http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2111781,00.html Blair to stay as MP - for now
London - Tony Blair plans to keep his job as a parliamentarian until general elections - unless he gets a better offer. There is talk of the lecture circuit, an executive role in the European Union, or an advisory role to spur African development or peace in the Middle East. However, aides and associates say he is most likely to start an interfaith foundation to bridge the divide between Islam and Christianity. Blair, a Protestant, is said to carry the Qur'an with him regularly. Britain's large Muslim population - 1.6 million - rallied behind Blair when he came to power in 1997. But, since the September 11 terror attacks, many have said they feel unwelcome in their own country. Broad search powers "He has felt frustrated that his Christianity and his reverence for Islam was neither understood nor given a proper voice during his time as prime minister," said Anthony Seldon, a Blair biographer. "This will give him that platform." The terror attacks in the United States in 2001 ushered in a raft of anti-terrorism legislation in Britain. Police were granted broad search powers. Terror suspects could be held longer before they were charged or released. Relations have worsened with Britain's involvement in the Iraqi war. Suicide bombers, who targeted London's transit system in 2005 and killed 52 people, released a video in which they accused Britain of declaring war on Islam. It was Europe's first suicide bombings. "The tragedy is that as Christians, Jews and Muslims we are all Abrahamic religions," said Blair last year on a visit to Indonesia, which has the world's largest Muslim population. "We regard ourselves as children of Abraham, but we have fought for so long." Last year, Blair met Pope Benedict XVI to look at how dialogue could help bridge the divide between Christians, Jews and Muslims. A foundation also could give Blair an avenue for other projects close to his heart, including measures to tackle climate change, African development and the Middle East peace process. Blair was one of the first British prime ministers to put climate-change measures and debt relief to Africa on the agenda at a Group of Eight nations summit in 2005. He has tried to jumpstart the peace process in the Middle East, supporting an international conference on Palestinian reform. Huge drop in salary Aides say that Blair will stay on as a member of parliament in his constituency unless a job takes him away from Westminster. Salaries for members of parliament vary depending on seniority. The prime minister earns £127 334 a year (about R1.8m), while an ordinary member of parliament earns about half as much. Salaries are higher for whips, the speaker, or cabinet ministers. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
