But I am an optimist about Britain; and the difference between an optimist and a pessimist is not that the optimist believes the world is wonderful and the pessimist believes it's beset by challenges; the difference is the pessimist believes we will be defeated by them; the optimist thinks the challenges can be overcome.

From the start of the War on Terror in 2001 Blair strongly supported the foreign policy of US President George W. In the first years of the New Labour government Blair's government implemented a number of 1997 manifesto pledges introducing the minimum wage Human Rights Act and Freedom of Information Act and carrying out devolution establishing the Scottish Parliament the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Assembly.