Millionaire Blair at our Expense

Last year there was a good deal of controversy over the fact that Tony Blair shredded much of the information surrounding his parliamentary expense claims. Here is the heavily 'redacted' claim from September 2007 for £305.50. So not only did the spinmeister shred the evidence, but we paid for it! Really you could make none fo this up and of course nothing will happen to millionaire Blair. The whole thing is almost too amazing for words.

Update

I have found I'm late to the party. Mr Guido Fawkes got there yesterday, I should have known!

Yer Little Bliar. . .

According to the Daily Mail. "Tony Blair faced fresh allegations of cashing in after launching a business venture touting political and economic advice. His new firm, Tony Blair Associates, will allow wealthy clients the chance to buy the experience of Britain's longest-serving Labour Prime Minister.

On the basis of their expenses wealthy clients could be almost any one of the current cabinet. Still I suppose after he loses his job our current great leader will get a job running Tony Blair's economic advice division. On the other hand perhaps not if Cherie's on Tony's board.

A Bad Week For Mrs Blair

Considering all the publicity the rounds of TV studios, serialization on the BBC, more press coverage than the China earthquake and goodness knows what else we hear that Cherie Blair’s memoirs have sold 3,877 this week. Not very good really! Mind you it’s still better than Lord (?) Levy who managed 603. Now considering this is the first week, off the back of everything, that really is pretty awful for both of them. Given the level of discount on Mrs. Blair’s book her publisher got back something around £30,000 to £35,000, even if you add that to the serialization rights it hasn’t made much of a dent in her advance.

Following Mrs. Blair’s appearance on the BBC's One Show tonight I can’t see it suddenly flying off the shelves. Incidentally on the One Show she admitted that people told her that she was much more beautiful in the flesh than in photographs.

Mrs Blair Rewarded For Something, Just Not Sure What

Over at the Morning Star he draws our attention to the fact that Mrs Blair has been awarded the 2007 Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill medal during a ceremony in Hyde Park, New York. The medal is given to those who “embody Mrs Roosevelt’s spirit and legacy”.

A spokesperson for the award said "She also actively promotes work-life balance policies, having herself experienced the pressures of combining a demanding career with being the wife of Tony Blair and a mother of four."

She has staff for god's sake!!

Fame is the Spur

According to the Daily Telegraph Tony Blair spent thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money entertaining a host of Britain's leading television celebrities at Chequers during his last 15 months in power.

The guest list included Charlotte Church, the singer and Channel Four presenter, and her Welsh rugby-playing partner Gavin Henson, Tess Daly, the co-presenter of BBC1's Strictly Come Dancing, and her husband Vernon Kay, who is also a TV presenter. Other famous names included Lorraine Kelly and Fiona Phillips from GMTV, as well as Chris Evans, the BBC Radio 2 DJ. Richard Madeley, one half of the Richard & Judy show, dined with the Blairs, as did June Sarpong, the youth television presenter. Steve McClaren, the England football manager, and his wife Kathryn, were also invited to Chequers, as was Match of the Day 2 presenter Adrian Chiles.

There's only one question. Why? What possible value did it have? What could he have learned in helping him to run the country? The cult of celebrity is making this country a less attractive place to live and the obsession of our government, their political opponents and the media with fame is futile.

In any event why wasn't I invited? (You're not famous - Ed)

Scary or What?

This Wednesday there's a documentary on BBC TV about Cherie Blair by Fiona Bruce. Not let me declare myself here. I have little respect for Mrs Blair (not sure you’re in the minority there – Ed) and as newsreaders go Fiona Bruce has always seemed more about pouting than news. In today's Sunday Times there's an article about Cherie by Ms Bruce and it's a great trail for the programme if you are in to sycophancy - "she’s clearly got a brain the size of a planet."

"It’s hard to think of a woman who’s been more written about, except possibly Heather Mills McCartney. And everyone has an opinion about her." - Princess Diana maybe? Paris Hilton? Karen what's her name from that daft pop group?

"Until now, Cherie herself has said almost nothing" What? Has FB been on the same planet? There was all those bloody speeches for charity, that TV programme with Carole Caplin and then there were the tears over the flat buying fiasco - her 'my little lad' moment.

Perhaps most amazing of all is the revelation that "she’s very dedicated to her family as well. Leo used to have assemblies on Thursday mornings and Cherie told me how the prime minister had his cabinet meetings moved for a while so he could go to them, too." He's the bloody PM for God Sake, not stacking shelves in ASDA - come to think of it they probably wouldn't let him have the time off. If it weren't so serious you'd think it was from a spoof TV show. "Sorry George, could we delay the attack on Iraq as I've got Leo's assembly to go to?"

"All around her say Cherie will cope fine with civilian life" Of course she will. There's the money, the houses, the fame, the list goes on and on. I'm sorry but I just don't buy Ms Bruce's take on the "bird in the gilded cage."