Blair should stop being Quartet ambassador

It is time that Tony Blair stopped being the Quartet’s ambassador to the Middle East. The former British prime minister has not contributed anything to the process of peace in Palestine.

At irregular intervals he shows up at regional conferences and offers spouts platitudes to both sides. Working for peace in Palestine is not a sinecure, and Blair should be removed from this position.

Blair’s appearance this week at the Leveson Inquiry in London was a reminder of how brilliant he was as a politician. He took Labour to three successive electoral wins, and his replies this week showed his engaging honesty which was part of his dangerous charm as prime minister.

When asked why he did not stand up to Murdoch’s press, Blair said that he made a simple political decision to duck the confrontation. Very few politicians could have been so attractive when describing the political realities of power.

Taking on the over mighty press would have meant an “absolute major confrontation”, he said, when people wanted the government to focus on health, schools and crime. After losing office, this very effective politician grabbed a range of very lucrative jobs which have destroyed him politically for ever. He used his fading prestige to earn vast sums of money, which he tried to hide by putting the money through front companies.

For anyone in the Arab world, Blair’s credibility was destroyed by his decision to back Bush’s invasion of Iraq regardless of international law or the lack of any plan for reconstruction.

As one of the principle authors of the Iraq civil war, it is wrong for Blair to have any role in Palestine. He should stick to trying to get his rich friends to back his religious foundation, where he will do much less harm, and keep out of the way making his fortune.