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…
Back in Egypt today.
http://www.albawabaeg.com/62228
Simultaneously, this:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/mohamed-fahmy-egyptian-court-1.3217573
The ruling, published by the state news agency MENA, says the three men — Fahmy, Australian journalist Peter Greste and Egyptian producer Baher Mohamed, were by default members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood group, which Egyptian authorities consider a terrorist organization.
“It has been proven beyond reasonable doubt that the Al-Jazeera media channel has dedicated its broadcasting to the service and support of the Muslim Brotherhood faction and that they have permanently sided with them at the expense of their media ethics,” the ruling said. “This provides enough ground for a conviction of belonging to a group based on violations of the law.”
Is Tony Blair by default a member of the Muslim Brotherhood? Well, yes, so it would seem…
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/tony-blairs-faith-foundation-charity-advisors-linked-to-muslim-brotherhood–a-group-he-himself-condemned-as-pursuing-values-that-contradict-everything-we-stand-for-9259397.html
Ewen Macaskill steps down from the Olympian heights of the Guardian’s defence and intelligence desk to deliver an apologia for Cherie Blair:
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/sep/05/cherie-blair-bad-week-tony-portrayal-media
He manages not to mention at all the curious coincidence between countries visited by, schmoozed by and talked into employing Tony, and those providing lucrative work for Omnia Strategy. Or the deals which seem to have resulted in Omnia doing no work but being paid regardless. Hint: Pakistan.
I’d thought Macaskill was a fair if not hugely adventurous journalist, but this looks as if he’s been detailed to rehash a letter from Cherie in order to scent the Blair brand with roses.
Cherie falls into pond, tropical wildlife fails to captalise on situation:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3216513/SEBASTIAN-SHAKESPEARE-Cherie-Blair-makes-splash-luxury-hols-son-Euan.html
A spokesman says Blair (at the end-of-holiday blairing in Colombo – BZ) ‘emphasised to the President that every support would be extended to Sri Lanka for the growth of the island’s tourism industry’.
To demonstrate their support, the Blairs and their two protection officers were put up at the luxurious Ulagalla Resort Hotel in Anuradhapura.
The multi-million- pound annual bill for Blair’s protection officers, and their expenses, is footed by the British taxpayer.
Oh, and it was Euan, not Nicky, for sleb-watchers. Apologies if the wrong frisson was invoked – one pampered, protected son of a chancer on the make looks very much like another, and until noticing this I had only a photo to go on. Their wives aren’t too distinguishable either.
Interesting report: Blair’s latest meddling is a busted flush – even the Israeli defence establishment wants nothing to do with him – but jam tomorrow, as always, on the table:
http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/diplomacy-defense/84615-150905-israel-working-to-prevent-the-next-gaza-offensive-through-palestinian-relief
Belgrade today. He’s checking his Delivery Unit, which Vucic wrongly believes will make him a better leader. Almost under the radar.
http://www.b92.net/mobilni/eng/index.php?nav_id=95398
Unlikely that he will be participating in ‘Slavic Brotherhood’ this month, but you never know.
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/eu-opposes-to-serbia-s-military-drills-with-russia-08-18-2015-1
What a coincidence:
http://www.srbija.gov.rs/vesti/vest.php?id=111266
8 Sept 2015 – Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic met with Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, with whom he discussed key bilateral issues, particularly economic relations and common projects.
The UAE’s investment fund vehicle, Mubadala, has for a couple of years been extremely active in those common projects. Blair advises Mubadala too.
Meanwhile Mrs Blair’s engagement on Wednesday, prefigured here:
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2015/02/an-apology/comment-page-2/#comment-540580
turned out to be here:
http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/13715345.Cherie_Blair_helps_raise___25_000/
and it is to be hoped that the £25K she helped to raise by talking to some lawyers greatly exceeded her appearance fee.
What a South African mining investment outfit, Investec, is doing ‘hosting’ an event to raise cash for a fairly obscure Jewish children’s charity – it could probably hand over twenty times £25K and not feel a draught in its accounts department – is as much a mystery as what dear Cara is doing there.
There could certainly be no connection with Investec’s hosting of the Investing in African Mining Indaba™ earlier this year, and just preceding the hijacking of this thread to record the deeds of the Global Dear Leader. The Indaba was a massive gathering of people interested in ripping off African minerals, and the keynote speaker was…you’re ahead of me. Tony Blair. Whose vast sympathy for the devastaed mining communities around Sedgefield….that’s not it. Start again.
http://rough-polished.com/en/exclusive/95187.html
Talking of Tony Blair, what value is he going to add to the indaba?
He is interesting on a number of different levels, obviously as a former head of State, he is uniquely qualified to talk about the global context. Beyond that he has been very active on the continent, he understands Africa and is very passionate for its success. Finally, he has been behind the scenes, a power broker and involved in a number of different things, specifically within the mining sector.
Kagame, whose head spook Cherie extracted from an international arrest warrant (also covered above) was Indabing too.
Small world.
Blair scores from the US taxpayer:
http://web9blog.com/article?id=173621
Tony Blair is celebrating another multi-million pound contract after his charity secured a key deal with the US government. This time, the former prime minister’s Africa Governance Initiative (AGI) has won a £3.3 million contract to play a key role in Barack Obama’s flagship African aid programme. The three-year deal – with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) – gives Mr Blair’s charity an important role in the initiative, called Power Africa. The money represents more than AGI’s combined total income in 2012, the most recent set of accounts available. It comes after a sustained lobbying campaign by Mr Blair’s aides, which began at least seven months before formal bids for the contract were opened last November. It is thought to be the third grant obtained by Mr Blair’s charity from USAID. The body was, until last February, overseen by Hillary Clinton, who, along with her husband Bill, the former US president, is a close friend of Mr Blair and his wife, Cherie.
Note the timing. Note also the longstanding connection between the Clinton Foundation (not just Hillary) and Blair, Inc. Finally note that no accounting for this money will ever be made public, that the projects on which it will be spent will be opaque, and that the ultimate beneficiaries will be global corporations.
Example of where the AGI concentrates its efforts (also see above)
http://www.africanelections.org/new_news.php?nid=1314
John Kirby, spokesman for the State Department, called on Mr Kagame to honour his previous commitment to respect term limits.
“We do not support those in positions of power changing constitutions solely for their political self-interest,” he said.
What says Blair’s Africa Governance Initiative, set up to look as if it cares?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/tony-blair/8885987/Tony-Blair-trips-to-Africa-and-an-intriguing-friendship.html
“Mr Blair is always very polite when he comes here”…
You bet.
Last weekend in Ukraine with the great and the….and the….ok, the self-promoting vultures to be found near any critically injured game:
http://finbuzz.com/bill-clinton-donald-trump-tony-blair-elton-john*-discuss-future-of-ukraine/
If Blair repeats his itinerary the last time he solicited a government advisory contract in Ukraine, his next stop will be in Russia. If not, given Pinchuk’s affiliations, maybe Israel.
*Possibly not a vulture. Plays a mean piano, and is there to advocate gay rights. The words ‘hiding’, ‘to’ and ‘nothing’ come to mind as far as the FSU is concerned, but nice try, mate.
Without the asterisk:
http://finbuzz.com/bill-clinton-donald-trump-tony-blair-elton-john-discuss-future-of-ukraine/
As Cherie Blair prepares to defend the indefensible, hats off to the writer of this very clear piece on where her involvement sits in the context of Maldivian politics:
https://pinkjinn.wordpress.com/tag/tony-blair/
A battle is ensuing. A battle between freedom and repression, democracy and authoritarianism, moderation and extremism. A battle that threatens to disturb the perfect stillness of the clear blue waters of the Maldives.
And Cherie is the defender of repression, authoritarianism and, yes, extremism. Notwithstanding the pious utterances of her husband on the subject of the last of those.
Where next, Cherie? Obviously…
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=51889#.Vfu5_5de-8o
16 September 2015 – A new report released today by the United Nations human rights office has identified patterns of grave violations in Sri Lanka between 2002 and 2011, and recommends the establishment of a hybrid special court to ensure that justice is served.
“Our investigation has laid bare the horrific level of violations and abuses that occurred in Sri Lanka, including indiscriminate shelling, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, harrowing accounts of torture and sexual violence, recruitment of children and other grave crimes,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said in a news release.
Cherie Blair/Booth was once a human rights lawyer.
Bubbling under, this parliamentary enquiry:
http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/northern-ireland-affairs-committee/news-parliament-2015/hm-government-support-evidence-session/
Not a matter for MSM concern, it seems, but the NI locals* are on top of the Blair dimension:
http://www.impartialreporter.com/news/roundup/articles/2015/09/11/409851-enniskillen-bomb-bereaved-calls-on-government-to-seek-libyan-compensation/
The NI Affairs Committee is investigating why Libya paid out £1 billion to US victims of Libyan terrorist attacks in 2008 but UK victims of IRA attacks, which were facilitated by the Gaddafi regime supplying the plastic explosive Semtex and other weapons, were excluded from the deal. Tony Blair has been accused of intervening in negotiations between Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and President George Bush that led to American citizens receiving compensation, an accusation that he denies. Victims of IRA atrocities, including Ms. Quinton, appeared before the committee yesterday and called for Mr. Blair to be called to give evidence.
“My submission to the committee is a reminder of the fact that other governments supported their victims and the British victims were specifically excluded when Bush signed the deal. We believe that this was all done because of the conniving of Blair, looking after his pal Gaddafi,” Ms. Quinton tells The Impartial Reporter. “The main thing about this is accountability – holding people and rogue states to account. Therefore it shouldn’t just be the victims that have an interest in this. We should at least be supported by our Governments and not be hindered by them.”
*Support independent journalism by answering the questions required to view the piece, please. Be as imaginative as you like…
http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/northern-ireland-news/foreign-office-pressed-to-fight-for-ira-victims-1-6962228
Victims campaigner Willie Frazer asked how the USA, France, and German governments were able to secure Libyan compensation for their citizens through the route Mr Elwood said was not legal.
“Its clear that the real reason why UK victims are now being excluded is down to the previous actions of Tony Blair who its clear made a deal to exclude UK victims at the expense of securing his own financial legacy,” he said.
“We would like to remind Mr Elwood that we visited USA and met with several senators including Senator Lautenberg who was involved in the negotiations to secure compensation for the US victims of Gadaffi.”
“Mr Lautenberg clearly stated to us his support for UK victims to be compensated but he indicated that Tony Blair was the chief stumbling block for this not happening”.
Some things never change.
Here we are again! Blair blaired on energy, climate change &c in Bern on Wednesday:
http://www.ee-news.ch/de/erneuerbare/article/31998/swissecs-tony-blair-doris-leuthard-und-andere-koryphaen
Viz (Google Translate permitting): we must take measures to mitigate climate change which do not discourage emerging countries from consumption, consumption, consumption. Europe must change its energy mix and build a Europe-wide electricity grid. Eh? Did that come out of The Master’s Grand Plan for Everything?
Possibly not. Blair is reportedly paid an annual retainer of £2.5M by the banker JP Morgan. And Morgan has a habit of benefiting from the public power supply….
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/07/30/jpmorgan-power-manipulation-ferc/2598861/
Whether he also boosted his old chum ‘Lord’ Browne’s enthusiasm for fracking is not reported here. Browne is chairman of Cuadrilla Resources.
For your diary:
Tony Blair will be imparting his deep experience of training the natives to govern themselves and sell us their resources cheap, here:
http://www.newseum.org/event/40-chances-finding-hope-in-a-hungry-world/
Trust he shines in the reflected sincerity of the others.
Seems the FCO shares my reservations about Cherie’s protective attitude to arseholes:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3241466/Minister-bans-Cherie-Foreign-Office-Humiliation-Mrs-Blair-legal-fight-Mrs-Clooney.html
A diplomatic source defended the Foreign Office’s treatment of Mrs Blair, saying: ‘The usual protocol is for ministers of different governments to talk directly to each other.
‘They do not need expensive lawyers to be present. Mrs Blair’s presence at such a meeting would have been totally inappropriate.
‘She – or anyone else – would just have got in the way. It suggests the Maldives government knows it is on very flaky ground legally. Why else would their foreign minister want a lawyer at her side?’
The usual protocol is for ministers of different governments to talk directly to each other. They do not need expensive lawyers to be present.”
(Diplomatic source)
Mrs Blair’s London-based legal firm, Omnia Strategy, is reputedly being paid a significant sum to represent the Maldivian government.
Mrs Clooney is providing her services to Nasheed for free, after she described his jail sentence as ‘a mockery of justice’ intended ‘to punish him for criticising the government and remove him as a political threat’
Another for the diary:
www.http://sinaitemple.org/
This Thursday: 24th September, subject only to be known by those registering to attend. However, it seems likely that Tony Blair will be attending in his capacity as Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor’s representative and promoting Tolerance and Reconciliation in Europe (except for Muslims)
Rabbi Wolpe (“Why Jews Should Not Accept Jesus”: http://forward.com/opinion/187446/why-jews-should-not-accept-jesus-whatever-george/ and “In Israel Debate, These Jews Should Be Ignored”: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rabbi-david-wolpe/jews-who-should-not-be-he_b_817981.html )
…is obviously LA’s go-to rabbi if you’re selling tolerance and reconciliation. He’ll be hosting the Blair gig.
CAUTION: The flyer for this from Sinai is a 17MB PDF – for a single page. And it crashed Firefox.
Today, if el-Balad is not recycling an earlier communique, Tony Blair is in Egypt…..again. Presumably to find a new way to stitch up Gaza. MAP* are the experts on this, Tony. Leave it to them, and as they’re probably running out of sutures, maybe bung them a donation, eh?
http://www.el-balad.com/1713199
*Madical Aid for Palestinians. They do what it says on the website:
http://www.map-uk.org/
Of Tony Blair’s latest ‘attempt’ to solve Palestine, the aftermath:
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/09/us-designation-hamas-leaders-terrorists.html
Tell me there’s no connection.
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/appt/2015/09/247028.htm
(18th Sept)
11:00 a.m. LOCAL Secretary Kerry meets with former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, in London, UK.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)
2:00 p.m. LOCAL Secretary Kerry meets with UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed, in London, UK.
(POOLED CAMERA SPRAY AT THE TOP)
PLEASE tell me there’s no connection. Also, why is Kerry meeting Blair, who now has no official function whatever? (The ECTR is the creation of a Jewish lobby group, not the EU.)
Diary:
Tony Blair has been nominated to blair at this:
Africa Political Summit and Diamond Awards
Africa Political Summit
Thursday, January 7, 2016 at 2:00 PM – Saturday, January 9, 2016 at 11:30 PM (SAST)
Cape Town, South Africa
http://www.africapoliticalsummit.com/agenda
however, in keeping with the increaing unpopularity of the well-known advocate of transparency – in theory – his name does not actually appear. This may be because (a) this source is misinformed –
http://thenationonlineng.net/african-political-consulting-summit-names-speakers-nominations/
(b) because he doesn’t want it to be known he is there or
(c) because he will be somewhere else, but blairing down a video link.
Stan Greenberg will be there. An American political fixer, he is one of those guilty of getting Blair into power. Not that he liked the result much –
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/mar/05/obama-stan-greenberg
Fiary:
And Mrs Blair will be missusblairing here tomorrow –
http://www.bushcenter.org/GWN2015
At the Bush Center, we envision a world where all children have access to education, women are living healthy, vibrant lives, and the economic life of countries is spurred by the active inclusion of women.
Don’t we all? Though why she has to buzz round the world talking about it when there’s plenty in that line to be getting on with in Liverpool (eg), remains open to the charge of cashing in personally.
3.09 and 6.37 yesterday may be connected: this confirms 3.09:
http://www.aa.com.tr/fr/politique/tony-blair-au-caire-pour-la-troisi%C3%A8me-fois-en-trois-semaines-/245988
Il sera question également de la discussion des moyens de la relance des négociations de paix entre Palestiniens et Israéliens », ont-elles ajouté sous couvert de l’anonymat.
Not AGAIN. Everyone knows he’s Bibi’s poodle, now, and I doubt the Israelis trust him further than they can throw him, at that. One of the prime conditions for peace must be to get the meddling, ignorant gobshite to a desert island and to leave him there.
Just a little more, with good background on the Maldives government which is employing ex-human rights lawyer Cherie Blair. Scathing, even for the Mail:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3240566/Cherie-v-Mrs-Clooney-s-catfight-century-One-lawyer-s-charging-fortune-represent-despot-no-pay-battling-free-jailed-hero-No-prizes-guessing-s-side.html
Tny Blair, tail wagging, has now flown on to Israel with the latest set of bright ideas for Bibi to dismiss:
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/africa/21191-tony-blair-leaves-egypt-after-short-visit
Mrs Blair presented a business award to two gents flogging designer surplus on Friday.
http://www.wwb-online.co.uk/Articles/Secretsales-founders-win-Entrepreneur-of-the-Year.aspx
Empowering wimmin?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/11097783/Naughty-TV-adverts-boost-SecretSales.html
You’re all gonna get transformed. Globally. Not so much Blair as Blair’s corrupter here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ePAAYLoN7A
Michael Barber it was who successfully sold his ‘delivery’ snake oil to the Blair regime. This has since metamorphosed into the ‘Nudge Unit’, while Blair has blaired his way into setting up ‘delivery’ units for unpleasant regimes worldwide. These ensure that Blair’s business contacts obtain the maximum advantage from the workforce and resources of the lucky country. Blair is an avowed admirer of strong government, and the delivery units ensure that the strength is felt by the population at large, as well as attracting aid and philanthropic cash to pay suits in the city.
Tony’s been rather silent on the subject of Syria, but in the spirit of his declared principle of doing the smiling and getting someone else to do the backstabbing (it’s in one of his MPs’ autobiography) Ed Husain is probably on the Blair message:
http://tonyblairfaithfoundation.org/religion-geopolitics/commentaries/opinion/peace-syria-requires-global-effort
Key point:
The Saudis will not stop support for Assad’s opposition until their proxies have some power and influence in Syria to counter the rise of Iran and Shia domination in neighbouring Iraq.
There is no mention of Israel in this piece. However, this gives an idea of the preferred line of Blair, and very likely, the FCO. The replacement regime in Syria should be a Saudi proxy (whose objectives will be identical with Israel’s). Quite how Russian influence in the country is to be maintained – as it will have to be to obtain Russian co-operation – is not discussed. Perhaps it might involve a quid pro quo: Russia pulls out in exchange for undisturbed access to [insert region of Ukraine here]?