What price - life?

[daneski88]

Tony Blair's security for last year cost the taxpayer a quarter of a million pounds (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/7870970/Hague-concern-as-Tony-Blairs-police-bodyguards-cost-250000-in-expenses.html)

The only problem I have with that is the fact that he has become very very wealthy on the back of his public service. It seems a bit unfair that the public purse should protect his life while he reaps the financial rewards for it. Does anyone else have a view on this?

 

[Johnmelad502]

He is a multi millionaire and should be paying for his own protection.

 

[daneski88]

That's pretty much where I'm coming from. If in the course of his public duties he require protection then so be it, and I would even be willing to advocate the expenditure towards his every day life. Where it is difficult to justify is when he performs private functions such as speeches and lectures for which he is renumerated profitably and which only exist in the first place through his position as a publically paid for servant.

 

[kirkgas]

i dont have aproblem with paying for his security in Britain, but i do not agree with me chipping for security to fly business class as he flies round the world earning a fortune, basically because of who he is ( ie our ex PM who we paid to put there) he should pay all his own foreign security or stay at home counting his money

 

[oompah]

Point of order,the quarter of a million pounds refered to is expenses run up by Blairs security team on top of the security bill.

it was disclosed that Mr Blair’s Metropolitan Police protection squad ran up a £5,000-a-week expenses bill over the past year.
Their total expenses bill was almost twice that charged by officers who guarded Gordon Brown over the past year.

It comes in addition to the basic cost to the public of protecting Mr Blair and his family over a year, including officers’ wages, which is estimated at £6 million.

 

[daneski88]

In retrospect - please remove since it is not relevant

 

[daneski88]

Oh dear. It would appear that this thread has been over run by a load of in-house fighting. Can anyone suggest how it can get cleaned up?

Edit - already done by someone. Thank you very much whoever you are.

 

[penfold46]

Mr Nordio

Mr Who?

 

[ellal]

The public purse could be saved all this money by an expenditure of less than £1...

The price of a carefully aimed bullet into the head of a war criminal! ....

 

[joe-90]

They say he keeps his money in Belize - so pays no UK tax.

 

[Karinska]

That's totally outrageous ellal










bullets cost far more than that

 

[ajstoneservices]

Who are "they" care to tell us.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Now he's become catholic I think the vatican should help fund his protection and also lend him the popemobile, once in awhile.

 

[daneski88]

Ellal, a bit like a deleted predecessor on here. You make an allegation which is fair enough but have jumped to a verdict and a sentence. It is when you do this that your argument is reduced to relatively worthless and I implore you to state your case fully if we are to avoid the WD Troll can being posted.

 

[ellal]

Ellal, a bit like a deleted predecessor on here. You make an allegation which is fair enough but have jumped to a verdict and a sentence. It is when you do this that your argument is reduced to relatively worthless and I implore you to state your case fully if we are to avoid the WD Troll can being posted.

prove he's not a war criminal then...