Why on earth governments and corporations listen to Tony Blair, let alone seemingly throw large sums of money at him is a puzzle. He is a chameleon, show-pony and obviously has little understanding about conflict of interest, what is appropriate in the circumstances in which he finds himself or being above seeing to it that his interests (financial) are well served.
"Roman Polanski might want to start working up a sequel to The Ghost Writer. The British press is ravenously anticipating the airing on Monday of a TV documentary that will unearth new details about the business activities of former Prime Minister Tony Blair. What's been revealed so far is enough to raise eyebrows.
The former prime minister operates a “Byzantine” network of businesses and charities, The Sunday Telegraph reports, brokering deals for major banks and other heavy-hitters throughout the Middle East and in Africa, even as he retains statesman-like status in attempts to broker peace in the region. Blair's business activities reportedly earn him more than 7 million pounds per year.
And Blair met at least six times after leaving office with Col. Muammar Qaddafi, the recently deposed Libyan strongman who was trying to resurrect his public image. (The meeting wouldn't have been too difficult to arrange; Blair employed three people who also worked for the U.S. consulting group to which Qaddafi was paying millions to clean up his image, The Telegraph reports.)
And Monday's broadcast of Channel 4's Dispatches, an investigative news-magazine, will focus on Blair's role in “two multi-billion-dollar contracts in Palestine,” the Guardian reports.
Blair has “financially enriched himself more than any ex-Prime Minister ever,” Dispatches notes in its advance of their broadcast. The show will take a particular focus at Blair's dual responsibilities as both the official envoy of the Quartet attempting to broker Middle East peace, and as head of Tony Blair Associates, which is doing business, with little disclosure, throughout the same region."
The former prime minister operates a “Byzantine” network of businesses and charities, The Sunday Telegraph reports, brokering deals for major banks and other heavy-hitters throughout the Middle East and in Africa, even as he retains statesman-like status in attempts to broker peace in the region. Blair's business activities reportedly earn him more than 7 million pounds per year.
And Blair met at least six times after leaving office with Col. Muammar Qaddafi, the recently deposed Libyan strongman who was trying to resurrect his public image. (The meeting wouldn't have been too difficult to arrange; Blair employed three people who also worked for the U.S. consulting group to which Qaddafi was paying millions to clean up his image, The Telegraph reports.)
And Monday's broadcast of Channel 4's Dispatches, an investigative news-magazine, will focus on Blair's role in “two multi-billion-dollar contracts in Palestine,” the Guardian reports.
Blair has “financially enriched himself more than any ex-Prime Minister ever,” Dispatches notes in its advance of their broadcast. The show will take a particular focus at Blair's dual responsibilities as both the official envoy of the Quartet attempting to broker Middle East peace, and as head of Tony Blair Associates, which is doing business, with little disclosure, throughout the same region."
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