Speaking for Myself by Cherie Blair

Author:Cherie Blair [BLAIR, CHERIE]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: BIO000000
ISBN: 9780316043755
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Published: 2008-10-12T16:00:00+00:00

I thought it might be a bit difficult for my mum and dad to be there together, but in the end it was fine. One thing my mum had always known was that the old rogue was completely devoted to the party, so for him this was a Big Thing.

At 10:00 p.m. the polls closed, and we all gathered round the television. Tony was upstairs in our bedroom, just lying on the bed staring at the ceiling. He didn’t want to come down. When News at Ten came on, somebody went up to get him. He shambled in and stood at the door, and the newscaster began to speak.

“The predictions are that it’s going to be a Labour landslide.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Tony said. “I accept that we’re going to win, but a landslide, no. It’s ridiculous.”

At about eleven-thirty John Burton arrived with Tony’s security. During the last two weeks of the campaign, he had been provided with five protection officers (known as “’tecs”) who would be on duty two at a time. They had been on the bus, but as we were constantly surrounded by people, we hadn’t taken much notice. What were five more among so many? It wasn’t as if this was going to be our life. (It was, of course, but we didn’t realize it then.)

We went down to Newton Aycliffe Leisure Centre, where the vote counting for Sedgefield and the neighboring constituency was being held. Outside there was a feeling of Mardi Gras. Inside it was even more the case — everyone was ecstatic. Meanwhile Tony was pacing about, talking to people about what they had to do tomorrow and what the first things on the agenda would be. By now he had accepted that we had won, but he barely managed a smile. I was sitting with the family in a room at the back watching television, when there was a news flash: “Labour Gains Crosby.”

My sister and I sat there open-mouthed, then clasped each other in near hysterics and jumped up and down. We just couldn’t believe it; the whole Booth family was amazed, delighted, and astonished in equal measure.

And then it dawned on me: if we’ve won Crosby, anything is possible!

Sedgefield was a foregone conclusion, but Tony won it with an increased margin of twenty-five thousand votes. His only regret, he said when the crowd had quieted enough to let him speak, was that his mother was not there to see it. But his father was.

As soon as we could, I got the children into the waiting car and, with my mum and Ros in charge, waved them off to the airport. They were going home, I told them, but I would see them in the morning. From there it was back to Trimdon, to the Labour club, just to say thank you to our supporters, and then to Myrobella.

The phone rang at about two in the morning.

“This is Downing Street,” the voice said. “We have the Prime Minister for you.” It was John Major conceding defeat and wishing Tony well.

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