est. 2007

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Former Prime Minister Tony Blair Doing What Politicians Do Best…

China Condemns Tony Blair As A Golddigger Over $500,000 Fee For Three-hour Trip (Andrew Ross/AFP/Getty Images) Mr Blair arrives to give a speech in Hong Kong on Monday Tony Blair has come under attack from the Chinese media after he was allegedly paid $500,000 (£237,000) for a three-hour trip to a luxury Chinese housing estate.…

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China Condemns Tony Blair As A Golddigger Over $500,000 Fee For Three-hour Trip

Tony Blair arrives to give a speech in Hong Kong

(Andrew Ross/AFP/Getty Images) Mr Blair arrives to give a speech in Hong Kong on Monday

Tony Blair has come under attack from the Chinese media after he was allegedly paid $500,000 (£237,000) for a three-hour trip to a luxury Chinese housing estate. Chinese state press questioned whether the former Prime Minister was worth the bumper pay cheque for his whirlwind visit, and claimed that he produced little more than clichés. The controversial visit by Mr Blair to Dongguan in China’s southern province of Guangdong happened on Tuesday.

He stopped at a luxury villa compound built by Guangda Group, a property development company which sponsored his trip, and made a speech. On top of his payout the company also offered to give him one of the houses worth 38 million yuan (£2.4 million), the Guangzhou Daily reported, condemning the episode as an ostentatious show of extravagance.

Source: Times Online

An interest bit of information coming out of the Times Online today. Have a read because it surely gives an insight into what makes politicians tick…MONEY!!! Some might stretch the action of former Prime Minister Blair and say that he is being totally unethical by piggybacking on his legacy of the office of Prime Minister of England. Hell we might just label it as the product of a capitalist system of government. How we chose to describe it is downright distasteful. We think the comparison which our friends over at Barbados Free Press make all the time, when they refer to a recently retired politician being handed the reigns of Chief Justice as being inappropriate is very applicable.

So former Prime Minister has galloped off into the sunset and it appears from all reports that he needs help investing his new found wealth!

10 responses to “Former Prime Minister Tony Blair Doing What Politicians Do Best…”

  1. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Wonder if somebody use to pay he to come to Barbados so regular when he was PM.

  2. notesfromthemargin Avatar
    notesfromthemargin

    have you checked what Bill Clinton charges as a guest speaker? How about Henry Kissenger? Colin Powell?

    Most world leaders go onto the lecture circuit after demitting office and make considerable incomes.

    Nothing unusual about the fees or that he was paid for speaking.

  3. David Avatar
    David

    notesfromthemargin you need to reread our article. We have emphasized the exploitation of former politicians on insider reputation earned. We have used Blair as a intro to make the point. Further Blair accepting this hefty sum from the economic super power of the world , China combined with his current position as envoy to the Middle East is a conflict and highly unethical on his part.

  4. notesfromthemargin Avatar
    notesfromthemargin

    David,

    I think this is one where we would have to agree to disagree.

    He accepted the funds from a property developer, not the chinese government (as far as I can tell from the article).

    As far as an ex politicians speaking on their reputation is concerned, if people are willing to hear their insights into current issues, and they are not compromising their governments current efforts… more power to them I say.

  5. Grand Slam Avatar
    Grand Slam

    Maybe Tony was explaining to the Chinese how he helped his best friend George ensure“the intelligence was fixed around the policy.” Now that would be newsworthy, the Chinese taking lessons from Tony on propaganda and how to use intelligence agencies to subvert a democratic government.

  6. David Avatar
    David

    Unlike notesfromthemargin et al we feel people like Blair and others are paid distastefully large sums of money not for their peculiar insights delivered from a podium but more for their influence in quarters of high decision making. We all know that the USA has built its capitalist system with a key cog being the ability to use lobby to achieve the impossible.

  7. Adrian Loveridge Avatar
    Adrian Loveridge

    David…

    I wonder what the average (if there is such a thing) Chinese thinks about this Blair issue?

    What do you think an average Chinese worker would earn for three hours?

  8. Leviticus Avatar
    Leviticus

    What will Owen be doing in six months? Counting his millions in Cayman Islands?

  9. theNickster Avatar
    theNickster

    Wonder how much Blair got paid for that rave review of the QEH?

  10. Bimbro Avatar
    Bimbro

    There’s no doubt that Blair is just about the most eloquent speaker in the world, a boon or bane for politics, depending on your point of view. He’s never impressed me too, much as I see him as virtually, ‘the devil incarnate’, and that’s inspite of supporting him on Iraq!

    Anyhow, the fee does seem excessive, irrespective of what other veteran ex-politicians earn. I think he might consider contributing some of it to a charity in China!

    As far as anything else is concerned, Blair can walk on water, and will continue to, because most people are too, dumb to see beyond his glitz and eloquence!

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