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''A Journey'' is a memoir by Tony Blair of his tenure as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Published in the UK on 1 September 2010, it covers events from when he became leader of the Labour Party in 1994 and transformed it into "New Labour", holding power for a party record three successive terms, to his resignation and replacement as Prime Minister by his Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown. Blair donated his £4.6 million advance, and all subsequent royalties, to the British Armed Forces charity The Royal British Legion. It became the fastest-selling autobiography of all time at the bookstore chain Waterstones. Promotional events were marked by antiwar protests. Two of the book's major topics are the strains in Blair's relationship with Brown after Blair allegedly reneged on the pair's 1994 agreement to step down as Prime Minister much earlier, and his controversial decision to participate in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Blair discusses Labour's future after the 2010 general election, his relations with the Royal Family, and how he came to respect President George W. Bush. Reviews were mixed; some criticised Blair's writing style, but others called it candid. Gordon Brown was reportedly unhappy over Blair's comments about him, while David Runciman of ''The London Review of Books'' suggested there were episodes from Blair's troubled relationship with his Chancellor that were absent from ''A Journey''. Labour politician Alistair Darling said the book demonstrates how the country can be changed for the better when a government has a clear purpose, while the ''New Zealand Listener'' suggested Blair and his contemporaries had helped to write New Labour's epitaph. Some families of servicemen and women who were killed in Iraq reacted angrily, with one antiwar commentator dismissing Blair's regrets over the loss of life. Shortly after the release of ''A Journey'', the screenwriter of the 2006 film ''The Queen'', which depicts Blair's first months in office, accused Blair of plagiarising a conversation with Elizabeth II from him. ==History== In March 2010, it was reported that Blair's memoirs, under the title ''The Journey'', would be published in September. Gail Rebuck, chairman and chief executive of Random House, announced that the memoirs would be published by Hutchinson in the United Kingdom. She predicted that the book would "break new ground in prime ministerial memoirs just as Blair himself broke the mould of British politics."〔 Preliminary images of the book's cover, showing Blair in an open-neck shirt, were released.〔 In July, the memoir was retitled as ''A Journey''; one publishing expert speculated that it was changed to make Blair appear "less messianic". The publisher did not give any reason.〔 It was announced the book would be published by Knopf in the United States and Canada under the title ''A Journey: My Political Life'';〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780307269836 )〕 and in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and India by Random House.〔 It was also released as an audiobook, read by Blair〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl/9780739369845.html )〕 available for download and on 13 compact discs with a playing time of 16 hours.〔( Tony Blair A Journey audiobook on at Toronto Public Library ). Retrieved 9 March 2014〕 The book was published in the United Kingdom on 1 September. Before the launch, Blair announced that he would give the £4.6m advance and all royalties from his memoirs to a sports centre for injured soldiers.〔 In an interview with Jonathon Gatehouse, he conceded, "You wouldn't be human if you didn't feel both a sense of responsibility and a deep sadness for those who have lost their lives. That responsibility stays with me now, and will stay with me for the rest of my life. You know, I came to office as prime minister in 1997, focusing on domestic policy and ended up in four conflicts – Sierra Leone, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. And it does change you, and so it should." BBC political correspondent Norman Smith said Blair's severest critics would see the donation as "guilt money" for taking the UK to war against Iraq in 2003.〔 The father of a soldier killed there decried the donation as "blood money",〔 while the father of another serviceman who died said Blair had a "guilty conscience." A spokesperson for the Stop the War Coalition supported with the donation, but added, "No proportion of Tony Blair's massive and ill-gotten fortune can buy him innocence or forgiveness. He took this country to war on a series of lies against the best legal advice and in defiance of majority opinion."〔 A spokesman for Blair said that it had long been his intention to give the money to a charity; he added aiding soldiers undergoing rehabilitation at the Battle Back Challenge Centre was "his way of honouring their courage and sacrifice." The announcement was welcomed by Chris Simpkins, director general of The Royal British Legion, who said, "Mr Blair's generosity is much appreciated and will help us to make a real and lasting difference to the lives of hundreds of injured personnel."〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「A Journey」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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