Tony Blair Book

In 1995 John Rentoul wrote his first Tony Blair biography. Six years on he has written another that he says is neither a wholesale revision of his earlier work nor the same book with new material tacked on. Entirely appropriate to his subject, Rentoul has come up with a third way. What we get is the original book tweaked to take into account Rentoul's reassessments--such as Blair's Christianity running deeper and establishing itself earlier than was first realised--and an ongoing account of Blair's time in office. And on the whole it works very well. Rentoul is scrupulously fair and every action and event is weighed from every angle before judgement is delivered. However, while this approach may be authoritative it doesn't necessarily make for a fluent read and there are several occasions when the book grinds to a standstill under the weight of its own scholarship. For instance, at one point Rentoul spends several pages cross-examining old acquaintances to determine whether Blair had ever smoked dope, before concluding that he hadn't. Predictably, as the narrative moves past Blair's election in 1997, the book becomes less personal; partly this is because--Baby Leo and Euan's night in Leicester Square apart--Blair has pulled down the shutters on his personal life in favour of his reinvention as the embodiment of the 21st century statesman, and partly because his life, to a large extent, became his job. Rentoul takes us through New Labour's achievements and his overall verdict is a cautious thumbs up, though whenever an issue appears ambivalent he seems happy to give Blair the benefit of the doubt. His opinion that firing Peter Mandelson for a second time has left Blair untainted is one that would surprise many--the Prime Minister included. Rentoul has indicated that he still sees this book as work in progress and there is certainly enough material to justify a second book. But he would be well advised to hang fire for a good many years before he completes the trilogy. --John CraceRead More