In 1997 Tony Blair became Labour’s first prime minister for eighteen years. As Leader of the Opposition he had redefined party ideology and policy as well as advancing party presentation and media campaigning techniques. Blair shifted the party away from the social democracy of nationalization, Keynesianism and state welfare towards a more neo-liberal and conservative programme. Tony Blair went to the top Scottish public school, Fettes College, on a scholarship, and was by all accounts a bright but rebellious pupil. Blair graduated in 1975 and moved to London to train as a barrister, joining the Labour party the following year. In public Blair was an assiduous supporter of party policy. Blair’s first attempt to enter parliament was at a 1982 by-election for the safe Conservative seat of Beacons-field. Blair moved to consolidate the modernization of the party and to accelerate the pace of policy reform.