immediately declared Britain's solidarity with America. The US and Britain led the aerial bombing campaign in Afghanistan as part of the US-led war on terrorism and Blair repeatedly demanded the support of NATO troops.
Domestic Politics
After Blair had promised in his 2001 election campaign to improve public services, he raised taxes in 2002 in order to increase spending on health and education. The move sparked criticism of the Conservatives. Nevertheless, Blair aimed for reforms in the health care system and allowed hospitals more financial autonomy. Discussions over university fees and further problems in the Northern Ireland peace process also took the spotlight during this time.
Iraq War
In 2003, Blair proved his solidarity with the US again by fiercely supporting President George W. Bush's invasion of Iraq, backing up his stance with allegations of weapons of mass destruction in the country. Forty-six thousand British troops participated in the invasion. When no weapons of mass destruction were found, Europe and the world quickly split into two camps and Blair, along with Bush, was harshly criticized for his role in the invasion of Iraq.
Blair in the EU
When the treaty establishing a European constitution was to be signed in 2004, Blair postponed the British referendum after the rejection by France and the Netherlands. It remains doubtful whether Britons would have approved it. Just last week at the EU's treaty summit in Brussels, Britain approved a whittled-down version of the document after hours of negotiation and compromise.
London Bombings
On July 7, 2005, Blair was confronted with terrorism in Britain: Four suicide bombings on London subway trains and a bus led to 56 deaths. 700 were injured. A second series of explosions followed on July 21, 2005. Blair kept up his confidence and spoke publicly about defending the British way of life, maintaining the strength to overcome the events and the importance of not being intimidated.
Resignation
After months of insinuations, speculations, rumors and a letter by several Labour Party MPs, Blair finally announced his last day in office: June 27. The Labour Party has selected Gordon Brown, formerly the party's treasury chief, as Blair's successor.