The British Presidency: Tony Blair and the Politics of Public Leadership

Foley (international politics, U. of Wales-Aberystwyth) finds British Prime Minister Blair's personal power to be best explained by comparison with the US presidency. Among the parallels he finds are an emphasis on individual leadership and communications, personal similarities between Blair and Bill Clinton, campaigning and governing styles, and interpreting events and developments. On the other hand, he points out, the similarities are merely formal and structural, and are often more or less direct criticism of Blair and the New Labour Party. Distributed in the US by St. Martin's Press. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)