I am so committed to getting my book finished I really don’t have time or energy to blog at the moment, and realise it has been very desultory the last few weeks. I am well and happy, it is just that writing a properly researched history is incredibly intensive. I realise there is much of great interest happening in the world, but I must sometimes cut myself off from it.
This is why I don’t ask for donations for the blog…
The Tony of Blair will be attending the Swiss Energy and Climate Summit in Bern on the 16/17th September.
http://www.wirtschaftsraum.bern.ch/file/ecs15_medienmitteilung_programm_tony_blair_150626_sdm.pdf
Possibly his belatedly-renewed interest in climate change is due to his having milked education and deliverology dry for the moment. Or perhaps the Pope’s views have inspired him? Expect banalities and platitudes guaranteed not to offend oil-producers like UAE, anyway.
In his capacity of Prince of Peace, the Blair man was in Cairo yesterday. He had arrived from Tel Aviv. Someone at Cairo Airport deserves thanks for keeping us informed: other airport staff please copy. It is not yet clear whether he had a chat with the decidedly undemocratic Sisi, whom he is advising pro bono Blair.
http://en.arabstoday.net/home/people/former-british-pm-tony-blair-arrives-in-cairo.html
The report is expressive in its simplicity. Tone’s getting rather wary about letting people know what he’s doing. No wonder, say some.
A question that needed asking; the global philanthropy racket examined –
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2015/06/30/world/europe/30reuters-charity-aid-leaders.html?_r=0
http://www.arabstoday.net/en/news/events/egypts-fm-tony-blair-discuss-ways-to-revive-israeli-palestinian-talks.html
Yup. Peace again. How can we revive the talks so that in my capacity as you know Unofficial Envoy for Israel I can do everything Bibi suggests to scupper them again? And well you’ve gotta keep Gaza walled up because they’re all Muslim Brotherhood and I quite understand that. By the way, not wishing to rush you but the cheque’s late for last month’s governance advice and stuff….
Surfacing amid the Hillary Clinton emails, more fixing. URL says it all. Didn’t work, though, thankfully.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/tony-blair/11712082/Tony-Blair-asked-Hillary-Clinton-to-lobby-on-his-behalf.html
Highlighted in boldface are some of Tony Blair’s best clients – he is known to advise most of them, and has extremely close ties with the rest.
The USCIRF has this year recommended nine countries of particular concern (CPC) at Tier 1 level, and suggests that the US State Department should again maintain these at this level over their stance on religious freedom. They are: Myanmar (Burma), China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
USCIRF also recommend that the following additional eight countries be designated as CPCs at Tier 1 level by the US State Department: Central African Republic, Egypt, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Syria, Tajikistan and Vietnam.
The next group of ten countries are marked as Tier 2 by USCIRF. These are countries where there are religious freedom violations, but do not fully meet the CPC designation. They are: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Cuba, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Laos, Malaysia, Russia and Turkey.
The last group of six countries are those that USCIRF recommends be on a watch list, and monitored closely for their stance on religious freedom. These are: Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Cyprus, Kyrgyzstan, and Sri Lanka.
My source? Oh,,,,
http://tonyblairfaithfoundation.org/religion-geopolitics/reports-analysis/report/rising-human-toll-religious-freedom-abuses
*Laughing till the tears run down my trousers*
(Laos, visited by Blair in 2012, is another possible candidate for divine leadership, and his interest in China is well-known but unofficial)
Tony Blair’s visit to idyllic Sri Lanka on a working holiday is now rumoured to be taking place in August. He will be able to renew his acquaintance with ex-President Rajapaksa, whose suppression of the Tamil Tigers led in some quarters to accusations of war criminality. Rajapaksa is hoping to return to politics as Prime Minister, and by an eerie coincidence the elections are also in August. The Nigeria/Buhari/Blair pattern (above) may be about to repeat itself.
Historical note:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/03/sri-lanka-slaughter-no-fire-zone
It was, naturally, at St Paul’s today to do some public remembering. No publicity is bad publicity.
Synopsis:
https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/07/07/tony-blair-self-exalting-mindset-west-two-paragraphs/
Otherwise it has probably been spending most of the last week consulting its learned friends on how to scupper Chilcot completely.
Oh, and, The Quartet Representative Has Left the Room – long live the Office of the Quartet (prop. Tony Blair). He has the cake. He eats the cake. Utter cunt.
http://www.tonyblairoffice.org/quartet/news-entry/office-of-the-quartet/
Ructions in Albania, over Cherie Blair’s previously reported contract to wriggle out of an agreement Albania made with the US firm Rapiscan. First, the background:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/where-tony-blair-leads-cherie-follows-erlet-shaqe
Unfortunately Google Translate’s interpretation of Albanian is charming, and often unintentionally hilarious, but rather hard to follow. But it would seem that the Albanian opposition feels that Cherie has just walked away with half a million euros of hardworking Albanians’ money for doing essentially bugger-all. And the Rapiscan contract remains. Judge for yourself:
http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=sq&u=http://www.panorama.com.al/koncesioni-i-ri-per-skanimin-batutat-me-canin-e-tony-blair-ministri-citon-nard-ndoken-ristani-u-be-edhe-cani-filozof/&prev=search
“Would it not be better to themselves and to negotiate had saved the people of these 500 thousand euros you for taking the wife of Tony Blair…”
Now that’s an intriguing image.
This account of Tony ‘Schmutter’
GucciBlair’s attendance with his old chum ‘Lord’ Phil Green at some vacuous fashion thing or other is not clarified by some of the text obviously relating to Tony opening the thing in 2006.http://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/tony-blair-sir-philip-green-mark-anniversary-of-fashion-retail-academy-10180391/
“Before our meeting, I asked the civil servants, ‘So, what’s he like, then?’ And they told me he was ‘direct.’ says Blair, implying a reference to the 31 Oct, 2006 opening of the Fashion Retail Academy (liberally funded by Green). Blair had knighted Green on the 17 June 2006. And how come the tenth anniversary isn’t on 21 Oct, 2016?
Green, an Israel-supporting, tax-avoiding* multibillionaire, was appointed by Cameron to advise him on government procurement, which, according to the Alan Sugar clone, is inefficient. Who knew? Caneron has added a CBE to Green’s collection of rewards for
financing the right party at the right timeretail.* http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2006/06/19/sir-philip-green-the-rewards-of-tax-avoidance/
Note also Blair’s revolting tie. Still, it fits in with the other parvenus.
Meanwhile, fresh from her triumph in springing the Rwandan alleged war criminal General Karake from jail, pending A Decision on extradition (the Spanish, nine of whose priests he is allegedly responsible for murdering, want him, but there’s plenty more, see above), the radiant Consort of the Global Dear Leader and Quartet visits….Rwanda. To impart some of her legal expertise.
http://rwandaeye.com/featured/6690/cherie-blair-maintains-legal-support-to-rwanda/
‘Sells’ might fit better than ‘maintains’, say cynics.
The Global Dear Leader and his charm
lessing Consort today blagged their way onto the guest list for the installation of a fruity sleb as honorary Kosovan Ambassador/ress/ whatever. This is because the Quartet Officer singlehandedly beat back the hordes of bloodthirsty Serbs, on one occasion flying his private jet personally to Belgrade and wasting the Chinese Embassy there. He is actually worshipped in Albania for this, but no worries, as he’s just landed the contract to advise Serbia too.The fruity sleb is called Rita Ora, and will be instantly recognised mainly by people who watch Prolefeed TV.
http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/entertainment/rita-ora-honoured-with-kosovo-ambassador-role-685954.html
Unaccountably absent* from today’s debacle in Srebrenica, during which Serbian Pres. Vucic was stoned off the stage. Clinton was there, though. If Tony Blair Associates, currently advising Vucic, had had a quiet word in their client’s ear, the nastiness might have been avoided. The Dear Global Leader could have been sent on his behalf, with or without a UN mandate…
*Or maybe dodging the Press.
A very strange story:
A Jewish Israeli of Ethiopian descent crossed the electric fence alone at the Gaza boundary, and continued, apparently of his own volition, into the Strip; hasn’t been seen since.
There exists a video which shows their son crossing the border fence into the Gaza Strip, walking alone for several minutes. No one is stopping him, no one is calling him; he keeps walking until he is in the hands of the Palestinians.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4678478,00.html
Then a Bedouin Israeli, described as mentally ill, turned up in Gaza as well –
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4678246,00.html
The Israelis after attempting to suppress the stories, have employed a still-secret mediator to get them back. Well, not-quite-secret. You guessed?
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4678717,00.html
So that’s what Tony’s been doing with Hamas in Qatar. Israel must have a pretty low opinion of Hamas if it thinks the Sublime Peacemaker hasn’t been sussed as Bibi’s stooge by now. Time to say bye bye to the two wandering Jews, probably.
The Curse of Blair (cont’d)
Romanian Prime Minister Viktor Ponta has been charged with fraud, tax evasion and money laundering dating back to 2007-2011. He is under pressure to resign.
http://www.arabstoday.net/en/home/people/romanian-pm-charged-in-corruption-probe.html
Tony, who has been assiduously cosying up to Ponta for years, landed the usual advisory contract with him earlier this year. The World Bank pays for
sussing out how much asset-stripping Romania offersdeliverology:http://www.romaniajournal.ro/pnl-says-tony-blairs-consulting-firm-involved-in-ponta-cabinet-political-interests-and-lack-of-coordination-hinder-its-actions/
http://www.thecommentator.com/article/1370/return_of_the_godfather_tony_blair_and_romania
Better not ask how Romania – eased into the EU through the Global Dear Leader’s offices – compares economically with Greece.
The Curse of Blair again:
Vinod Khosla took Mr Tony to his bosom in 2010. Who he?:
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/tony-blair-joins-khosla-ventures-as-porfolio-comes-out-of-stealth
If Tony’s advice was to invest in renewable-energy scams, Khosla drank it in. Or not. Last year…
http://www.greenexplored.com/2014/09/a-bad-day-for-vinod-khosla-great-day.html
I dunno. Gaddafi, Ponta, Cherie’s Mee racket, Vucic getting his specs rocked…it’s all beginning to look a bit like carelessness.
The radiant Consort, leaving the BBC’s Portland Place management-multiplication facility today –
http://www.newzcard.com/entertainment/card/jquG9g
Looks as if she only just escaped with her life. But the paps who snapped her allege that she was gettin down wiv da yoof at Radio 1*. The Beeb is so far tightlipped about her descent to the realm of mortals.
*If so, there’s a word for it. Obscene.
http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2015/07/13/420087/Colombia-FARC-Santos-US-GlassSteagall-drug-trafficking
OK, it’s PTV. But this looks sound enough:
Press TV: But setting the drug question aside, why then come to the negotiating table? Is it negotiations for the sake of negotiations because from where it looks right now the Colombian government is not ready to legalize cocaine trade?
Small: Well with all due respect you cannot set the drug question aside when you are looking at FARC in Colombia. The Santos government in Colombia is in fact quite open to the idea of legalization. They have worked with Tony Blair and people in the British parliament who are in favor of it but there are forces inside Colombia that are very much opposed to it.
*snort*. Surely some mistake? Blair was/is being paid by Abu Dhabi to advise Santos on mining, not narco-economics:
http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Tony-Blair-Being-Paid-by-Emirates-to-Advise-Colombia-on-Mining-20150419-0012.html
At the time, Santos was pretending he’d all-but-defeated FARC. The Curse of Blair again.
No-one, but no-one has been registered by Google Images (UK search) as having published a picture of the Dear Global Leader in the last 24 hours. So here’s my favourite:
http://opozita.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/tonyblair3-300×285.jpg
That is the definitive shitlickin’ grin. That’s the man himself.
Urrggg…. Ba’al, you really should have put a “Content Advisory” warning before that link.
Mr. Tony’s murky past is again under scrutiny. By Andy Burnham!
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/tony-blair-not-order-hillsborough-9658130
Liverpool MP Andy Burnham has suggested that Tony Blair did not order a full enquiry into the Hillsborough disaster because he did not want to offend Rupert Murdoch.
Mr Burnham, a Labour leader hopeful said he was told not to pursue his demand for an official investigation when serving under Mr Blair
Practically everything Blair’s ever done requires a “Content Advisory” notice, Glenn. But I’m sorry if it made you physically sick. Mere nausea was the intention.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3160679/Tony-Blair-holding-secret-talks-Labour-MPs-lift-party-day-day-despair.html
Headline’s a little misleading. The Dear Global Leader returned to his long-abandoned and derelict political home base to waffle at some Progress Group stooges in his own office. Progress – the Blairite boil on Labour’s bum – is in part funded by the European Azerbaijan Society (prop. Tale Heydarov, son of Kamaladdin Heydarov, who is President Aliyev’s Minister of Emergency Situations), David Sainsbury and Peter Mandelson.
*Vision*…*Modern answers*…*big questions, globalisation, international affairs, public services*…*big picture*.
Didn’t need a teleprompt, then.
A bizarre little interview with The Consort of the Quartet Office (sic), Ranee Cherie Blair, on R4’s Today programme this morning. In which herself was able to state, without any countervailing opinion being offered, that her client was being unjustly detained on trumped-up charges preferred by Spain.
Her client is Rwanda’s head of National Intelligence and Security Services, Emmanuel Karake. He was pulled in on an international arrest warrant for a wide selection of war crimes (see above) including the murder of nine Spanish priests – while on the latest of several visits to MI6 in London. He is now residing in the Rwandan Embassy, on £1m bail, negotiated by the Blair woman.
What is interesting about this is the fact that the BBC interview has all the hallmarks of having been suggested by Mrs. Blair. There was no contextual content, and Karake’s detention has not been a prominent item of news over here – though Kagame’s hopping mad about it. And, to repeat, there was no attempt at a balanced presentation. Perhaps this was bacause the Spanish were contacted, but declined to comment, as, in a case of this sort, would be only right. By the same token, Blair should have shut her capacious trap too. And was this the real purpose of her visit to the BBC on Monday?
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2015/02/an-apology/comment-page-2/#comment-539273
That doesn’t look like Radio 1-type papers she’s carrying.
Karake’s boss, Paul Kagame, the new President of Rwanda, is advised by The Quartet Office (sic) Himself (also covered above). Kagame’s democratic principles are clearly illustrated by this piece, written on the occasion of the removal of term limits on his presidency on Tuesday. Presumably, Blair’s deliverology/governance advice now includes the recommendation to become an absolute dictator.
http://www.blackstarnews.com/global-politics/africa/rwandas-parliament-crowns-kagame-life-president.html
Kagame also has form in the war-crimes area, but has so far managed to wriggle out of the charges.
Cherie Blair’s firm – summary:
Omnia Strategy LLP was founded by Cherie Blair in 2011 to provide “strategic counsel to governments, corporates and private clients”.
The legal consultancy has operations in both Washington, DC and London, but its UK office is simply registered to a PO box in Paddington. It does not advertise its actual address near Hyde Park for “security reasons”.
Omnia’s clients have included Gabon’s President, Ali Bongo Ondimba. The firm received almost £400,000 for six months’ work in Kazakhstan for reviewing its “bilateral investment treaties” and in March signed a deal with the Albanian government to act on its behalf in a £250m legal dispute*. The contract came a year after Tony Blair began acting for the Albanian government as an official adviser.
Mrs Blair has also represented Omnia at an event in Nigeria, the home to Aliko Dangote, the richest person in Africa, who also sits on Omnia’s advisory council.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/cherie-blairs-firm-accused-of-unethical-profiteering-over-deal-with-maldives-10330023.html
The rest of the piece, on Cherie Omnia’s recent deal to, er, consolidate democracy in the Maldives, is also enlightening.
* Background (March)
http://www.tiranatimes.com/?p=1696
Foreground: Albania decided not to proceed with the case. It isn’t known how much Omnia walked away with.
Where Jonathan Powell leads, can the Global Dear Leader be far behind? Global Dear Leader’s trusty aide worships at shrine of Former Dear Leader….
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/north-korea-former-tony-blair-chief-staff-pays-tribute-corpse-kim-jong-il-trip-1511375
IbTimes is happy to carry material the MSM don’t seem to have noticed. Like the vultures gathering around an exploitable market.
Powell’s crepuscular presence is lightly illuminated here:
http://powerbase.info/index.php/Jonathan_Powell
United Against Nuclear Iran? Who’d a thunk it?
Digression:
http://www.irmep.org/uani.htm
UANI is a purpose-built lobby group. One of its advisors is Stan Kalms, prominent zionist funder of the Tories. Meir Dagan is also there. Dennis Ross and Kristen Silverberg are co-founders.
http://rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/Ross_Dennis
And according, ironically enough, to this very rightwing site, Siverberg, a former US ambassador, has dual US-Israeli citizenship.
http://www.alipac.us/f19/mitt-romney%92s-foreign-policy-team-israeli-dual-citizens-257516/
Digression ends.
Zeppelin Woman thinks Karake is a hero. Great pics.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3164640/Now-Cherie-says-Rwandan-client-accused-war-crimes-hero-Mrs-Blair-heads-battle-stop-intelligence-chief-deported-Spain-face-charges-arranged-massacres.html
Pampered sprog finds mate:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3167660/SEBASTIAN-SHAKESPEARE-Gun-guard-Tony-Blair-s-son-Nicky-marries-divorce-lawyer.html
Chez Blair, with the grinning skull accepting tribute from his jumped-up guests…
‘A bit like the wedding scene in The Godfather when they’re all queuing to kiss Don Corleone’s ring,’ muses a witness.
Who paid for the policing? We did. Why?
Pampered sprog’s mater empowers some more women. Nice women. Not UK women who, fleeing their abusive partners, can’t find a hostel because they’re being closed. Nice women in the UAE. Whose sovereign wealth fund has been so helpful to Tony.
http://gulftimes.ae/foundation-to-empower-uae-women-in-conducting-business/
Note also PlanetFinance, the co-partner. A bunch of very sharp, mainly French business suits trading as a non-profit. The mantra of empowerment through microfinance is what they chant. Which means in this context, finding ways of lending money to people who can’t afford to repay it. Give a man a fish, and he can eat for a day. Lend a man the price of a fishing rod and he’ll be paying you interest, and the full retail price of the rod. Then bundle up the debt package and sell it on as a derivative. Tasty.
(don’t ask what the suits are paying themselves, btw. They certainly won’t tell you.)
Thought he’d died. Optimist that I am. Emerging from the shadows, the Dear African Nkosi has gone to Kenya, to renew his lucrative acquaintance with Kenyatta.
http://businesstoday.co.ke/news/news/1437491255/tony-blair-sneaks-cut-deals-obama
He’s Obama’s right-hand man apparently. Someone is pulling the collective Kenyan leg, Blair probably.
And:
Sources say the British Labour Party statesman acts as a link between Mr Obama and other wealthy African leaders that America would not want to associate with publicly, among them Rwanda’s Paul Kagame.
That may well be true:
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2015/02/an-apology/comment-page-2/#comment-534562
Blair’s a lot less particular than a disinfected bargepole, if rather costlier.