An Apology 2256

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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…

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2,256 thoughts on “An Apology”

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  • Ba'al Zevul

    None of the above should be taken as suggesting that it is unprofitable to have been an associate of Tony’s in the dark days before the cash gates were unlocked.

    Here, for instance, is “Lord” Gus O’Donnell,ex-cabinet secretary to Blair, chairman of the consultancy Frontier Economics, Strategic Advisor to the CEO of Toronto Dominion Bank, and, intriguingly, a director of Brookfield Asset Management Inc. Who dey? Something to do with The Archers? (So sad, if you get the reference.) No. Thay’ve just bought ISAGEN, Colombia’s huge hydroelectric company, which Santos has finally managed to privatise despite his Supreme Court telling him he couldn’t:

    http://costanoticias.com/tony-blair-amigo-de-santos-estaria-detras-de-la-compra-de-isagen-patrimonio-de-los-colombianos/

    Guess who’s been advising Santos on the Third Way? The picture may offer a clue.
    And some entries above.


    (payment)…the former prime minister received for advising Colombia on behalf of the United Arab Emirates on mining contracts worth nearly 3,000 million dollars.

    Very big in Brazil, too. Very big, and (allegedly) crooked…

    http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150513006485/en/criminal-case-principals-Brookfield-Asset-Management-NYSE

  • Ba'al Zevul

    It’s probably helpful to remember that the Blair operation was mentored by Clinton, and is probably (with some differences in detailed financial structure) modelled on the Clinton cash-fountain. Here, by way of diversion, are Clinton, a rich Canadian, Colombia and Kazakhstan, all together in one article, together with a private jet:

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/the-clintons-a-luxury-jet-and-their-100-million-donor/2015/05/03/688051d0-ecef-11e4-8abc-d6aa3bad79dd_story.html

    Familiar territory to a student of Blair.

  • Ba'al Zevul

    This just in from Albania:

    http://lajmi.net/rama-150-mije-euro-shtese-kompanise-se-blerit-vendimi-mbahet-i-fshehte/

    In which we learn, with Google Translate’s assistance, that although Tony’s services (as valued adviser to Edi Rama on selling Albanian assets to Tony’s employers) are no longer required, Cherie is still in the money.

    It seems that when the leftish Rama came to power, he ended the system of favourably reduced customs charges levied on foreign companies in Albania. This inspired immediate litigation by Rapiscan, a firm making airport security equipment such as baggage scanners. They were looking for US$395M in compensation.

    Cherie’s Omnia Strategies was hired to represent the Albanian government, at a cost of 495,000 Euros. Trousering that, Omnia then recommended that the case should not be contested, but a negotiated settlement reached. And there Google Translate becomes a little obscure, but it looks as if Cherie decided she needed a sweetener for not representing Albania at the EU business court in Vienna, and held out for another 150,000 Euros. Which she got.

    Government contracted the company of Mrs. Blair immediately to prepare the case and protect Albania in Arbitration. As a fee for this service, through a special decision in March last year, the government allocated 495 thousand euro for Omnia. But during the trial preparation studio attitude Mrs. Blair changed and the Albanian government advised not to go to arbitration, but to resolve the issue amicably. Consequently, under the advice of the studio of Mrs. Blair’s government konccesionit renegotiating the agreement, according to her facilitating budget costs on business and although the opposition claims to the contrary.

    It won’t quite buy another block of Manchester flats, but every little helps, I suppose.

  • Ba'al Zevul

    Someone else has noticed the eerie conjunction between Clinton and Blair in the Colombian Isagen sale. I wrongly reported that the transaction was complete – much fuller details here:

    https://evangelizadorasdelosapostoles.wordpress.com/2016/01/12/la-mano-de-tony-blair-en-la-compra-de-isagen-por-los-canadienses-brookfield/

    The article also alludes to a close connection between Tony Blair and Brookfield’s Frank McKenna, as well as the O’Donnell nexus.

    As Santos pumped up the state-owned generator’s price, the competing bidder dropped out, and Isagen’s share price took a predictable hit. Which can only be to the advantage of Brookfield, in the long run…

    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-12/isagen-falls-on-day-before-colombia-auction-with-one-bidder-left

    Tony Blair’s advisory function must be invaluable to Santos. But Tony isn’t getting a peso from Santos…to anticipate the routine denial.

  • Ba'al Zevul

    Also emerging:

    http://web9blog.com/article?id=374401

    Cherie’s stepmother to stand as MP for Calder Valley.

    Shall we ask about the role of postal votes in the process? Try and stop us:

    http://web9blog.com/article?id=374403

    One of her opponents was deselected because she had received a police caution for damaging her boyfriend’s car. In stark contrast to this appalling record, Mrs. Booth was last year given an absolute discharge for stealing a neighbour’s bin. On CCTV. Despite pleading guilty…

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3295486/Cherie-Blair-s-stepmother-admits-damaging-neighbour-s-bin.html

  • Ba'al Zevul

    Isagen is now formally Brookfield’s.

    But some Colombians don’t yet appreciate the benefits of privatising public essential services in order to enrich their beloved President’s chums.

    In five years we will have no money, no roads or # Isagen.-

    – Fernan Martinez (FernanMartinez) January 13, 2016

    For those who doubt the presidential system in Colombia obscene. Seeing it was against the opinion of all, he (Santos -BZ) proceeded with Isagen

    – Jorge Ivan Ospina (JorgeIvanOspina) January 13, 2016

    http://www.noticiascaracol.com/colombia/venta-de-isagen-puso-trinar-los-colombianos

    Not sure I’d buy a used car from these people….

    http://www.valuewalk.com/2015/11/brookfield-asset-management-sec/

    While the SEC investigation may or may not have ended – we have only Brookfield’s story – the Sao Paulo criminal bribery case doesn’t appear to have been dropped. Here, Brookfield is continuing to buy large volumes of property, apparently speculatively, and much will remain empty, at least until Brazil’s economy starts functioning again.

    It looks as if there may be a Qatari dimension, too. Remember this?

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-31020364

    And as the reminder of Glencore/Xstrata there suggests (when Tony won a million for a day’s work), Tony and the Qatari Investment Authority aren’t exactly strangers either.

  • Ba'al Zevul

    Vagabunderia used colloquially has a strong implication of corruption rather than having anything to do with homelessness….as Salud says, it’s difficult not to suspect Blair

    http://saludhernandezmora.com/blog/isagen-dificil-sospechar-blair/

    Ya me convencí de que la venta de Isagén es una vagabundería. Sector clave, hueco fiscal gigantesco y necesidad del gobierno de ganar un plebiscito. No tienen pudor alguno.

  • glenn_uk

    Laws a’ mercy… you’ve been busy, Ba’al. Good work. I’m glad there’s a proper archive of this _somewhere_.

    Tony Judt was interviewed back in 2004 on The Majority Report, explaining Blair’s motivations and fall from public grace. Was listening to it again over the new year, and it could hardly be explained any better today. His writing is very good. Get hold of that podcast if you can, (majority.fm, 29/12/15, interview starts 56 minutes into the show.)

    http://majority.fm/2015/12/29/1229-best-of-2015-johann-hari-and-tony-judt/

    Unfortunately, you might not be able to get it if you’re not a subscriber. (I am, it’s well worth the contribution.)

  • Ba'al Zevul

    Isagen sell-off: formal investigation demanded. The Camara de Representates has the power to impeach Santos.

    El representante a la Cámara del Centro Democrático, Edward Rodríguez radicó ante la Comisión de Acusación de la Cámara una denuncia en contra del presidente Juan Manuel Santos por la venta de Isagén.

    El congresista del Centro Democrático espera que la investigación se adelante con la misma celeridad que le pusieron al caso del presidente de la Corte Constitucional, Jorge Pretelt.

    “La Comisión de Investigaciones de la Cámara deberá investigar si en la venta de Isagen pudo existir un presunto detrimento patrimonial en contra de la Nación y si existieron o no irregularidades contractuales en el proceso”, puntualizó Rodríguez.

    El representante también pidió a la Comisión de Acusaciones que se investigue si existe alguna relación entre el presidente Juan Manuel Santos y miembros de la empresa Brookfield Asset Management, nueva dueña de Isagen.

    Este es el texto de la denuncia radicada por el congresista en contra del Presidente Santos:

    Bogotá D.C. 13 de enero de 2016

    Doctor:
    ÈDGAR GOMÈZ ROMÀN
    PRESIDENTE DE LA COMISIÓN DE INVESTIGACIÓN Y ACUSACIONES
    CÁMARA DE REPRESENTANTES
    Cuidad.

    Referencia: Solicitud de investigación de oficio.

    1. La existencia de un presunto detrimento patrimonial de 2 billones 376 mil millones de pesos con ocasión de la venta del 57.6% de las acciones de Isagén, como lo advirtió oportunamente la Procuraduría General de la Nación en carta dirigida al señor Presidente Juan Manuel Santos.

    2. La existencia de una presunta negligencia en la venta de la empresa ya mencionada, aun cuando la contraloría General de la República y la Procuraduría General de la Nación emitieron advertencias frente a la misma.

    3. La existencia de presuntas irregularidades e inobservancia de requisitos constitucionales y legales propios de la contratación estatal, específicamente si se cumplieron, o no, los estándares previstos para la enajenación de la participación accionaria de ISAGÉN y si era viable realizar la subasta con un único oferente.

    4. La existencia de presuntos vínculos contractuales, personales o legales entre los directivos de la empresa Brookfield Asset Management con funcionarios de la Presidencia de la República, del Ministerio de Hacienda y/o de ciudadano inglés Tony Blair.

    5. La existencia de amistad íntima, entre los que intervinieron como intermediarios en la operación de enajenación de ISAGÉN y el Presidente de la Republica Juan Manuel Santos y si se configura como posible conflicto de intereses.
    Lo anterior en aras de esclarecer si existieron o no irregularidades de interés de la Comisión cometidas por el Sr. Presidente de la República, Dr. Juan Manuel Santos Calderón, en su calidad de Jefe de Estado, Jefe de Gobierno y suprema autoridad administrativa.

    Cordialmente,
    EDWARD D. RODRÍGUEZ R.
    Representante a la Cámara por Bogotá D.C.
    Centro Democrático.

  • Ba'al Zevul

    Specifically, in the context of this little archive:

    1. The alleged existence of a capital expense* of 2 trillion 376 billion pesos during the sale of the 57.6% stake of ISAGEN as promptly warned the Attorney General’s Office in a letter to President Juan Manuel Santos….

    … 4. The alleged existence of contractual, legal or personal links between the management of the company Brookfield Asset Management with officials of the Presidency of the Republic, the Ministry of Finance and / or Englishman Tony Blair.

    *or undervaluation of the company. Although the minimum sale price had been raised, making it less of a bargain for potential competing bids:

    http://www.wsj.com/articles/colombian-president-takes-heat-for-sale-of-power-generator-isagen-1452816903

  • Ba'al Zevul

    ** detrimento patrimonial – Or, indeed, loss of (Colombia’s) patrimony. Perhaps I should have taken this literally; other commentators are using it in that sense.

  • Ba'al Zevul

    Tony Blair has joined Frank McKenna (now)of Brookfield on more than one occasion in the past; The usual – Blair ‘sits down with’ [insert business leader here] to promote global corporate monopoly to an audience of the wealthy converted and sometimes excluding the press completely. Leaks happen, though.

    McKenna and Blair –
    For sure –
    Calgary 2007
    Toronto 2008
    Fox Harb’r, Nova Scotia, 2011, at McKenna’s invitation.

    Very likely –
    One or more Bilderberg Group meetings.

    McKenna has also been involved in the management of Carlyle Group, to whom Tony sold a third of our defence industry – now Qinetiq – at a knockdown price in 2002. Quinetiq somehow multiplied the value of Carlyle’s holding by nine, before Quinetic floated on the stock exchange in 2006. Carlyle cleared £290M on its original investment of £32M, and its fat cats received unprecedentedly obscene sums of money as a result.

    It’s the Third Way.

  • Ba'al Zevul

    At all the above meetings, McKenna was vice-chairman of the financial arm of Toronto Dominion Bank – Canada’s second largest – and was/is a great support to Bill Clinton:

    “”TD Bank paid Bill $1.8 million for ten speeches over a roughly two-and-half-year period from late 2008 to mid-2011.” (snip from Wiki, ‘Frank McKenna’)

    ‘Lord’ Gus O’Donnell is currently, or was very recently, Strategic Advisor to the CEO of Toronto Dominion Bank. He was of considerable assistance to Tony Blair when he blocked publication of Cabinet papers relating to the Iraq war. The current CEO is engaged in finding ways of unloading toxic debt accrued when the dotcom bubble burst.

  • Ba'al Zevul

    Floater refuses to be flushed on IRA compensation issue:

    http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jan/15/tony-blair-declines-inquiry-libya-ira-terrorism

    The former prime minister has written to the chairman of the Northern Ireland affairs committee to refuse his invitation to give oral evidence, saying he has already supplied written material that presents all the information he can offer.

    The inquiry is examining the role of the UK government in seeking compensation for victims of IRA attacks that were made possible by the provision of Semtex and other weapons by the former Gaddafi regime.

    Laurence Robertson, chair of the committee, wrote to Blair in December following the submission of his written evidence, saying there were further questions he wanted to explore in person.

    But a spokeswoman for Blair’s office said he did not believe that appearing before the committee simply to repeat what he had already said would do anything to further the cause of the victims and their families.

    That ‘believe’ meme again. I *believe*, therefore I am unassailable. Getting tired, Tony, and I hope someone sees through it soon.

  • Ba'al Zevul

    A little lesson in PR manipulation.

    Anodyne article prominently insisting thet Blair wasn’t even in the same street, Officer, and ignoring the allegations (All local papers,friendly nationals, BBC, of course, wording identical in all). Mr. Blair declines…:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-35327193

    Detailed account of what happened, in the Telegraph (the Jan 6th date is correct, although the text of the letter is no longer secret). Mr Blair is refusing…:

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/tony-blair/12102241/Terror-victims-fury-over-Tony-Blair-snub-to-MP-inquiry.html

    I hope the Committee has the balls to summons the arrogant and overweening bastard. He’s not above the law.

  • Ba'al Zevul

    How time flies when you are enjoying yourself. It’s Davos 2016 already. Blair attended the World Economic Forum here in 2015, but he is not listed as speaking this time. That’s not to say he won’t be there. Both he and Clinton are enraptured by the close proximity of money, and Davos is one of the ultimate money clubs, where politicians of all faiths (Mandelson, Osborne and Cameron are regular attenders and will be there tomorrow) can attach themselves vicariously to even larger bank balances than their own.

    Even little David Miliband will be taking a break from his £300K/year charitable job* to mentor a session on Europe. And Tony has already eased his passage – so to speak – by producing a passionate defence of the many and varied advantages to all in the UK, not least himself (when he’s there at all), of staying in Europe. In Newsweek Europe, described as a “pre-Davos essay”, although apparently not having been commissioned by the WEF. Is David the New Tony?

    Yes, I think Tony will pop up there in the next couple of days, and it’s intriguing to speculate whether his security team can suppress all reference to his attendance, or whether the Blair urge to widen the audience for his blairing will win…

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mandrake/10253200/David-Miliband-and-entourage-prove-costly-for-International-Rescue.html

  • Ba'al Zevul

    Peripherally:

    That £300 K Miliband is pulling down, for coordinating 17 fast response workers, a lot of expensive management and those in HMG’s contact book who control taxpayer-funded aid budgets, appears to be an underestimate. That’s the “reportable” figure….

    http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Tony-Blairs-Foreign-Minister-Bags-600K-from-Refugee-Charity-20160101-0022.html

    (This content was originally published by teleSUR at the above address.
    If you intend to use it, please cite the source and provide a link to the original article.)

    The International Business Times reports that of the charity’s income over US$650 million, which it says means nearly 1.5 dollars in every 1,200 spent by the charity goes to Miliband. The charity itself says just 5 percent of its income goes on management and general expenses, with 93 percent going directly to those in need, the IBT reports.

    Very worthy. However, IRC exists principally to solicit international philanthropic and government funding. already destined for relief work, and reallocate it:

    A 2011 organisation report on the IRC by non-profit consultancy Root Cause found that 44 per cent of its funding came from the US government, 27 percent from other governments, 11 per cent from the UN, and 14 per cent from private sources.

    http://www.powerbase.info/index.php/International_Rescue_Committee

    The Blair charities operate similarly. They take a percentage to pay themselves to act as middlemen.

  • Ba'al Zevul

    Vanity of vanities: original pic…

    https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT_rO-5crZ_lXNZL6JURIs5RifVZ-tDBpoOqkrxmls7YfRApRej7g

    Link location from this pic on Google image search (Tony Blair David Miliband)

    https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://cdn.images.express.co.uk/img/dynamic/139/590x/Tony-Blair-634762.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/634762/Tony-Blair-EU-army-former-Prime-Minister-backward-looking-eurosceptics-Brexit&h=350&w=590&tbnid=YZOK46YzOaN14M:&docid=yIyFY_eG0lhpMM&ei=JAyeVrmKJsXsUvbrmfgI&tbm=isch&ved=0ahUKEwi5rKfm0bXKAhVFthQKHfZ1Bo8QMwhRKCowKg

    Click that. See what they did there?

  • Ba'al Zevul

    That flitting shape half-obscured by falling snow…that almost intolerable odour of sanctity…yes, reader, it’s Tony Blair at Davos, as suspected above. Where he will be renewing his acquaintance – his almost certainly lucrative acquaintance (see further above) – with Georgia’s PM, Giorgi Kvirikashvili-

    http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=28922

    Among many others.

  • Ba'al Zevul

    CURSE OF BLAIR

    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-01-16/economics-of-luxury-elude-davos-as-golden-egg-proves-no-gem

    On one evening (during Davos 2015 – BZ), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife dined at its restaurant, while Tony Blair was having a grappa in the bar with a colleague, according to General Manager Peter Pedersen.

    Six months later, the five-star hotel’s management company went bust and its owner, a Credit Suisse Group AG fund, had to start picking up the pieces.

    So it’ll be the Seehof, then.

    http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g188090-d206227-r294418544-Hotel_Seehof_Davos-Davos_Canton_of_Graubunden_Swiss_Alps.html

    Netanyahu is also attending Davos, yet again. Not sure if the Seehof welcomes murderers, but no doubt his money is good.

  • Ba'al Zevul

    He’s not on the official list of attendees. And (perhaps because his beheading on video by IS would be something along the lines of poetic justice), he’s very reticent about his movements, But here he is at Davos –

    http://web1.rustavi2.com/en/news/36941

    Within the frames of Economic Forum in Davos the Prime Minister of Georgia met with the former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair.The Georgian and British politicians discussed the possibilities of the future cooperation.

    It also became known that Tony Blair will visit Georgia in the near future. The Prime Minister also met with the Chairman of the TATA group, which will visit Georgia together with a group working in Indian hotel network .

    This, in the week that Tata have announced major layoffs in its UK steel operation. Blair is also chums with Tata’s rival, Lakshmi Mittal, who is currently complaining about the dumping of Chinese steel on western markets while at the same time operating rolling mills in….China.

  • Ba'al Zevul

    In dark corners of the better hotel lobbies in Davos, grabbing, Ancient Mariner-like, any unobservant or merely pissed plutocrat or politician, and begging it to let him advise it, is Tony:

    http://prensa.casarosada.gob.ar/2016/01/21/62769-se-saludaron-en-davos-macri-y-tony-blair.php

    The Argies, Tone? The Thatcher will be spinning in its crypt.

    And, most nysteriously, this, from a Google search:

    DLD Burda Event at the WEF 2016 – Atlantico Press
    http://www.atlanticopress.pt/headlines/86340?locale=en
    8 hours ago – Picture: Tony Blair (ex Prime Minister, UK) entering Hotel Steigenberger Belvedere at the WEF Davos on Wednesday Jan 20, 2016 PhotoCredit: ©DPA/giancarlo …

    Unfortunately the link is dead. But here’s the pic:

    http://www.atlanticopress.pt/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&terms=DLD+Burda+blair

  • Ba'al Zevul

    (DLD = Digital Life Design. It’s a global – of course – conference network. Its function is to connect the rich and influential, as if there were no other opportunities for this, and runs schmoozathons and wankfests worldwide. Hubert Burda is a strong supporter of Israel, although his dad was a Nazi during the bad times, and he co-chairs DLD bashes with Yossi Vardi, an extremely high-profile Israeli money-farmer with strong connections to the Israeli state. Just sayin’.)

  • Ba'al Zevul

    Global brainwashers Hub Culture appear to have the Davos franchise for relaying the carefully spun ramblings of the great and the greedy to the inhabitants of the real world. The Guardian (eg) picks up on HubCulture, and Tony doesn’t even have to have a serf write a press release. This bunch of unproductive suits operates a message massaging service tailored to the interviewees’ needs*, and Jeremy Paxman need not apply for a position with them. Here, Blair blairs untrammelled balls concerning the urgency of staying in Europe. Another great incentive to leave….

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjXQGhHwYI0

    *It operates a digital currency which isn’t Bitcoin, and it is anxious to give this away to refugees. The currency is traded with other refugees for goods and services – no investment is required by anyone at Davos. The advantage of using the currency over using cowrie shells, or even random rocks, as a medium of exchange, is that it positions Hub Culture as a charitable benefactor with minimal actual expenditure. Nice one. Still, while that’s very much a Tony tactic, it isn’t actually his fault, for once.

  • Ba'al Zevul

    ALL the slimeballs were at this one.

    http://shanghaiist.com/2016/01/22/jack_ma_davos_party.php

    Cameron, blairalike Justin Trudeau, Dimon, Rudd, all the luvvies, and the belle of the ball himself…

    Ma’s Alibaba Holding Group is capitalised at $180.3 billion. Ma himself is worth $22 billion. The Chinese downturn is believed to be responsible for his shocking level of poverty…

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