Wednesday 19 December 2007

What Tony Did Next

In the Daily Express, Patrick O'Flynn writes:

His cack-handedness in the property market used to be a national joke but within six months of leaving Downing Street, Tony Blair is already a millionaire several times over. He is estimated to be earning up to £1million every month, mainly through lucrative after-dinner speeches in North America. He has also secured a £5million deal for his memoirs.

While Mr Blair has done very well out of his relationship with America, the awkward fact is that there are many who have not.

The botched invasion of Iraq has been the biggest foreign policy disaster for decades. Its impact has made the world a more dangerous place. It has so far cost the lives of 174 British service personnel. Thousands more have been injured.

The compensation they have received has been scant. Life?time awards for those maimed in battle range from just £1,000 to a maximum of £285,000 for those with permanent and multiple debilitating injuries – that’s a couple of nights’ work for Mr Blair these days.

As Britain prepares for its final, inglorious withdrawal from southern Iraq in circumstances that fall far short of victory or vindi?cation, the sight of Mr Blair hitting the jackpot must leave a sour taste for thousands of forces’ families.


So it must. And just wait for the directorships of Halliburton and the like.

I remain baffled at Blair's book advance. Whom does the publisher imagine is going to buy Blair's memoirs? Only academic libraries, and even then only so as to laugh at his fibs and fantasies.

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