THE TELEGRAPH: Tony Blair came under fire in the Chinese media yesterday for charging about £200,000 for a single speech - and not a good one at that.
The former prime minister spoke to businessmen and government officials in the industrial city of Dongguan, two hours north of Hong Kong, on Tuesday evening.
Although the real estate firm which hired him for a "VIP banquet" refused to confirm the sum, the local tax office said that he had paid just under £80,000 in income tax and £6,500 for a three per cent business tax, which would work out to a total fee of about £200,000. What made matters worse for newspaper commentators was that Mr Blair failed to say anything interesting. One said he had trotted out the same platitudes that could be heard from local officials. "Frankly, we are very familiar with all this - it's just like listening to any county or city official's reports," Deng Qingbo wrote in the China Youth Daily.
"If so, why pay such a high price to hear the same thing? Is it worth the money? Do these thoughts multiply in value because they come from the mouth of a retired prime minister?" Chinese turn on Tony Blair over speech (more) By Richard Spencer
TIMESONLINE:
£240,000 for Tony Blair’s not so great speech on greatness By Jane Macartney and Francis Elliot
Mark Alexander
