Summary: Pop, politics and celebrity joined forces in a season packed with major news stories. New Labour and Tony Blair came to power after an astonishing election result ending 18 years of Tory rule. Indeed, the spirit of the landslide win seemed to permeate every aspect of British popular culture as musical titans Oasis and the Spice Girls hit their respective peaks. But at the end of August, the tragic death of Diana, Princess of Wales, shocked Britain to the core and severely dented the popularity of the monarchy.