A Journey

The memoirs of Tony Blair - a worldwide publishing sensation

Written in a congenial style peppered with slang and gossipy asides. At one moment he is the bloke in the pub. The next, he is Churchill

This is a more honest political memoir than most and more open in many respects than I had anticipated. He is compellingly candid about how scared he was when he first became prime minister . . . He is unusually direct about his calculations, even when they don't reflect well on him . . . He admits to stretching the truth beyond `breaking point' to secure a settlement in Northern Ireland. Even when the lies are told in a noble cause, few politicians are honest enough to admit that they sometimes feel compelled to be deceivers

He is by turns outspoken, provocative, unrepentant, often serious, sometimes funny

Tony Blair's memoir is part psychodrama, part treatise on the frustrations of leadership in a modern democracy . . . The book's broader purpose is to preserve his legacy, settling scores, justifying the war against Iraq, and mounting a defiant plea to his party to keep faith with New Labour . . . Blair comes across as likable, if manipulative; capable of dissembling while wonderfully fluent; in short, a brilliant modern politician

This is substantial, thoughtful book and on the whole well written . . . My judgment is that he has for the most part set down honestly his version of events and attempted seriously to engage with his critics

The fascination of the British public with Tony Blair is almost on the scale of his fascination with his own relationship to them

Prime Ministerial memoirs are traditionally stuffy, formal and guarded, as though written under police caution. Tony Blair's are nothing of the sort . . . his memoirs are chummy, colloquial, impulsive and rash . . . it is this candour that makes the book so readable

As this book immodestly reveals, Tony Blair was, and remains, a remarkable influence on politics, both domestically and internationally

What makes his memoir so absorbing as it swings from clever phrase-making and thoughtful contemporary history to wince-inducing self-analysis, is that he is the first of a generation of politicians to conduct their craft as if observing themselves from an amused an admiring distance - and then to write about it. No recent politician has examines his own motives and psychology quite so candidly

It is the small revelations about the character of Blair that make this book worthwhile

It's a gripping insight into the ex-PM's ten years of power . . . It will take a lot for many people to read his own take on the rise and fall of New Labour, but those that do might be reminded of the charm and vision that swept him to power

I have read many a prime ministerial memoir and none of the other authors has been as self-deprecating, as willing to admit mistakes and to tell jokes against themselves

Paints a candid picture of his friend and rival, Gordon Brown, and of their relationship

Tony Blair was born in Edinburgh in 1953. He became MP for Sedgefield in 1983, leader of the Labour Party in 1994, and was prime minister of the United Kingdom from May 1997 to June 2007. 
 
Since leaving Downing Street, Tony Blair has served as the Quartet Representative to the Middle East, working with the Palestinians on behalf of the USA, UN, Russia and EU to prepare for statehood as part of the international community's effort to secure peace. 
 
In May 2008 he launched the Tony Blair Faith Foundation which promotes respect and understanding between the major religions and makes the case for faith as a force for good in the modern world. 
 
His Africa Governance Initiative works with leaders and their governmentson policy delivery and attracting sustainable investment in Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Liberia. 
 
As the first major head of government to bring climate change to the top of the international political agenda at the 2005 G8 summit, Tony Blair works with world leaders to build consensus on an international climate policy framework. 
 
In recognition of his debt to the North East of England, he has launched The Tony Blair Sports Foundation, to increase opportunities for young people to participate in sport. 
 
He is married to Cherie Booth QC, and they have four children.

In 1997, Tony Blair won the biggest Labour victory in history to sweep the party to power and end eighteen years of Conservative government. He remains the only living Labour leader to have won a general election. 
 
He has been one of the most dynamic leaders of modern times; few British prime ministers have shaped the nation's course as profoundly as Blair during his ten years in power, and his achievements and his legacy will be debated for years to come. 
 
His memoirs reveal in intimate detail this unique political and personal journey, providing an insight into the man, the politician and the statesman, and charting successes, controversies and disappointments with an extraordinary candour. 
 
A Journey will prove essential and compulsive reading for anyone who wants to understand the complexities of our global world. As an account of the nature and uses of power, it will also have a readership that extends well beyond politics, to all those who want to understand the challenges of leadership today.

Tony Blair

A brilliant, unusual book . . . What this book captures about Blair is not just his mastery of the political arts, but his infectious optimism about politics itself. The book is informed, intelligent and interesting — but it is more than that. It is the most practically useful guide to politics I have ever read . . . It’s the lifetime learnings of a once leader for current and future leaders.

The book is engaging, insightful, provocative and derisive of “place-holder” leaders who lack the grit to be “a change-maker”

A fascinating treatise on leadership . . . The best bits of the book – and they are genuinely very good – are the passages offering advice on how to cope with the personal burdens of leadership, from dealing with the pressures of social media, to developing a hinterland, avoiding hubris, and knowing when to leave the stage . . . There is much to learn from On Leadership, and I am glad Blair has written it. It will fascinate anyone interested in the art of governing, even in the abstract – and represents a good investment of time for anyone in or aspiring to political leadership.

‘Tantalising, fascinating and insightful . . . worth reading if you want to understand why some governments and political movements succeed and others fail.’

‘[Blair’s] institute has given him a perspective no other leading British politician can rival . . . The result is a profoundly non-insular analysis . . . full of practical advice . . . Useful and timely . . . [Blair] is a deeply thoughtful, highly experienced and self-critical man who deserves to be taken seriously by anyone interested in how democratic power is effectively wielded.’

Filled with ideas and insight for every reader.

On Leadership . . . is the sort of book any leader or aspiring leader, political or otherwise, will benefit from reading. It's punchy, full of good advice and, coming from someone who has been there and seen it all, they might be more likely to listen.

A punchy, didactic, believe-me-I've-done-it guide to doing politics successfully.

Upbeat, stimulating . . . this clever, punchy and often inspiring book shows why so many people were once willing to follow him.

This is a book by a mechanic, not a magician. It is all the better for it . . . Interesting [and] poignant . . . It is as helpful a guide as is possible for success in political life and not just survival. As the success of governments matters to more than just those who serve in them, this book deserves to be read by more than the small group who aspire to be Taoisigh or ministers.

Worldly and peppy. But it’s still unmistakably him. On Leadership is surprisingly forthcoming.

The Prime Minister could learn a lot by diving into Blair’s surprising new book, On Leadership. Essentially, it’s a kind of how-to business book for heads of state and has advice on everything from the difference between tactics and strategy, how to successfully marshal your troops, and how not to get bogged down by the glue of government . . . On Leadership is an often fascinating look under the political bonnet.

Lessons for the 21st Century

Tony Blair learnt the precepts of governing the hard way: by leading a country for over ten years. In that time he came to understand that there are certain key characteristics of successful government that he wished he had known about when he started. 
 
Now he has written the manual on political leadership that he would have wanted when he first took office in 1997, sharing the insights he has gained from his personal experience and from observing other world leaders at first hand, both while he was prime minister and since, through his Institute’s work with political leaders and governments globally. 
 
Written in short, pithy chapters, packed with examples drawn from all forms of political systems from around the world, the book answers the key questions: How should a leader organise the centre of government and their office? How should they prioritise and develop the right plan and hire the right personnel, cope with unforeseen events and crises, and balance short-term wins with longterm structural change? What’s the best way to deal with an obstructive or inert bureaucracy, to attract investment, to reform healthcare or education, and to ensure security for the citizen? And how should governments harness the massive opportunities of the 21st-century technological revolution? 
 
This is a masterclass on leadership in general, and political leadership in particular, from a master statesman.

Tony Blair

Praise for On Leadership

A brilliant, unusual book . . . What this book captures about Blair is not just his mastery of the political arts, but his infectious optimism about politics itself. The book is informed, intelligent and ...

The book is engaging, insightful, provocative and derisive of “place-holder” leaders who lack the grit to be “a change-maker”

A fascinating treatise on leadership . . . The best bits of the book – and they are genuinely very good – are the passages offering advice on how to cope with the personal burdens of leadership, from d ...

A brilliant, unusual book . . . What this book captures about Blair is not just his mastery of the political arts, but his infectious optimism about politics itself. The book is informed, intelligent and ...

The book is engaging, insightful, provocative and derisive of “place-holder” leaders who lack the grit to be “a change-maker”

A fascinating treatise on leadership . . . The best bits of the book – and they are genuinely very good – are the passages offering advice on how to cope with the personal burdens of leadership, from d ...

A brilliant, unusual book . . . What this book captures about Blair is not just his mastery of the political arts, but his infectious optimism about politics itself. The book is informed, intelligent and ...

The book is engaging, insightful, provocative and derisive of “place-holder” leaders who lack the grit to be “a change-maker”

A fascinating treatise on leadership . . . The best bits of the book – and they are genuinely very good – are the passages offering advice on how to cope with the personal burdens of leadership, from d ...

Books by Tony Blair

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