Tony Blair/Addendum: Difference between revisions
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=="The Brothers" (1983-1994)== | =="The Brothers" (1983-1994)== | ||
When he was elected as a Member of Parliament at the age of 32, Gordon Brown was already an established figure in the Labour party, having been elected to its Scottish executive at the age of 24. According to Tony Blair's biographer, Anthony Seldon<ref name=AS>Anthony Seldon: ''Blair'', Free Press, 2004)</ref> | When he was elected as a Member of Parliament at the age of 32, Gordon Brown was already an established figure in the Labour party, having been elected to its Scottish executive at the age of 24. According to Tony Blair's biographer, Anthony Seldon<ref name=AS>Anthony Seldon: ''Blair'', Free Press, 2004)</ref> | ||
he was clearly the star of the 1983 intake of Labour MPs, whereas Tony Blair was a relative newcomer, having unexpectedly been elected in the same year. They soon acquired, what Tony Blair has described as "genuine and sincere liking for each other" <ref>TB p68</ref>. For the next nine years they were virtually inseparable. They shared a tiny office at No1 Parliament Street and they were so often seen together that they became known as "the brothers". They were both recognised as high fliers by the party's seniors, but Tony was regarded as the protegé of the more experienced Gordon. | he was clearly the star of the 1983 intake of Labour MPs, whereas Tony Blair was a relative newcomer, having unexpectedly been elected in the same year. They soon acquired, what Tony Blair has described as "genuine and sincere liking for each other" <ref name=TB68>TB p68</ref>. For the next nine years they were virtually inseparable. They shared a tiny office at No1 Parliament Street and they were so often seen together that they became known as "the brothers". They were both recognised as high fliers by the party's seniors, but Tony was regarded as the protegé of the more experienced Gordon. In the early years of their relationship, Tony Blair was later to recall that he had obtained his grounding in politics from Gordon Brown: "he taught me the business of politics in roughly the same way as Derry<ref>Derry Irvine, later to become Lord Chancellor</ref> taught me the business of the Bar"<ref name=TB68/>. | ||
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==Partners in opposition (1983-1994)== | ==Partners in opposition (1983-1994)== | ||
Revision as of 03:59, 6 September 2010
Tony Blair and Gordon Brown
Introduction
Much of the contemporary comment on Tony Blair's premiership in the British press was about his strained relationship with Gordon Brown. Since much of what passed between them is known only to them, it is unlikely that an objective account of the matter will ever be available. Witness statements, in the form of memoirs[1] and interviews[2] by Tony Blair as one of the protagonists, and Peter Mandelson, their mutual colleague and confidante, became available for the first time, three or four years latter, in the Summer of 2010. There was no record available at that time of a corresponding statement by Gordon Brown.
"The Brothers" (1983-1994)
When he was elected as a Member of Parliament at the age of 32, Gordon Brown was already an established figure in the Labour party, having been elected to its Scottish executive at the age of 24. According to Tony Blair's biographer, Anthony Seldon[3] he was clearly the star of the 1983 intake of Labour MPs, whereas Tony Blair was a relative newcomer, having unexpectedly been elected in the same year. They soon acquired, what Tony Blair has described as "genuine and sincere liking for each other" [4]. For the next nine years they were virtually inseparable. They shared a tiny office at No1 Parliament Street and they were so often seen together that they became known as "the brothers". They were both recognised as high fliers by the party's seniors, but Tony was regarded as the protegé of the more experienced Gordon. In the early years of their relationship, Tony Blair was later to recall that he had obtained his grounding in politics from Gordon Brown: "he taught me the business of politics in roughly the same way as Derry[5] taught me the business of the Bar"[4].
References
The memoirs by Tony Blair and Peter Mandelson are denoted (TB) and (PM) and their interviews by Andrew Marr are denoted (TB/AM) and (PM/AM).