Click on the image to enlargeTony Blair's nine months out of office seem to have done something to his geographical antennae. Giving a speech tonight on Faith & Globalisation at Westminster Cathedral tonight, Mr Blair's official transcript contained this corker...
China has gone from a standing start to arguably the most powerful nation on the continent of Africa.I hope when he actually spoke the words he substituted 'nation' with 'influence'!
14 comments:
But it's true. They've quietly been buying the continent and its resources up while everyone was looking in another direction.
The only surprise is that Blair was smart enough to notice. Or someone told him.
I haven't read the whole speech but he has a point. China props up some pretty horrible regimes in Africa and sources a lot of their mineral resources in return. I saw Chinese road gangs in Kenya in 1997. If China told Mugabe the game was up he would be finished, without doubt.
No Ian. He (Blair) is quite correct.
Who would you suggest was the most powerful nation in Africa? The French? They never were. The British ... we dribbled it all away. China's been buying up minerals - copper, cobalt, zinc, oil. And the Chinese don't lecture them on human rights, so they are a pleasure to do business with.
Russia's in there, too. And India.
Have to take a small issue with you here. While Blair's words were clumsy and inelegant, more what we expect of the Clunking Fist than Princess Tonee, he did say "on the continent of Africa", not in Africa. The meaning seems to be that their influence on the ground is increasing, which is undoubted and worrying.
The rest of the speech appears to be Blair's childish style of his off-the cuff presentation, so perhaps he is not doing well without the army of writers. "Yes, the mind boggles"? Indeed it does, that a man who intends to be taken seriously in world politics would utter such words in a formal talk.
Aren't you both correct? Surely depends upon if you think of the word "on" as meaning within (geographically) or upon (politically)?
Oh I don't know; hated English at school.
I disagree with you Iain on the Livingston issue.
Iain,
you obviously missed what I wrote the other day. Professor Lovelock, in an interview in the Daily Mail a week last Saturday, said that as he believed China will be unable to grow any crops in future years, that is why they are in Africa getting ready to colonising that Country. So Africa today China tomorrow.
Blair is spot on!
Who else is feeding Mugabe?
What will happen when the one child policy means that there are far more dependents than workers i.e. the reverse of what they have now?I am not at all convinced this slitty eyed miracle is as miraculous as it looks.
..and for god`s sake have pity and tell me what Ken has done ...What what what...?
Aha got it .....I agree with Javelin...you really are a spoilsport sometimes Iain.
Newmania, I don't follow your post at all. Also, the Chinese are not "slitty eyed". Their eyes are shaped differently from ours, and many - depressingly many, frankly - Chinese women are simply beautiful. And many of the men - especially the Han - are very handsome indeed. As an example, look at Singapore's Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong. Not just handsome, but witty.
I think their eyes make them look intriguing.
OTOH, I worked in a Chinese company and once said to one of my colleagues, "Do you remember the friend I brought over to lunch?" and she shook her head no, and said, "All white people look alike to me."
So there you have it.
I was at The Lecture last night.
Most amusing as the sound system kept playing up and with the demonstration outside TB was often inaudible.
It would be interesting to know how much it cost to police the event as the boys and girls in blue seemed to be out in force.
Arriving home, I discovered this:
http://tonyblairoffice.org/
Love the dedicated media bids email address!
Round eyed devil that Verity
XX
Sounds to me like a sensible remark.
It may not be geographically true but it is actually true.
Sometimes it is a worthwhile trick to say something which appears wrong but on thinking about it you see the point. Keeps the audience listening. After all if hed said something more mundane you wouldn't have reported it Iain.
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