Blair to stand down on June 27

Level 3 Advanced
1

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text
tribute
thump

failings
steadfast

legacy
motion

unrelenting
putsch

zeal
saga

1. A ____________ person is one who doesnt change their opinions or actions because they have a strong
belief in something.
2.____________pressureorcriticismcontinueswithoutstoppingandisdifculttodealwith.
3. If a person has ____________, they have weak points that make them less effective.
4. A ____________ is a formal proposal that people discuss and then vote on in a meeting or debate.
5. If you pay ____________ to someone, you praise them publicly.
6. A ____________ is an attempt made by a group of people to get rid of a government or a leader.
7. ____________ is great energy, effort and enthusiasm.
8.Ifyou____________somethingyouhititveryhardwithyourst.
9. A ____________ is a long series of events, or a description of them.
10. A persons ____________ is something that they have achieved that will continue to exist after they stop
working or die.

What do you know?

Do you think these statements are True (T) or False (F)? Check your answers in the text.

1. Tony Blair has been prime minister of the UK for 10 years.

2. Blair became UK prime minister in 1996.
3. Blairs likely successor is Gordon Brown.
4. Blair is 64 years old.
5.BlairwastherstLabourleadertowinthreesuccessiveelections.

O
H

CA

NEWS LESSONS / Blair to stand down on June 27 / Advanced

Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

O
FR BE C
O DO O
M W P
W N IA
EB LO B
SI A L
TE DE E
D

6. Blair will hand over to the next prime minister in 2 years time.

Blair to stand down on June 27

Level 3 Advanced
6

table in appreciation, according to Mr Blairs

ofcialspokesman.WhileMrBlairewtothe
north-east, the likely next prime minister was in
the Commons, answering questions about the
economy. There are, of course, 600,000 job
vacancies in the economy theres one more
today actually as a result of announcements that
have just been made, Gordon Brown joked to
laughter from all sides.

Tributeshavealreadystartedowingintothe
departing 54-year old prime minister, whose
future plans are not yet clear. Former US
secretary of state Colin Powell said Mr Blair had
an enormous impact on world politics, and he
certainly has had an enormous impact on the
special relationship between the United States
and Great Britain. He has been a friend, he has
been steadfast in the face of negative public
opinion, and in the face of crises hes stood
steady. And we could always count on him.

LindseyGerman,convenoroftheStoptheWar
coalition,said:Wecannotletthisdaypass
without marking the deadly legacy of Tony Blair
with the war in Iraq, but this is about the future
as well.

Meanwhile,theLiberalDemocratsdemanded
an immediate general election to legitimize Mr
Blairs successor. The party leader, Sir Menzies
Campbell, has tabled a Commons motion calling
on the Queen to dissolve parliament immediately,
since Mr Blair promised to serve a full third term
in2005.MrBrown,facingananciallystraitened
Labourpartyandpooropinionpolls,ishighly
unlikely to grant that request.

Matthew Tempest
May 10, 2007

2 He dealt directly with Iraq, many peoples

perception as his ultimate legacy, saying: The
criticismsince...hasbeenerce,unrelentingand
costly. But he insisted: The terrorists will never
give up if we give up.
3 Mr Blair admitted that in May 1997, when
Labourtookoverafter18yearsofToryrule,
expectations were too high. But he added:
I would not want it any other way. I was, and
remain, an optimist. Pointing to Africa, climate
change and globalization, he declared Britain had
changed under his 10-year leadership, saying:
Britain is not a follower, Britain is a leader. He
made no reference as to whether he would stay
on as an MP.
4 Mr Blair acknowledged he had been accused
of messianic zeal, but said as prime minister,
overissuessuchasSierraLeone,Kosovoand
then Afghanistan and Iraq, you were alone with
your instinct.
5 Earlier,thePMhadconrmedtothecabinethe
would announce his plans to step down, joking
it was not quite a normal day. The meeting
ended with the entire cabinet thumping the

10 MrBlairwasuniqueamongLabourleadersin
winning three successive elections. Although
announcing before the 2005 contest he would
serveafullthirdterm,aminiputschbyLabour
MPslastautumnforcedhimtoconrmhewould
standdownwithinayear.Thenalactofthat
saga was enacted today.

Guardian News & Media 2007

First published in The Guardian, 10/5/07

O
H
P

CA

NEWS LESSONS / Blair to stand down on June 27 / Advanced

Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

O
FR BE C
O DO O
M W P
W N IA
EB LO B
SI A L
TE DE E
D

1 Tony Blair today announced he was stepping

down after 10 years as prime minister and 13 as
Labourleader.Theprimeministertoldacrowdof
supporters he would stand down as PM on June
27. He will tender his resignation to the Queen
on that day. In an emotional speech, he said the
judgment on his 10-year administration was for
you, the people, to make. Mr Blair paid special
tribute to his wife and children who never let me
forget my failings. But he concluded: Hand on
heart, I did what I thought was right. I may have
been wrong - thats your call. But I did what I
thought was right for our country. This country is
a blessed country. The British are special. The
world knows it, we know it, this is the greatest
country on earth.

Blair to stand down on June 27

Blair to stand down on June 27

Level 3 Advanced
3 Comprehension check
Choose the best answer according to the text.
1. How did Blair describe his actions while he was prime minister?
a. He did what his heart told him to do.
b. He did what his head told him to do.
c. He did what he thought was best for the country.
2. How did former US secretary of state Colin Powell describe Blair?
a. As a defender of the special relationship between the US and Britain.
b. As a loyal friend of the US.
c. As a negative factor in public opinion.
3.WhyhavetheLiberalDemocratsdemandedanimmediategeneralelection?
a. Because they think they can win an election at this time.
b. Because Blair promised to serve a full third term.
c. Because they want the Queen to dissolve Parliament.
4.PeoplehaveaccusedBlairofmessianiczeal.Whatdoesthismean?
a. He was over-enthusiastic in his attempts to change society.
b. He made a lot of serious errors.
c. He worked so hard that he rarely had enough sleep and sometimes lacked energy.

4 Vocabulary 1: Phrasal verbs

a. to begin to do something someone else was doing

2. give up

b. to leave a job or position, especially an important one

3. take over

c. to take action to do something

4. stay on

d. to rely on

5. deal with

e. to remain in a job longer than you intended to

6. count on

f. to stop doing something you are trying hard to do

O
H
P

CA

NEWS LESSONS / Blair to stand down on June 27 / Advanced

Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

1. step/stand down

O
FR BE C
O DO O
M W P
W N IA
EB LO B
SI A L
TE DE E
D

Matchthesephrasalverbswiththeirdenitions.

Blair to stand down on June 27

Level 3 Advanced
5 Vocabulary 2: Find the word
Lookinthetextandndthesewords.

1. An adjective meaning protected by God. (para 1)

2. An adjective meaning involving a lot of force or energy. (para 2)
3. An adjective meaning nal. (para 2)
4. A noun meaning a group of advisers chosen by the leader of a government. (para 5)
5. A noun meaning effectorinuence. (para 7)
6. A noun meaning someone who organizes the meetings of a committee. (para 8)
7. A verb meaning to make something legal. (para 9)
8. A two-word expression meaning havingnancialproblems. (para 9)

6 Vocabulary 3: Collocations
Match the words in the left-hand column with the words they go with in the right-hand column.

1. grant

a. ones resignation

2. tender

b. parliament

3. table

c. criticism

4. high

d. change

5.erce e.opinion
6. climate

f. a request

7. public

g. expectations

8. dissolve

h. a motion

7 Discussion

O
H

CA

NEWS LESSONS / Blair to stand down on June 27 / Advanced

Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

O
FR BE C
O DO O
M W P
W N IA
EB LO B
SI A L
TE DE E
D

Whatdoyouthinkofpoliticians?Cantheyreallychangesocietyforthebetteroraretheyinpoliticsforselsh
reasons?