On June 27 2007 Tony Blair the British Prime Minister stepped down after 10 years in office. His storied 10 years as PM ended with as much spectacle as it began. On July 1st 1997 the British Empire turned over control of Hong Kong to the Chinese in accordance with the treaty between the two countries. Ten years later, the day after Tony Blair stepped down a terrorist plot was broken causing the new PM to declare a serious terror alert.  

Tony Blair is well know for being a great friend to the United States. He stood by the US through the September eleventh terror attacks, and during the Iraq war. His Friendship, and alliance with an unpopular war in Iraq ended up to be his demise. Mr. Blair said in a speech after the attacks in the United States on September elevenths "This is not a battle between the United States of America and terrorism, but between the free and democratic world and terrorism." Mr. Bush quoted after Mr. Blair's speech "there is not truer friend to the United States then Great Britain."

Blair was born May six 1953 in Edinburgh, Scotland was the youngest PM in of the Twentieth Century of the British Parliament. In 1997 he took over from John Major to lead the labour party. Mr. Blair was a big part of the new labour movement, which reduced the involvement of the trade unions, and appealing more to the middle class. His reformation of the labour party brought him into power with a landslide victory Blair is know for bringing his party away from socialism, and shooting towards the future. 

In his Ten years of office Mr. Blair experienced a lot of events, and accomplishments. starting just after taking office in May 1997 Chancellor Gordon Brown gives back to the bank of England the freedom to set interest rates. July 1 1997 Hong Kong was returned to the Chinese, and later that summer in August Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris the PM gave a speech at her memorial service. In 1999 Britain was involved in the war in Kosovo in a bombing campaign that lasted eleven weeks. The campaign was to stop ethnic cleansing by Slobodan Milosevic. In 2001 the attacks in the United States he pledged his alliance to the United States pledging troops for the war in Afghanistan, and in Iraq. He was a major influence for peace in Northern Ireland, a conflict that dates back thirty years. Because of the Good Friday Peace Accord the region enjoys a peace not seen for a long time. Mr. Blair is also know for increasing spending on education, and health care while keeping taxes down. He also introduce Great Britain's first national minimum wage. Another accomplishment for Mr. Blair was the Devolution for Wales, and Scotland. While in office the British economy remained for the most part steady, and prosperous.

Mr. Blair was certainly a unique leader, he has had a tremendous amount of accomplishments as PM, and is widely regarded for his political Genius. His contributions to peace in Northern Ireland has left an ever lasting effect on that region. Because of his, and other's efforts Catholics, and Protestants now rule side by side. Something that seemed unimaginable when he first became PM. He stood by the United States, and other Nations and vowed Britain's support to end terrorism around the globe. He has been good friends with both presidents Clinton, and Bush. The shadow of the war in Iraq as well as his support of president Bush in the matter of the Iraq war was the reason for his resignation. The inability of to find the weapons of mass destruction, that the war was based on, has become increasingly unpopular in Great Britain with the a call from the majority of it's citizens for the government to remove it's troops. Mr. Blair has remained steadfast that Britain should remain until Iraq is stable. In my opinion this is the right call, while I believe the war was started on false pretense, at this point Britain, and the US have a responsibility to stabilize the country. Sadam was a bad guy, and I am not sorry he is gone. Other then then the misjudgments of the Iraq war, Mr. Blair as been a tremendous PM, and should be in the same company as Winston Churchill, and Margaret Thatcher. After his excellent work on the Good Friday accord I feel his next appointment though he will have his hands full in working on a peace in the Middle East. The Centuries old conflict will not be solved overnight, but Mr. Blair is the right man for the job. I tip my hat to the former PM.

My 10 cents worth of wisdom.  

Sources:

BBC News

Wikapedia