Ruth Turner Fundraising for Blair Again

Actually, she is doing it for charidee - the Tony Blair Sports Foundation. At ease Commander Yates...

Not content with bringing peace to the Middle East Tony is advising the President of Rwanda on "institutional capacity building". Liz Lloyd, who was deputy chief of staff under Jonathan Powell in Blair's Downing Street, his former private secretary Kate Gross and David Easton, (ex McKinsey) are holed up in the Aga Khan's Hotel Serena where the presidential suite goes for $2,000 a night.

Guido is worried that Blair is succumbing to the Jimmy Carter delusion, that he can solve the worlds ills. To be fair Jimmy Carter has in fact done a lot of good and it hasn't cost the taxpayers a penny. Blair on the other hand has his office subsidised by the taxpayers through the FCO.

That the PM who sold more peerages than any other in history is advising President Kagame on anti-corruption issues, does have some ironies. Admittedly he is doing it for free. On balance Guido commends Blair for this, well us Catholics do have to do more than just Hail Mary's for penance...

Incidentally the Blair Foundation at first denied this story for some reason. They claimed that Liz Lloyd did not work for the Blair Foundation, which is technically correct. Old habits die hard, eh?

Tony Blair's Blogsite is Up

Peace in the Middle East? Like y'know, "This is the time for everyone to get real." Guido kids you not, he really does say that. Guido will try to cope with the competition.

He has also set up a Sports Foundation as well to guarantee himself front row seats help disadvantaged kids. Guido expects this to result in civil war breaking out in the Lawn Tennis Association with an invasion threat from the Bowling League. He has a dossier proving that they covet the lawns...

UPDATE : Guido's understanding is that this is being paid for out of a £400,000 subsidy from the British taxpayer. Roughly equivalent to the cost of two Blair speaking engagements.

Blair is Getting £400,000 a Year in Expenses

Just a teensy bit of help with office costs at the expense of the British taxpayer. Well he has two offices, one in Jerusalem and another in Mayfair. Handy for arranging those $500,000 speaking engagements in, errm, China.

Blair Trousers First £100,000

Guido hears that Blair's package for his UN-sponsored Middle East Peace Mission is £100,000-a-year, plus office and travel expenses.

Didn't Jimmy Carter have this exact same job a decade or two ago?

Oooh www.CherieBlair.org.uk

Pendennis has noticed that our old friend Martha Greene has registered www.CherieBlair.org.uk.

Domain name: cherieblair.org.uk

Registrant: Martha Greene

She has also registered some predictable variations. CherieBlair.tv and MoneyGrubbingScouser.org. are however still available.