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Article: JUST WHO IS TONY BLAIR?; Political genius who made Labour electable again - or a chameleon who believes in nothing? As he approaches his landmark 50th birthday, a devastating critique of the Blair premiership.
- Article from:
- Daily Mail (London)
- Article date:
- April 19, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Solo Syndication Limited. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: PETER OBORNE
REACHING 50 is a bracing moment for anyone. Any pretensions to youth must be finally dropped. It is no longer promise but achievement which matters. For Tony Blair, the moment is especially bracing.
Nine years ago, in a private discussion, he gave Gordon Brown reason to believe that he would step down from office around his 50th birthday.
He will break that promise. His friends say that is because he is a different person today than he was nine years ago. They mean that, for the first time, he has become his own man.
Scroll back only ten years to May 6, 1993, when Blair celebrated his 40th birthday at his home in ...