Thursday, December 13, 2007

I'm in Shock


I posted about the amazing lecture I attend a week or so ago. At the lecture they announced that Tony Blair the former Prime Minister of Great Britain and Ireland would be coming to speak on March 5, 2008. There was an AUDIBLE gasp when they announced this amazing opportunity. They also announced that the season ticket holders would be given priority and then it would be offered to the public (blast those season ticket holders- see previous post for an explanation of my disdain). We decided we would still request tickets and see what happened. Well GUESS WHAT.. we got tickets. I am SOOO excited I can hardly wait. Now I need to find a babysitter, since all of my babysitting girlfriends will also be going.

Funny note- I mentioned the event to a couple of friends and was met with the response- "Who is Tony Blair?" I know- not everyone loves politics as much as I do but.. seriously? I would encourage you that if you fall into this camp, read up on this really amazing individual. Time did a special editorial about him after he announced when he would be stepping down. The article specifically discusses why it was such a shame that he was resigning and what he truly meant to the world as the Prime Minister. The article also stated how unfortunate it was that he was going to be remembered for his involvement in the Iraq War and the perception that he was a "puppet" to the Bush Administration, instead of all of the truly remarkable things he accomplished and what he stood for.

I called a girlfriend that is as crazy about politics as myself and she is coming to hear him speak as well. She was already going to head my way to help out while Adam is out of town for a month, but when this came up we both agreed that it was so much more important to come see Tony instead. Sure she will still be helping out, but seriously- it is Tony Blair when would either of us ever have an opportunity to not only hear such an influential individual speak, but also to relive out old college days attending lectures at the Hinckley Institute of Politics.

Yippee.

10 comments:

michelle said...

Who is Tony Blair?! Seriously? I don't follow politics like you do, but... come on. That is one to look forward to!

skbkmjfamily said...

Okay, I don't get where you got this passion for politics. I have to say that I am a very uninformed person (is that a word). It is so over my head, but I even know who Tony Blair is. Do I know his life, not really, I just know that he was a good guy. So I will have to read that.

brent said...

I'm still waiting for my free book.

Bond Girl 007 said...

yeah, i am with michelle...can i come please please...wow what a fantastic opportunity. I think real men stand alone and by themselves. You have to tell us how it went.

Amy said...

Wow, how exciting! I love going to things like that. I will never forget seeing Margaret Thatcher at BYU or the Dalai Lama at the U.

It's funny you should mention, of course I know who Tony Blair is, I even know what political party he belongs to, to I was thinking just a week, or so, ago that I don't know who the current PM of Britain is. So, of course, I looked it up (and read a very interesting Wikipedia article on the Prime Minister, and I'm currently on a Winston Churchill kick) and now I know that the PM of England is the Right Honorable Gordon Brown.

Emily Busath Murdock said...

Lara,
I'll watch your kids for you :) It could be a Nate and Lulu reunion!

Kari said...

You are SO lucky! I would love that opportunity. Yeah, I kind of like politics too.

Julia said...

I'm sorry, but who doesn't know who Tony Blair is? When I posted about Ahmadinejad coming to Columbia-- I was shocked by how many people didn't know who he was. As interesting as that was, considering who he is, I would much rather hear from Azar Nafisi.

That will be very cool to hear Mr. Blair-- I'm glad you discovered this lecture series. We are lucky to get some cool people, unfortunately I don't hear about lots of them. When the General Assembly is in session, we get really interesting speakers (why we got Ahmadinejad this year). And Vladamir Putin came last year (you should have seen the security). But not all of the guests are evil guys-- Jack Welch, the former CEO of GE spoke at the B-school a few weeks ago, And Ben Bernanke is speaking in a couple of weeks.

I can't wait to hear the recap of his speech.

wandering nana said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
wandering nana said...

I think your passion for politics may have some family history. Your great grandmother was one of a few women who were delegates for the Democratic party in Utah. She also was one of the head delegates and rode on the train with the President (I can't remember which one but back in the 40's.) She was very involved in the party. She would always ask if the people we were dating were Demos or Republicans. She had enough influence on me that I was a Young Democrat and worked on Lyndon Johnsons campaign when he ran for President. I was 15yrs old. I guess I haven't shared this with all of you before.