Paolo Bassi
December 2007

Blair The Money Raker

Having served the wealthy and powerful corporate elites as well as any conservative ever could, there is no reason why Blair should stop now simply because he is no longer the British Prime Minister – and if he can make some money at the same time, all the better.

Following in the great American tradition of public officials joining the lecture circuit, corporate boards or ideological think tanks, Blair, like his hero, Bill Clinton, has become a highly paid speaker. Blair’s past as an unquestioning Washington ally, should ensure plenty of conservative, affluent audiences wishing to have their world view reinforced – with the most cleverly crafted euphemisms, naturally.

Recently in New York , Blair gave a speech attacking Iran and the dangers posed by its nuclear program. For this Blair collected a fee more than ten times the average annual British wage. If such speeches sound familiar, it is because they are. Just as in 2002-2003, when Blair and Bush began their coordinated drumbeat for the invasion of Iraq, Iran is now the new target. Blair simply cannot stop serving Washington – only now he gets well paid for it.

Following his success in New York, Blair gave a series of lucrative speeches in China on the invitation of businessmen. Not all the Chinese were impressed either by the speech or Blair’s fee. Some in the Chinese press described the speech as cliched and basically useless. Unlike Clinton, Blair doesn’t yet seem to have the after-dinner gig down.

No matter how trite Blair’s speeches are, there is no sane, rational reason why the same words could not have been delivered by a Beijing taxi-driver. The words would be no less true or false. It is only the value placed on their perception and the motives of the wealthy sponsors that determine the fee. The fallacy is that ex-prime ministers, especially those with powerful friends in Washington, have their own intrinsic value and are simply dispensing their political wisdom. It is as if the interests people like Blair served while in office no longer matter to him. Class loyalties do not alter once politicians leave office.

Blair, just like Clinton, has the potential to make millions from the speech circuit, if only he can make time from his part-time job as the West’s peace envoy to the Middle East. With his war record, Blair’s appointment as a peace envoy is a slap in the face for Iraqis who have first-hand experience of Blair’s commitment to peace. Irony here is an understatement.

Perhaps the only decent thing left for Blair to do is to donate his new found wealth to Iraqi children orphaned and maimed by his illegal war on Iraq. Making vast amounts from speeches is a far more honest living for Blair than as a peace envoy.