While many New Zealanders are struggling to make ends meet, others could afford a
hefty $1000 to hear
(and be photographed with
)
the former British PM Tony Blair when he spoke in Auckland today.
Yes, Mr Blair is a politician for the rich. He only became Prime Minister after flying to Australia in 1995 to get media mogul
Rupert Murdoch’s approval
.
He also helped BP and the other oil companies by invading Iraq. Protesters outside his talk at Eden Park have described him as a war criminal, and would like
legal action taken against him
while he is here. They say that the Iraq war was based on a lie – that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction – and that hundreds of thousands of people needlessly died following the invasion.
Blair is still a hawk. In John Pilger’s latest film,
The War You Don’t See,
Blair is quoted saying that Western nations need to be prepared to take military action against Iran.
Don’t be fooled by his current “celebrity” status.