Its a disgrace that Starmers government is embracing this master manipulator whos sold his soul to tyrants
It was the kind of brutal incident that should have appalled anyone who cared about democracy and freedom.
It was the kind of brutal incident that should have appalled anyone who cared about democracy and freedom.
During widespread civil unrest against the despotic regime of President Nursultan Nazarbayev in the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan, the security forces shot dead 15 protesters on December 2011.
The massacre of the demonstrators, seeking higher wages, provoked international outrage, though it hardly came as a surprise given Nazarbayevs autocratic record of violent repression, personal corruption and abuse of power.
While many in the West condemned the brutality of Kazakhstans President Nursultan Nazarbayev, one man notably maintained contact with the tyrant: Tony Blair
Far from denouncing Nazarbayev, the former prime minister provided the dictator with strategic advice – in return for vast piles of cash. Without shame, Blairs consultancy firm offered his tyrannical client support
Just weeks before the atrocity, Nazarbayev had been re-elected president in an election in which opposition parties did not field a candidate.
While many in the West condemned the brutality of Nazarbayevs regime, one man notably maintained contact with the tyrant: Tony Blair. In fact, far from denouncing him, the former prime minister provided the dictator with strategic advice – in return for vast piles of cash.
Without shame, Blairs consultancy firm – Tony Blair Associates – offered his tyrannical client support, including guidance on how to spin a public relations response to the shooting of protesters. Only a politician without a moral compass could have could have indulged in such disreputable conduct.
Blair, the master manipulator, who had misled British people for many years, urged the Kazakh president not only to stress the enormous progress his country had made since gaining independence from the Soviet Union, but also to argue that further reform would take time, due to the need for stability.
Casey Michel writes in his book, Foreign Agents, that well-connected operators in the West badly undermine our democracy by their willingness to assist in whitewashing vicious rulers, as well as facilitating access to governments in Europe and the US
Blair urged the Kazakh president (pictured) not only to stress the enormous progress his country had made since gaining independence from the Soviet Union, but also to argue that further reform would take time, due to the need for stability
With Nazarbayev due to make a speech at Cambridge University, some of Blairs suggested passages were incorporated, like this PR puffery: By all means make your points and I assure you were listening. But give us credit for the huge change of a positive nature that weve brought about.
I felt angry about Blairs extraordinary, cynical alliance partly because I had lived in Kazakhstan for a time as a volunteer with the US Peace Corps, so I saw the impact of the governments authoritarianism and corruption.
Indeed, this experience led to my professional interest in researching the global web of malignant influences whereby western lobbyists sustain dictatorships, oligarchs and kleptocrats in power.
I address this subject in my book, Foreign Agents, which shows that well-connected operators in the West badly undermine our democracy by their willingness to assist in whitewashing vicious rulers, as well as facilitating access to governments in Europe and the US.
Blair is at the forefront of this ugly band – and his involvement has exposed two repellent things.
One is his contempt for honesty, a trait displayed during the Iraq War in 2003, by the notorious dodgy dossier on Saddam Husseins non-existent arsenal of weapons of mass destruction.
The other is Blairs obsession with making money, something bizarre in a politician who led an ostensibly socialist party.
For his Kazakh services, he is said to have been paid $13million, though that is just a small part of the fortune he has built up since leaving No10. At times, it almost seems he regards cash as a virility symbol, an indicator of his potency on the global stage. But the sad truth is that Blair struck a Faustian bargain when he embarked on the path of colluding with tyranny.
He has gained riches far beyond the dreams of most British politicians, but he has sold his soul.
He might not feel any shame, despite his Christian faith, but I fear he brings disrepute to Britain with his subservience to these enemies of liberty.
His descent into the mire accelerated after 2011 as he widened his client base, which now includes illiberal regimes such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Vietnam.
Aged 71, the energy he displays in the cause of accumulating wealth is remarkable. He is said to spend 70 per cent of his time abroad, while the Tony Blair Institute – which evolved from his consultancy – employs more than 800 people, with a turnover of $81million in 2021, paying for his vast property empire.
Others in his circle have done equally well. In 2011, wife Cheries legal firm was paid £493,000 by the Albanian government for advice in a dispute with a British company. Her firm is also said to have been paid £400,000 for six months work in Kazakhstan reviewing its bilateral investment treaties.
In 2011, Cherie Blairs legal firm was paid £493,000 by the Albanian government for advice in a dispute with a British company
But we dont even know how far Blairs financial tentacles reach, because so much in the lobbying world is hidden and financial records are particularly opaque.
Nor is Freedom of Information legislation – passed, ironically, by Blairs government – very strong.
Blairs current work is a far cry from the moral stance his government adopted when it came to power in 1997, with his foreign secretary, Robin Cook, grandly declaring Labour would pursue an ethical foreign policy. His government also passed the Human Rights Act in 1998, incorporating the European Convention on Human Rights into British law.
But such policy – if it ever existed – died in sands of Iraq and the hills of Afghanistan. While consideration for human rights seems now to count for little compared with the fees available for advising countries with questionable human rights records.
Blairs shamelessness as a lobbyist makes it all the more disgraceful that he has been rehabilitated by todays Labour party.
We are told that, behind the scenes, he is offering extensive advice to Sir Keir Starmer, as are some of his key allies from the past, such as Alastair Campbell and Peter Mandelson.
Blairs rehabilitation is a blight on his party, just as his venture into the world of international lobbying has been a smack in the face for those who are trying to fight global corruption.
Once, British prime ministers retired gracefully. But not Blair. In his eagerness to open doors for tyrants and kleptocrats, theres the risk other ex-politicians will feel encouraged to do the same.
Blairs government was instrumental in establishing the International Criminal Court in the Hague. Some people tell pollsters they would like to see him in the dock. I cannot say I disagree.
Casey Michel is director of the Combating Kleptocracy Program at the Human Rights Foundation and author of Foreign Agents: How American Lobbyists And Lawmakers Threaten Democracy Around the World.
