Tony Blair’s act of charity and the shameful whining of the haters

Yesterday it was announced that Tony Blair will give all the profits earned by his upcoming memoirs to the Royal British Legend’s rehabilitation project for wounded soldiers. That includes the £4,6m advance as well as all further royalties. It was a kind hearted gesture by the former British Prime Minister, a man who always showed the highest respect and admiration for the armed forces.

Unfortunately, as is common with the Blair-haters, anti-war utopians and some bereaved families, they cannot give credit where and when it is due. An example par excellence provides the radio debate between John Rentoul and ex-Socialist Workers Party activist, and Stop The War Coalition member, Chris Nineham.

Mr. Nineham, apparently completely out of touch with reality, calls Tony Blair’s donation a “small proportion of his massive wealth”, which amounts, taking the most exaggerated figures,  to no less than one quarter of his entire fortune.

No matter what Tony Blair does, it is a zero sum game for him. If he had taken the profits from the book they would have accused him of bathing in blood money. Now they denounce him for seeking “tax relief” and “trying to buy forgiveness”.

But the cynics should think twice before they snipe. Their whining could not be further from the truth. Nor could it be more ridiculous or grotesque. Tony Blair is a British tax payer and yesterday’s donation is certainly far higher than the potential amount of taxes he would have had to pay for the profits from his memoirs.

It is also utterly preposterous and vile to accuse him of “buying forgiveness”, as if he believed that the money he donates will bring back the brave soldiers who lost their lives or ease the pain of those who lost loved ones. But what he is trying to do is make a difference where he can. That is a noble and straightforward gesture and should be welcomed by everyone, regardless of political orientation and attitude towards Tony Blair.

I for my part felt sickened by the cynical attacks of the heartless, embittered and abominable creatures who are willing to put their own blind hatred above an act of charity, donated to the women and men deserving it most. Tony made me proud to be a Blairite through and through yesterday.

The obnoxious and despicable behaviour of the haters says more about them than about him. Hopefully they will choke on their own disgust. No love lost.

Press statement by his spokesman:

“Tony Blair decided on leaving office that he would donate the proceeds of his memoirs to a charity for the Armed Forces as a way of marking the enormous sacrifice they make for the security of our people and the world. The Royal British Legion is just such a cause.

“In making this decision, Tony Blair recognises the courage and sacrifice the armed forces demonstrate day in, day out. As Prime Minister he witnessed that for himself in Iraq, Afghanistan, Northern Ireland, Sierra Leone and Kosovo. This is his way of honouring their courage and sacrifice.

“We have been consulting with a number of people and organisations to decide the best support he can give. There is one project consistently highlighted: The Royal British Legion’s Battle Back Challenge Centre.

“As Tony Blair said to the House of Commons on his last day in office:

“‘I believe that they [the Armed Forces] are fighting for the security of this country and the wider world against people who would destroy our way of life. But whatever view people take of my decisions, I think that there is only one view to take of them: they are the bravest and the best.’”

The Royal British Legion warmly welcomed the donation:

The Royal British Legion is pleased to announce Tony Blair will be donating all of the proceeds from his forthcoming memoirs, A Journey, to the Battle Back Challenge Centre, a Legion funded project that will provide state-of-the-art rehabilitation services for seriously injured Service personnel.

The Legion has now committed £25m over 10 years to support the MoD’s Personnel Recovery Centre (PRC) programme which was announced earlier this year.  The charity’s funding support covers the running of the 4 PRCs and all the capital and civilian running costs of the Battle Back Challenge Centre – a major part of the programme which aims to help seriously injured personnel using sport and outdoor activities to help physical rehabilitation and confidence building. The innovative project will help injured service personnel fulfil their potential and get back to active duty or civilian life.

The Royal British Legion’s Battle Back Challenge Centre is due to open in summer 2012. The Legion expects that most injured personnel who are able to return to active duty will go through the Battle Back Centre as part of their recovery. The Centre, which will be open to personnel across the Armed Forces, will provide accommodation and a state-of-the-art gym and training facility.

Chris Simpkins, Director General of the Royal British Legion, said:

“The Legion is delighted to accept this very generous donation which gives an excellent start to our fundraising target of £12m for the Battle Back Challenge Centre and a total of £25m as our contribution to the provision of the world class service for injured personnel for the next 10 years. The culture of the Centre will very much be about what users of the service can do rather than what they can’t but some of the servicemen and women are likely to need the Legion’s support for the rest of their lives. Mr. Blair’s generosity is much appreciated and will help us to make a real and lasting difference to the lives of hundreds of injured personnel.”

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Related:

John Rentoul on the Blair hate fest

Tom Harris on why Blair criticism diminishes Britain

Paul Richards on why Blair’s book donation is testament to the quality of the author

Norm on the mind of Tony Blair and Norm again on the return of the sad option

Stephen Pollard on the donation and the haters

BlairSupporter on the “extreme outriders” aka we few, we happy few.

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