Wikispooks wikispooks https://wikispooks.com/wiki/Main_Page MediaWiki 1.33.2 first-letter Media Special Talk User User talk Wikispooks Wikispooks talk File File talk MediaWiki MediaWiki talk Template Template talk Help Help talk Category Category talk Property Property talk Form Form talk Concept Concept talk Document Document talk Wikipedia Wikipedia talk Test Test talk Widget Widget talk Campaign Campaign talk Module Module talk Gadget Gadget talk Gadget definition Gadget definition talk Tony Blair 0 2319 266804 256514 2023-08-04T03:48:52Z Robin 120 /* Foreign affairs after being PM */ t wikitext text/x-wiki {{person |birth_date=1953-05-06 |birth_place=Edinburgh |cspan=https://www.c-span.org/person/?tonyblair |historycommons=http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=tony_blair |geni=https://www.geni.com/people/Tony-Blair-Prime-Minister-of-the-UK/6000000010826808003 |website=http://www.tonyblairoffice.org |nationality=UK |wikipedia=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Blair |rationalwiki=http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Tony_Blair |nndb=http://www.nndb.com/people/691/000022625/ |description=Remarkably popular at the time, Tony Blair was a UK prime minister, now infamous for lying the UK into invading Iraq, notwithstanding massive opposition. He is currently sought for War crimes by many people. |constitutes=politician, war criminal, psychopath, Deep state actor |famechain=https://www.famechain.com/family-tree/10968/tony-blair |influences=Henry Kissinger |image=Gods-Wars-Exhibition-May-Ayres-25.jpg |image_caption=Sculpture By [[May Ayres]] |image_width=370px |spouses=Cherie Booth |alma_mater=Fettes College, St John's College (Oxford), Inns of Court School of Law |birth_name=Anthony Charles Lynton Blair |religion=Roman Catholicism |political_parties=Labour |children=Euan Nicky, Kathryn Leo |powerbase=http://www.powerbase.info/index.php/Tony_Blair |sourcewatch=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Tony_Blair |keywiki=http://www.keywiki.org/Tony_Blair |wikiquote=http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Tony_Blair |parents=Leo Blair, Hazel Corscadden |employment={{job |title=UK/Prime Minister |start=2 May 1997 |end=27 June 2007 |description=resigned }}{{job |title=Leader of the Labour Party |start=21 July 1994 |end=24 June 2007 }}{{job |title=UK/Leader of the Opposition |start=21 July 1994 |end=2 May 1997 }}{{job |title=Shadow Home Secretary |start=24 July 1992 |end=24 October 1994 }}{{job |title=Shadow Secretary of State for Employment |start=2 November 1989 |end=24 July 1992 }}{{job |title=Shadow Secretary of State for Energy |start=23 November 1988 |end=2 November 1989 }}{{job |title=Shadow Minister for Trade |start=13 July 1987 |end=23 November 1988 }}{{job |title=Member of Parliament for Sedgefield |start=9 June 1983 |end=27 June 2007 }}{{job |title=Special Envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East |start=27 June 2007 |end=27 May 2015 }} }} '''Tony Blair''' is a multi-millionaire<ref>http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/dec/04/tony-blair-defends-business-dealings-cites-henry-kissinger-role-model</ref> former [[Prime Minister]] of the [[United Kingdom]] with a track record of lying,<ref>[[Tony_Blair#Lying_to_parliament_about_the_Bilderberg_group]]</ref><ref>[[Downing street memos]]</ref> convicted ''in absentia'' as a [[war criminal]].<ref name=klj/><ref>http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/blair-denounced-as-liar-and-murderer-1884540.html</ref> In January 2008, Tony Blair became an advisor to [https://www.referenceforbusiness.com/history2/59/Zurich-Financial-Services.html Zurich Financial Services] and [[JP Morgan Chase]], receiving £500,000 and £2.5 million per year, respectively, for his troubles. In the latter case, Blair provided most of his services over the phone, or, as needed, jetting to parts of the world where the bank had interests. His work with [[JP Morgan Chase|JP Morgan]] was particularly controversial as the bank was set to profit from [[2003 Iraq War|the war Blair had started in Iraq]]. The father of an Iraq veteran called it “almost akin to taking blood money.”<ref>''[https://www.jacobinmag.com/2017/09/the-ghoulish-post-politics-career-of-tony-blair "Tony Blair’s Ghoulish Last Decade"]''</ref> In June 2015, following his decision to stand down as the envoy of the [http://www.quartetoffice.org/ Quartet on the Middle East,] (the [[UN]], [[US]], [[EU]] and [[Russia]]), Tony Blair was appointed head of the [http://ectr.eu/ European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation] which is focused on fighting [[antisemitism]]. Blair faced criticism during his time as the Quartet's envoy for being overly sympathetic to [[Israel]]: The [[Palestinian Authority]]’s former chief negotiator [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nabil_Shaath Nabil Shaath] said Blair had: :“Achieved so very little because of his gross efforts to please the [[Israeli]]s.”<ref>''[https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/jun/04/tony-blair-appointed-head-of-european-body-antisemitism "Tony Blair appointed as head of European body fighting antisemitism"]''</ref> He was named in the [[Pandora Papers]] in 2021. And, on 31 December 2021, [[The Queen]] announced that Tony Blair is to be appointed Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.<ref>''[https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/dec/31/tony-blair-to-be-given-most-senior-knighthood-in-new-year-honours-list "Tony Blair to be given most senior knighthood in new year honours list"]''</ref> [[John Pilger]] tweeted:{{QB|The contempt in which [[Britain]]'s elite holds the public has never been more eloquently expressed than in the decision to award Tony Blair the highest order of knighthood. One million [[Iraq]]is dead, three million dispossessed, a trail of blood to [[7/7]]. Rise Sir Tony!<ref>''[https://twitter.com/johnpilger/status/1477193069695053824 "The contempt in which Britain's elite holds the public has never been more eloquently expressed than in the decision to award Tony Blair the highest order of knighthood"]''</ref>}} ==Background == [[image:Blair buller.jpg|left|300px|thumbnail|A young Tony Blair with fellow students from Oxford in the 1970 (3rd from the right)]] Blair went to [[Fettes College]], a preparatory school where he befriended [[Bush family]] connection, [[Bill Gammell]].<ref>https://www.theguardian.com/business/2010/aug/24/brief-history-bill-gammell</ref> Blair attended [[Oxford University]] he was a member of the St. John's dining club in the 1970s. ==In Government== [[David Shayler]] has claimed that Tony Blair worked for [[MI5]].<ref>http://www.darkpolitricks.com/david-shayler-tony-blair-was-an-mi5-spy/</ref> Whether or not it is true, his record would seem to indicate a ''de facto'' subservience to the [[UK deep state]]. [[Philip Lyon]], a senior aide of Tony Blair, was found guilty in 2003 of [[child pornography]] on his (Lyon's) House of Commons computer.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/essex/3164581.stm</ref> This has ''not'' been proven to be an episode of [[sexual blackmail]]. ===Domestic policy=== {{SMWQ |date=25 July 2019 |source_name=Craig Murray's blog |source_URL=https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2019/07/johnsons-westminster-cabinet-is-far-to-the-right-of-thatcher/ |subjects=Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair, Working class, Social democracy, social change, free education, privatisation |authors=Craig Murray |text=[[Thatcher]] deliberately and cruelly wrecked the social democratic society in which I grew up, with the aim of destroying any ability for [[working people]] to be protected against the whims of the wealthy. But Thatcher never introduced privatisation into the NHS or state schools – that was her acolyte [[Blair]]. She maintained free university education in England and Wales. That was destroyed by Blair too. }} Blair personally intervened to stop an investigation by the [[Serious Fraud Office]] into the multi-billion pound [[Al-Yamamah arms deal]] by writing "secret and personal" letter to the [[Attorney General for England and Wales]], [[Peter Goldsmith]].<ref>http://www.bbc.com/news/business-23622364</ref> The [[Sourcewatch]] page has a good summary of Tony Blair's nuclear stance, basically a switch from anti- to pro, after contacts from the Nuclear [[lobby]]. ===Foreign policy=== Tony Blair had been widely criticised from within his own party for supporting the policy on Iraq of [[U.S. President]] [[George W. Bush]]. There is a general perception in the UK that Blair repeatedly misled the UK parliament and public in echoing the U.S. claims that [[Saddam Hussein]] had [[weapons of mass destruction]] and that invading and occupying Iraq was legal. As a result, some Members of Parliament have formed a group to call for impeachment hearings. The failure of {{ccm}} to pick up on this in spite of pretty overwhelming evidence is another indication that he may be receiving protection from the deep state. Further pressure was put on Blair in September 2004, during the UK [[Labour Party Conference]], when the ''[[London Evening Standard]]'' newspaper published details of a leaked Pentagon briefing paper. The document reveals that in October 2002, the [[Pentagon]] finalised its "Full Operational Battle Plan 1003V" for the [[Iraq War|Iraq war]], at a time when Blair was insisting that no decisions had been made about whether to go to war. ===Bilderberg Group=== When asked in March 1998 in the UK Parliament "which members of his Government have attended meetings of the [[Bilderberg]] Group?", Tony Blair replied "none".<ref>http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199798/cmhansrd/vo980330/text/80330w06.htm</ref> However, when named by a fellow attendee of the 1993 conference he later admitted attending, he termed [[Bilderberg]] "a really useful group".<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQf2-3EiAxs&index=45&list=PLagHa1QjXUIh2Fy6WSDemenIBoSloYjh_</ref> ==9/11 and the "War on Terror"== [[image:Blair=killer.jpg|333px|left]] Tony Blair has been an unflinching promoter of the "[[War on Terror]]". He claimed on September 31, 2001 to have seen "absolutely powerful incontrovertible evidence" that [[Osama bin Laden]] was responsible for the [[9/11]] attacks, but he declined to present it "because much of this evidence comes to us from sensitive sources, from [[intelligence agency|intelligence]] sources". He also stated that "Just as terrorists operate without borders, so the fight against "terrorism" needs to be a global one. Only a true coalition of the civilised world offers a real chance of cutting out the cancer of mass "terrorism"."<ref>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1358074/Blair-has-seen-proof-that-bin-Laden-is-guilty.html</ref> ==War Crimes== Since the [[Crown Prosecution Service]] showed no interest in prosecuting Blair, efforts were ongoing as of [[2017]] to privately prosecute Tony Blair. These were being actively opposed by [[Jeremy Wright]], [[UK Attorney General]].<ref>http://theduran.com/uk-government-moves-to-stop-war-crimes-prosecution-of-tony-blair/</ref> [[Image:Photo-Op.jpg|550px|right|thumb|In 2007, artists Peter Kennard and Cat Picton-Phillipps produced this icon collage depicting Tony Blair taking a 'selfie' in front of a huge explosion. This was a "response to the personal anger the two artists felt, and [stemmed from a desire] to create something that reflected and validated the enormous public opposition to the war, which they felt had not been reflected in the [[corporate media|[corporate] media]]."<ref>http://gerryco23.wordpress.com/2013/11/12/contemporary-art-and-war-at-iwm-north/</ref>]] Tried ''in absentia'' Tony Blair was convicted by the [[Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Commission]]<ref name=klj>http://criminalisewar.org/files/Judgement%20on%20Genocide.pdf</ref> both for crimes against peace following his lies in the run up to the illegal [[Iraq War]]. The tribunal referred their findings to the chief prosecutor at the [[International Court of Justice]] in the Hague. He is wanted for the [[supreme crime]], that of waging a war of aggression. The leaking of the [[Downing street memo]]s exposed the deceits which leading up to the illegal [[2003 Invasion of Iraq]], an act of unprovoked aggression which has resulted in over a million deaths. [[George Monbiot]] writing for the ''[[Guardian]]'' termed him "one of the two greatest living mass murderers on earth", noting that the [[war crime]] charge "looks incontestable".<ref name=monbiot>http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/oct/26/making-blair-eu-president-crazy</ref> ===Citizens' Arrest?=== He has not yet been brought to justice, although he has been arrested to several citizens' arrests. An activist has set up the [http://www.arrestblair.org Arrest Blair website] which distributes bounties to those who try to perform a citizen's arrest on him. This feat is made difficult by the £250,000/year paid by the [[UK]] government for Blair's security guards. ===Pariah status=== [[File:BlairSharon.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Ariel Sharon]]'s funeral, Jan.2014]] In August 2012, [[Archbishop Desmond Tutu]] announced his refusal to share a platform with Blair. His office stated: :"Ultimately, the Archbishop is of the view that Mr Blair's decision to support the United States' military [[2003 Invasion of Iraq|invasion of Iraq]], on the basis of unproven allegations of the existence in Iraq of [[weapons of mass destruction]], was morally indefensible. The Discovery Invest Leadership Summit has 'leadership' as its theme. Morality and leadership are indivisible. In this context, it would be inappropriate and untenable for the Archbishop to share a platform with Mr Blair.<ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9504259/Archbishop-Desmond-Tutu-pulls-out-of-event-with-Tony-Blair-because-of-Iraq-War.html "Archbishop Desmond Tutu pulls out of event with Tony Blair because of Iraq War"]</ref> In January 2014, [[Craig Murray]] wrote on [[Craig Murray's blog|his blog]] "Seeing Tony Blair speaking at [[Ariel Sharon]]’s Funeral – one war criminal eulogising another – was so horrifying it has jolted this blog back out of retirement. There may be no justice, but there can be truth."<ref>[http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2014/01/war-criminals-on-tv/ "War Criminals On TV"]</ref> ==Chilcot Inquiry== {{FA|Chilcot Inquiry}} On 2 June 2014, Tony Blair avoided answering questions about the then unpublished [[Chilcot Inquiry]] report into the [[2003 Invasion of Iraq|Iraq war]].<ref>[http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/video-news/video-tony-blair-ducks-questions-on-chilcot-inquiry-30322020.html "Video: Tony Blair ducks questions on Chilcot Inquiry"]</ref> In October 2015 "Blair issued what amounted to a non-apology as he tried to spin his way out of the trouble he expect[ed] from the findings of the Chilcot inquiry into Britain's role in the Iraq War."<ref>https://www.smh.com.au/opinion/no-one-should-forget-the-medias-role-in-the-march-to-the-iraq-war-20151029-gkm09i.html</ref> ===Deep state protection=== An article by Professor [[Arshad M. Khan]] entitled "Elite Impunity and the Chilcot Report – Will Tony Blair Ever Go to Jail?" published soon after the report of the [[Chilcot Inquiry]] began by observing "What stands out in the British Iraq Inquiry (Chilcot) report is the sidestepping of the war crime issue" and concluded "Are we ever likely to see Blair, Bush or Cheney in the dock. Not even if hell freezes over...When the political elite can act with impunity, it becomes a corrosive salt eating away at the framework of democracy. It is an ill omen."<ref>http://www.globalresearch.ca/elite-impunity-and-the-chilcot-report-will-tony-blair-ever-go-to-jail/5536054</ref> ==Later activities== Before Tony Blair announced that he would be resigning his prime ministerial post it became known (not officially announced) that he had been offered a position at the [[Carlyle Group]], the largest US private equity firm which is heavily involved the armaments industry.<ref>Hamer, Rupert, "[http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article9913.htm Tony Blair to join Carlyle Group?]" ''Sunday Mirror'', 22 August 2005, accessed 24 November 2008.</ref> It also became known that the [[Murdoch]] press had agreed a £4.5 million signing fee for his memoirs.<ref>Aaronovitch, David, "A Different Kind of Compassion," ''Media Lens'', 10 January 2008.</ref> While Blair's mostly-symbolic role as "mediator" in the [[Middle East]] has impeded him pursuing the lecture circuit, the announced rate for one lecture in China was US$500,000. On 9 January 2008, it was announced that Blair would become a "part-time senior adviser, on a salary said to exceed $1m (£500,000) a year" at [[JPMorgan Chase]].<ref>Wearden, Graeme, "[http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/jan/10/blairjpmorgan Blair joins JP Morgan as $1m-a-year adviser]," ''Guardian'', 10 January 2008, accessed 24 November 2008.</ref> The ''[[Financial Times]]'' said that he would earn £2 million/year and "will use his experience and contacts to provide political and strategic advice to the US bank and participate in some client events." Blair stated that he was looking at accepting "a small handful" of similar positions with other companies. "I have always been interested in commerce and the impact of globalisation. Nowadays, the intersection between politics and the economy in different parts of the world, including the emerging markets, is very strong," he said.<ref>David Wighton, [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/be4ed2c4-befa-11dc-8c61-0000779fd2ac.html "Blair takes advisory position at JP Morgan"], ''Financial Times'', January 9 2008.</ref> ===Libyan involvement=== Documents found by the ''[[Sunday Telegraph]]'' showed that Blair had made at least three visits to Tripoli, twice in the lead-up to the release of the alleged Lockerbie bomber [[Abdelbaset al-Megrahi]] in 2008 and 2009 and once in 2010. On the first two occasions he was flown to the country on planes arranged by [[Muammar Gaddafi]].<ref>[http://dissidentvoice.org/2013/08/tony-blair-libya-lockerbie-arms-and-betrayals-2/ "Tony Blair: Libya, Lockerbie, Arms and Betrayals"]</ref> A senior diplomat told the ''Daily Telegraph'' that the British embassy in Tripoli had arranged transport for Mr Blair and his entourage in Tripoli and ensured that representatives were there to "greet him and see him off" at the airport. Mr Blair stayed overnight at the ambassador’s official residence in Tripoli and was accompanied by "several" British police officers for protection. The documents show that among the people he was due to meet in 2009 was Mohammed Layas, head of the LIA. [[image:Blair 2007 May-Ayres large.jpg|300px|thumbnail|left|By [[May Ayres]] ]] A Blair spokesman said that the visits had largely been to discuss [[Africa]], and categorically denied that he had lobbied [[Saif al-Islam]] on behalf of [[JP Morgan]]: :"As we have made clear many times before, Tony Blair has never had any role, either formal or informal, paid or unpaid, with the Libyan Investment Authority or the Government of Libya and he does not and has never had any commercial relationship with any Libyan company or entity." In August 2011, American officials told the ''New York Post'' newspaper that [[JP Morgan]] managed more than half a billion US dollars on behalf of the LIA. One of the letters arranging the 2008 visit, in which an aide to Mr Blair told the Libyan ambassador to Britain that the former prime minister was "delighted" that "The Leader" was likely to be able to see him, was on notepaper headed "Office of the Quartet Representative", his formal title as Middle East envoy. The Quartet he represents is made up of the European Union, the United Nations, Russia and the United States. A spokesman for [[Ban Ki-moon]], the UN Secretary-General, said: "It's up to him to explain why he did this." <ref>''[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/tony-blair/8772418/Tony-Blair-visited-Libya-to-lobby-for-JP-Morgan.html "Tony Blair 'visited Libya to lobby for JP Morgan'"]''</ref> In September 2011, the ''Daily Telegraph'' revealed that Tony Blair was one of three prominent western businessmen (including an unnamed British businessman and a former American diplomat) who regularly advised [[Saif al-Islam Gaddafi]], son of the former Libyan leader, over investment decisions of the [[Libyan Investment Authority]] (LIA), the $70 billion fund used to invest the country's oil money abroad.<ref>''[http://www.globalresearch.ca/financial-heist-of-the-century-confiscating-libya-s-sovereign-wealth-funds-swf/24479 "Financial Heist of the Century: Confiscating Libya’s Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWF)"]''</ref> An LIA executive, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: :"Tony Blair's visits were purely lobby visits for banking deals with [[JP Morgan]]. Saif and his father played these people like musical chairs. At the end the reputation of the LIA was really damaged because of these interventions." In March 2016, adjourning a case in London’s High Court over the leadership claims of two rival heads of the [[Libyan Investment Authority]], which controls [[Libya]]’s sovereign wealth fund,<ref>''[https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2018-11-23/spare-a-thought-for-libya-s-67-billion-wealth-fund "Spare a Thought for Libya’s $67 Billion Wealth Fund"]''</ref> Tony Blair's elder brother Judge [[William Blair]] declared it would be premature to rule while moves were afoot to form a [[Government of National Accord]] in Libya.<ref>''[http://www.euronews.com/business-newswires/3162845-battle-between-rival-chairmen-of-libyas-67-billion-fund-reaches-london-high-court/ "LIA leadership case adjourned, judge says premature to rule"]''</ref> ===Institute for Global Change=== On 1 December 2016, Blair announced that his ‘The Africa Governance Initiative’, ‘The Tony Blair Faith Foundation’ and his ‘Initiative for the Middle East’ would all become part of the [[Tony Blair Institute for Global Change]], saying: :“Over the past nine years we have built a family of organisations which together employ nearly 200 people; have worked in over 30 countries; and have produced some real and lasting achievements. I am very proud of the commitment and impact of the people I have had the privilege to work with.”<ref>''[https://institute.global/news/tony-blair-announcement-new-organisation "Tony Blair Announcement on New Organisation"]''</ref> ===Other affiliations=== Tony Blair is a member of the [[Fabian Society]], the [[America APPG]], patron of the [[Foreign Policy Centre]] and a member of [[The Other Club]] since 1991. ===Covid-19 vaccines=== Tony Blair spoke on [[BBC Radio 4]]'s ''Today Programme'' on 23 December 2020, advocating getting [[COVID-19 vaccine]]s out to as many people as possible even if it means giving just one dose, like the [[Johnson & Johnson]] one-dose vaccine was specifically designed for: [https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000qkmq skip to 1:51:43 - 1:58:10 at this link:] <ref>''[https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000qkmq "Tony Blair BBC Radio 4 Today Programme, 23 December 2020 (1:51:43 - 1:58:10)"]''</ref> On the same day, ''[[The Independent]]'' newspaper published this article "Coronavirus: Tony Blair calls for millions to be vaccinated in January in ‘radical acceleration’ of programme".{{QB|''The Independent'' also published three comments on the Tony Blair article: 1. A perfect example of why you should never take medical advice from a [[politician]]. 2. When the approval of the vaccine was first announced, the Chief Scientific Advisor said that they do not know of it will prevent transmission. He added that they won’t know until it has been deployed on a large enough scale and for long enough to show the data. The basis of Blair’s call to vaccinate as a way to control the spread is therefore flawed or at least it would seem so. His call to speed up the approval is also dangerous. I tend to agree with much of what Blair says on political matters but on this he seems out of his depth and if he is going to proffer a view he should at least indicate his sources of advice. 3. The former vaccines chief has also said this - according to him the efficacy of the [[Pfizer]] vaccine is 91% after the first dose, going up to 95% after the second. I guess that the people who should be asked about this are [[BioNTech]] and [[Pfizer]] as they will understand the most about their vaccine. It will be different for different vaccines. Even if they did reduce it to one dose for a wide number of people, the logistics of getting a higher volume of people vaccinated would be difficult. A person has to be observed for 15 minutes after vaccination to ensure there is help on hand if they have an allergic reaction- something that is very rare, but is part of protocol for new vaccines. There is also the case that you cannot have people crowded into vaccination hubs because of the risk that would increase infections in the days before the immune system is is boosted by the vaccine.<ref>''[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/coronavirus-tony-blair-vaccine-oxford-b1777894.html "Coronavirus: Tony Blair calls for millions to be vaccinated in January in ‘radical acceleration’ of programme"]''</ref>}} ====JPM 2021==== On 11 January 2021, at the 39th [[J.P. Morgan Annual Healthcare Conference]] (JPM 2021) in [[San Francisco]],<ref>''[https://healthmanagement.org/c/hospital/event/j-p-morgan-39th-annual-healthcare-conference-2021 "J.P. Morgan 39th Annual Healthcare Conference"]''</ref> [[Johnson & Johnson]]'s CEO [[Alex Gorsky]] told JPM 2021 that [[J&J]]'s one-dose [[COVID-19/Vaccine]] regimen could jump-start an immunisation push that's faltering in spite of the millions of doses [[Pfizer]], [[BioNTech]], [[AstraZeneca]] and [[Moderna]] are rolling out around the world. [[J&J]] is in the “final stages” of data analysis for its phase 3 trial, and hopes “to have that information very soon.” [[J&J]] initially set out to test its adenovirus-based vaccine candidate in a 60,000-patient phase 3 trial, but it halted enrollment at around 45,000 patients last month. Now, it’s nearly ready to deliver its first efficacy numbers—and find out how they stack up against the other vaccines in the mix. The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines posted efficacy numbers better than 90%. AstraZeneca's vaccine was 70% effective on average, but a half-dose regimen was 90% effective, the company reported in November. [[Alex Gorsky|Gorsky]]'s JPM 2021 remarks come after [[Operation Warp Speed]] official [[Moncef Slaoui]] recently predicted [[J&J]] efficacy data in January and a potential [[FDA]] emergency authorisation in February. Importantly, [[J&J]]’s vaccine works with just one dose, which [[Moncef Slaoui|Slaoui]] said could be a “game-changer,” as quoted by the ''New York Post''. The drugmaker is also testing its shot as a two-dose regimen.<ref>''[https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/jpm-j-j-hopes-to-share-phase-3-coronavirus-vaccine-data-very-soon-ceo-says "JPM: 'Very soon,' says Johnson & Johnson CEO as world waits for its COVID-19 vaccine data"]''</ref> ===Foreign affairs after being PM=== The [[Tony Blair Institute]] has taken money from [[Saudi Arabia]].<ref>https://www.ft.com/content/6426466c-b12c-11e8-99ca-68cf89602132</ref> He is strongly opposed to the [[Afghanistan/2021 withdrawal]]. For once he wasn't on TV constantly.<ref>https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-58295384</ref> He was called out for his "deafening silence" by [[Nigel Farage]] on [[GB News]].<ref>https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1478446/tony-blair-afghanistan-silence-nigel-farage-gb-news-war-joe-biden-refugees-kabul-spt</ref> After a few days of silence, Blair called [[Joe Biden]] an imbecile for withdrawing troops. ==External links== *[http://www.medialens.org/index.php/alerts/alert-archive/2008/529-david-aaronovitch-a-different-kind-of-compassion.html "Aaronovitch, David, 'A Different Kind of Compassion',"] ''Media Lens'', 10 January 2008. *BBC, "[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7180306.stm Tony Blair joins investment bank]," 10 January 2008, accessed 24 November 2008. *Hamer, Rupert, "[http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article9913.htm Tony Blair to join Carlyle Group?]" ''Sunday Mirror'', 22 August 2005, accessed 24 November 2008. *Ungoed-Thomas, Jon, et al., "[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article5213604.ece Revealed: how minister cashed in on contacts]," ''The Sunday Times'', 23 November 2008, accessed 24 November 2008. *Wearden, Graeme, "[http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/jan/10/blairjpmorgan Blair joins JP Morgan as $1m-a-year adviser]," ''Guardian'', 10 January 2008, accessed 24 November 2008. {{SMWDocs}} ==References== <references/> bg5isx5bnr3reff1b90fmq4xymb2ak5