Saturday 2 November 2013

THE KILLING OF TONY BLAIR BY GEORGE GALLOWAY M.P.

GEORGE GALLOWAY M.P.
 
I knew at 17 politics was going to be my life. I was so pious then, I would never have called it a career. It was a revolutionary time. The Vietnam war. Overthrowing fascism in Portugal, Spain and Greece. Britain was in a state of industrial and political ferment.

- Feels like a revolutionary time all over again
 

Page Liked · 11 hrs · Edited ·Wednesday 11th of May 2016
 Funded! This project successfully raised its funding goal on Oct 7.

"Some people make a living, others make a killing" - an exclusive new documentary on Tony Blair which will break unexplored ground



Many many thanks for those who have contributed to this Kickstarter campaign, we are truly humbled. After it closes, you will still be able to follow/contribute through our website: http://www.theblairdoc.com and send us relevant information and interesting leads at theblairdoc@gmail.com.
As we said before, we are so grateful for both the overwhelming contributions and the amazing participation of everyone.
Thank you



Thank you for all the pledges so far! 
Your contributions so far have been overwhelmingly generous. Given the great enthusiasm we have received so far, we have raised our ambitions to making a feature length documentary for global cinema release in order to reach the widest audience possible and to making this the best and most thorough documentary it can be. Therefore we need to keep raising funds. Please keep circulating the link and keep telling your friends and family to continue to donate. Tony Blair knows we are after him, let’s let him know we mean business!



I’m making the definitive documentary about the Blair years. Years of war and plunder, death and destruction, corruption and disillusion. Tony Blair killed the Labour Party as we knew it. He and George W. Bush helped kill a million people in disastrous wars and Blair is currently making a financial killing out of both.



He's making 'a killing', out of killing.
He's making 'a killing', out of killing.
In 2003, I was expelled from the Labour Party over my outspoken opposition to Bush and Blair's war in Iraq. I promised that until the last day of my life I would go on fighting to put Tony Blair on trial, a real trial in The Hague, for war crimes and crimes against humanity. This documentary, the mother of all documentaries, will expose Blair's crimes.
This documentary will not be another sterile chronicle of the Blair years. I witnessed his mendacity firsthand and am able to offer you the inside story. I will pull no punches in going toe to toe with those in the upper echelons of New Labour; the likes of Peter Mandelson and Alistair Campbell are all in my sights and so are the big business bankers he consults for. There is no doubt that the debates will be heated. But from that heat will come light.



Outside one of Tony Blair's many houses. Photo by Louis Leeson
Outside one of Tony Blair's many houses. Photo by Louis Leeson
I need your help to launch this film. We are trying to raise £50,000 here on this site. This target is the absolute bare minimum we need to complete the research and filming. In total, we will need more than twice that amount to purchase further archive materials, distribute and market the documentary. We are confident that a successful Kickstarter campaign will empower us to match funds from other sources.
This is an all-or-nothing platform. If we don’t raise the full £50,000 in just 40 days, no money changes hands. I hope you will want to be a part of this. You can be the difference to help make history, stop Blair in his tracks, halt his profiteering, and bring him to some kind of justice. It is an ambitious project, but it is not beyond us.
Thank you,



George Galloway MP



The film will look at how Blair rose without trace to hijack the Labour Party and to fly it to destruction. At how a million people lie dead as a result of the Blair era. In Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, and even on the streets of western capitals, like London and Madrid. At how he feathered the beds of the rich and powerful and how finally, upon leaving office, he ruthlessly exploited his Downing Street contacts and climbed into those feathered beds himself. His Faustian pact with the likes of Rupert Murdoch, the bankers and the City slickers will be laid bare.
This film will break new and unexplored ground with never before seen footage, exclusive interviews and penetrating commentary. In addition, diplomats, investigative journalists, well-known artists and activists, as well as victims of the Blair era will all participate.



Photo by Louis Leeson
Photo by Louis Leeson
A top-notch technical team and a host of dedicated volunteers are working hard to make this project happen. The film is currently in the pre-production stage and our team is carrying out research, collecting footage and securing interviews. Funds will be exclusively used for the making of this documentary. The more you donate the better our film can be. Exceeding our target would enable us to purchase further archive footage, film overseas and settle post production costs.
This film will be kickstarted by you, the people, who want to see the truth told and justice done. By pledging to fund this film you will be securing a ringside seat for the heavyweight bout of the decade, helping to expose one of the scandals of the century. Donate now and you could be recognised as one of those who helped bring about the downfall of Tony Blair.



In addition to making your valued donations there are more ways you can help us. We are always on the lookout for new audio-visual material and would gratefully accept contributions of photographs and footage pertinent to the subject matter of the film (you must own the rights to the material). If you work in the creative industries and would like to lend your expertise, equipment or facilities we would be delighted to hear from you. Please contact us at: theblairdoc@gmail.com



Tracking down Tony, day 1. Photo by Louis Leeson.
Tracking down Tony, day 1. Photo by Louis Leeson.



We have a large selection of rewards and gifts available for anyone who makes a pledge to help get this film made. Here are a few examples of some of the great rewards we have available.
You can have your name appear in a special 'Thank You' section in the credits, or have access to an exclusive and early online screening . You can be rewarded with a rare and limited edition 'special backers' DVD signed by George Galloway MP with behind the scenes footage or get a limited edition documentary poster signed by George Galloway MP. Also available are 'Send Blair to the Hague' t-shirts.



You can be invited to the advance private screening of the documentary in London with a Q&A session with George Galloway MP, or have a chance to speak to George Galloway MP through a thank you Skype call
You can secure limited behind the scene access at one of our production shoots, which will allow you to meet our film crew and speak to George Galloway Face to face. We are also giving away exclusive tickets to the film's premiere and an exclusive VIP private dinner with George Galloway MP.
Associating your name with justice by donating £5000 will get you listed as an Executive Producer in the opening and closing credits of the film. Your name will also be displayed on the DVD Packaging and on our official website. Your name will be at the forefront of our campaign!



Please 'Like', 'Share' & 'Tweet' about this project, The more people who hear about our campaign the more chance we have of raising the necessary funds to make this documentary possible. FacebookTwitter



Photo by Christopher Cottrell - Artwork by Joe Cook
Photo by Christopher Cottrell - Artwork by Joe Cook

Risks and challenges Learn about accountability on Kickstarter

As with any documentary, there are risks and challenges that may arise over the course of the production of this film. Two of our biggest challenges will be finalising the documentary in the foreseen timeline as well as reaching our financial target.
This is a very ambitious project, hoping to reveal information not yet seen or told before. Without a doubt there are certain people who may want to obstruct our work given the contents of the film. In addition, given the investigative nature of the documentary, we are cognisant that during the making of the film we may come across new facts and information that will warrant additional research. For this reason, a challenge will be to try and complete the documentary in the scheduled timescale, while allowing flexibility to improve it through further research or new interviewees. Newly found information can also influence the financing of the film, as further costly archive footage may need to be purchased or new shooting locations may need to be visited. We firmly believe that these challenges will be overcome and we will not make any compromises with regard to the quality of this documentary.
The timescale we have set for the delivery of rewards is a rough estimate and we will do all we can to give them to you at the indicated time. Delivery of some of the rewards, however, could directly be affected by delays we may encounter while making the documentary. Please rest assured that we will of course make sure that the rewards are delivered and that our team will do its upmost to send them to you as soon as possible.

FAQ

Have a question? If the info above doesn't help, you can ask the project creator directly.
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 4,459 Backers
£163,891
pledged of £50,000 goal

0 seconds to go
Funding period  Aug 28, 2013 - Oct 7, 2013 (40 days)
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  • Pledge £5 or more
    1514 backers
    1) Your name will APPEAR IN THE CREDITS under the special thanks section of the film.
    Estimated delivery: Sep 2014
  • Pledge £10 or more
    901 backers
    1) You will receive a THANK YOU SHOUT OUT from George Galloway on his documentary Facebook page or from the documentary’s Twitter account. 2) Your name will appear in the credits under the special thanks section of the film.
    Estimated delivery: Nov 2013
  • Pledge £25 or more
    508 backers
    1) You will receive an invitation to an EXCLUSIVE AND EARLY ONLINE SCREENING. 2) You will receive a thank you shout out from George Galloway on his documentary Facebook page or from the documentary’s Twitter account. 3) Your name will appear in the credits under the special thanks section of the film.
    Estimated delivery: Sep 2014
  • Pledge £50 or more
    548 backers
    1) A 'SPECIAL BACKERS' DVD copy of the film signed by George Galloway MP. This will include exclusive behind the scenes footage 2) You will receive an invitation to an exclusive and early online screening 3) You will receive a thank you shout out from George Galloway on his documentary Facebook page or from the documentary’s Twitter account. 4) Your name will appear in the credits under the special thanks section of the film.
    Estimated delivery: Dec 2014
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    146 backers
    1) A LIMITED DOCUMENTARY POSTER signed by George Galloway accompanied by a personal thank you message. 2) A ‘special backers edition’ DVD copy of the film signed by George Galloway MP. This will include exclusive behind the scenes footage 3) You will receive an invitation to an exclusive and early online screening 4) You will receive a thank you shout out from George Galloway on his documentary Facebook page or from the documentary’s Twitter account. 5) Your name will appear in the credits under the special thanks section of the film.
    Estimated delivery: Dec 2014
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  • Pledge £125 or more
    61 backers
    1) Official documentary 'SEND BLAIR TO THE HAGUE' T-SHIRT. 2) A ‘special backers edition’ DVD copy of the film signed by George Galloway MP. This will include exclusive behind the scenes footage 3) You will receive an invitation to an exclusive and early online screening 4) You will receive a thank you shout out from George Galloway on his documentary Facebook page or from the documentary’s Twitter account. 5) Your name will appear in the credits under the special thanks section of the film.
    Estimated delivery: Dec 2014
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    30 backers
    1) ONE TICKET TO AN ADVANCED SCREENING of the documentary in London followed by a Q and A session with George Galloway. 2) Official documentary ‘Send Blair to the Hague’ T-Shirt 3) A limited edition documentary poster signed by George Galloway accompanied by a personal thank you message. 4) A ‘special backers edition’ DVD copy of the film signed by George Galloway MP. This will include exclusive behind the scenes footage 5) You will receive an invitation to an exclusive and early online screening 6) You will receive a thank you shout out from George Galloway on his documentary Facebook page or from the documentary’s Twitter account. 7) Your name will appear in the credits under the special thanks section of the film.
    Estimated delivery: Dec 2014
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  • Pledge £250 or more
    11 backers
    1) A PERSONAL THANK YOU CALL via Skype from George Galloway MP. 2) One ticket to an advanced private screening of the documentary in London followed by a Q and A session with George Galloway 3) Official documentary ‘Send Blair to the Hague’ T-Shirt 4) A limited edition documentary poster signed by George Galloway accompanied by a personal thank you message. 5) A ‘special backers edition’ DVD copy of the film signed by George Galloway MP. This will include exclusive behind the scenes footage 6) You will receive an invitation to an exclusive and early online screening 7) You will receive a thank you shout out from George Galloway on his documentary Facebook page or from the documentary’s Twitter account. 8) Your name will appear in the credits under the special thanks section of the film.
    Estimated delivery: Dec 2014
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  • Pledge £300 or more
    24 backers
    1) TWO TICKETS TO AN ADVANCED SCREENING of the documentary in London followed by a Q and A session with George Galloway. 2) Personal thank you video call via Skype from George Galloway MP 3) Official documentary ‘Send Blair to the Hague’ T-Shirt 4) A limited edition documentary poster signed by George Galloway accompanied by a personal thank you message. 5) A ‘special backers edition’ DVD copy of the film signed by George Galloway MP. This will include exclusive behind the scenes footage 6) You will receive an invitation to an exclusive and early online screening 7) You will receive a thank you shout out from George Galloway on his documentary Facebook page or from the documentary’s Twitter account. 8) Your name will appear in the credits under the special thanks section of the film.
    Estimated delivery: Mar 2014
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    1) BEHIND THE SCENES ACCESS at one of the film’s production shoots, you will get to watch the documentary being filmed, meet the crew and speak with George Galloway face to face. 2) Two tickets to an advanced private screening of the documentary in London followed by a Q and A session with George Galloway 3) A personal thank you video call via Skype from George Galloway MP. 4) Official documentary ‘Send Blair to the Hague’ T-Shirt 5) A limited edition documentary poster signed by George Galloway accompanied by a personal thank you message. 6) A ‘special backers edition’ DVD copy of the film signed by George Galloway MP. This will include exclusive behind the scenes footage 7) You will receive an invitation to an exclusive and early online screening 8) You will receive a thank you shout out from George Galloway on his documentary Facebook page or from the documentary’s Twitter account. 9) Your name will appear in the credits under the special thanks section of the film.
    Estimated delivery: Mar 2014
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  • Pledge £1,000 or more
    5 backers
    1) Two tickets to the OFFICIAL FILM'S PREMIERE in London. 2) Two tickets to an advanced private screening of the documentary in London followed by a Q and A session with George Galloway 3) A personal thank you video call via Skype from George Galloway MP. 4) Official documentary ‘Send Blair to the Hague’ T-Shirt 5) A limited edition documentary poster signed by George Galloway accompanied by a personal thank you message. 6) A ‘special backers edition’ DVD copy of the film signed by George Galloway MP. This will include exclusive behind the scenes footage 7) You will receive an invitation to an exclusive and early online screening 8) You will receive a thank you shout out from George Galloway on his documentary Facebook page or from the documentary’s Twitter account. 9) Your name will appear in the credits under the special thanks section of the film.
    Estimated delivery: Dec 2014
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  • Pledge £2,000 or more
    3 backers
    1) VIP PRIVATE DINNER with George Galloway MP (date and time to be agreed) 2) Two tickets to the official film’s premiere in London. 3) A personal thank you video call via Skype from George Galloway MP. 4) Two tickets to an advanced private screening of the documentary in London followed by a Q and A session with George Galloway 5) Official documentary ‘Send Blair to the Hague’ T-Shirt 6) A limited edition documentary poster signed by George Galloway accompanied by a personal thank you message. 7) A ‘special backers edition’ DVD copy of the film signed by George Galloway MP. This will include exclusive behind the scenes footage 8) You will receive an invitation to an exclusive and early online screening 9) You will receive a thank you shout out from George Galloway on his documentary Facebook page or from the documentary’s Twitter account. 10) Your name will appear in the credits under the special thanks section of the film.
    Estimated delivery: Jul 2014
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  • Pledge £3,500 or more
    2 backers
    1) You will be credited as an ASSOCIATE PRODUCER in the opening and closing credits and your name will appear on the DVD case. 2) VIP private dinner with George Galloway MP (date and time to be agreed) 3) Two tickets to the official film’s premiere in London. 4) A personal thank you video call via Skype from George Galloway MP. 5) Two tickets to an advanced private screening of the documentary in London followed by a Q and A session with George Galloway 6) Official documentary ‘Send Blair to the Hague’ T-Shirt 7) A limited edition documentary poster signed by George Galloway accompanied by a personal thank you message. 8) A ‘special backers edition’ DVD copy of the film signed by George Galloway MP. This will include exclusive behind the scenes footage 9) You will receive an invitation to an exclusive and early online screening 10) You will receive a thank you shout out from George Galloway on his documentary Facebook page or from the documentary’s Twitter account. 11) Your name will appear in the credits under the special thanks section of the film.
    Estimated delivery: Dec 2014
  • Pledge £5,000 or more
    4 backers
    1) You will be credited as an EXECUTIVE PRODUCER in the opening and closing credits and your name will appear on the DVD case. 2) VIP private dinner with George Galloway MP (date and time flexible) 3) Two tickets to the official film’s premiere in London. 4) A personal thank you video call via Skype from George Galloway MP. 5) Two tickets to an advanced private screening of the documentary in London followed by a Q and A session with George Galloway 6) Official documentary ‘Send Blair to the Hague’ T-Shirt 7) A limited edition documentary poster signed by George Galloway accompanied by a personal thank you message. 8) A ‘special backers edition’ DVD copy of the film signed by George Galloway MP. This will include exclusive behind the scenes footage 9) You will receive an invitation to an exclusive and early online screening 10) You will receive a thank you shout out from George Galloway on his documentary Facebook page or from the documentary’s Twitter account. 11) Your name will appear in the credits under the special thanks section of the film.
    Estimated delivery: Dec 2014

    No more evasion and prevarication – Britain's elite must be held to account

    The blocking of the Chilcot report underlines how the powerful shield their activities from the public
    Tony Blair, Porter
    Tony Blair giving evidence to the Chilcot Inquiry in January 2010. Photograph: PA
    In The Gatekeepers, the documentary made about Israel's internal intelligence, Shin Bet, one of the most striking interviews with six former leaders of the agency is with the charismatic Ami Ayalon, who later became a Labor member of the Knesset. Ayalon confessed that when he was small boy he thought of the state of Israel being guided by a kindly old man who lived in a room at the end of a corridor, dispensing wisdom and guidance to the country's leaders.

    When he grew up, he knew, of course, there was no such person, but as he rose to the top of the Israeli navy and later Shin Bet, he realised that there was no fount of wisdom or decency to be found at the top of the Israeli state either: just politicians and officials making questionable decisions on the hoof.

    In Britain, you might say that at the end of the corridor we do have a little old lady, who has seen a thing or two in her 61-year reign and has much wisdom to offer prime ministers and senior politicians. Although her impact on policy and the standards of government is minuscule, she represents something or other that appears to be reassuring.

    But what you realise when you approach Ayalon's age and you have watched British politics for a long time is that life is mostly shoddy and discreditable at the top and that that characteristic is becoming more pronounced. There are decent people doing their level best, but there are also bad ones who erode the integrity and trust necessary for a democracy to work properly. One of those is Tony Blair, who took Britain to war on a lie and who is now believed by most to have misled parliament in order to help an American president who was bent on avenging 9/11 by invading the wrong country.*

    It is the greatest scandal of British public life in a generation, yet Blair and his allies, such as Jack Straw and Alastair Campbell, have never been properly held to account. More than a decade after we went to war, Sir John Chilcot's report is stalled because Sir Jeremy Heywood, the current cabinet secretary, who was at Blair's side as principle private secretary during the run-up to the invasion, is blocking crucial evidence to the inquiry.

    It is an unbelievable state of affairs. As the former foreign secretary Lord Owen pointed out last week, you couldn't have a more dubious arrangement. A man who was integral to the government that took us to war is now sitting on evidence of 200 relevant cabinet level discussions, 25 notes written by Blair to George Bush and records of 130 phone conversations between Blair, Bush and Gordon Brown. Heywood claims that he's bound by the decision taken by his predecessor, Lord O'Donnell, to protect the confidentiality of Blair and Bush's discussions. In effect, Heywood is claiming that he has no discretion and therefore his past as senior official in Blair's Number 10 at the time has no relevance.
    What is so dismal about this situation, quite apart from the naked self-interest that it represents, is that it underlines that while the British public is expected to put up with ever-increasing levels of intrusion by surveillance, in the name of transparency and security, those in power create for themselves an impregnable bunker where honour, accountability and public opinion count for nothing. They conceal their actions and shield themselves from entirely legitimate requests from an inquiry set up by the prime minister himself.

    One wonders whether Chilcot was perhaps the ultimately cynical act? Could it be that Blair and the civil servants who oversaw the preparations for war always knew that the excuse of preserving the confidentiality of the prime minister's conversations with Bush would stop Sir John's committee getting at the truth of how we were taken to war on a handful of lies? Maybe they just hope to outlast Chilcot, prevaricating until the committee drop dead and everyone has forgotten the war.

    Not only should Heywood be removed from anything to do with the decision of what Chilcot is allowed to see, but, as Lord Owen suggested on Newsnight, the conventions surrounding a prime minister's dealings with a US president no longer apply: this is about the possibility that Tony Blair knowingly deceived parliament and dissembled to the nation in order to do George Bush's bidding and preserve the special relationship. Allegations don't come more serious than that. We should know what he said to Bush.

    After Heywood's behaviour in the Plebgate case, when he failed to investigate inconsistencies in the evidence that would have exonerated the former chief whip Andrew Mitchell, people could be forgiven for wondering about Number 10's respect for the truth and simply what is right. Mitchell was very hard done by and Heywood was the man who could have prevented much of the shame that he endured. Maybe there are questions to be asked about the values of the cabinet secretary himself.
    But in all this, there is a much bigger theme, which is seen in another sputtering inquiry into the behaviour of Blair-era politicians and officials – the Gibson inquiry into allegations that British intelligence agencies were complicit in the torture of terror suspects after 9/11 and that officials in the then foreign secretary Jack Straw's office were aware. The inquiry's investigations ended nearly two years ago and the report has been sat on by Number 10 for the past 14 months. After the NGOs and torture victims boycotted Sir Peter Gibson's inquiry, because it lacked credibility, it probably won't have the damning impact it should have when it is finally published this week.

    As a result, Number 10 may get away without following up with examination of cases such as those of Abdel Hakim Belhaj, who was rendered with his wife for torture to Gaddafi's Libya in an operation involving Sir Mark Allen of MI6 during Jack Straw's time at the Foreign Office.

    Scrape away at the interlocking scandals of the war on terror and the war in Iraq and you find a rot that has taken hold at the top of British state.

    Whether the scandal is about the path to war, the torture of terror suspects or the exponential increase in surveillance, the common denominators are consistently the reverence for the special relationship and related issues about the powers and conduct of our intelligence services. These two have distorted the standards of public life for far too long. It is imperative that Sir John Chilcot is no longer obstructed and we get his full account of Blair's war as soon as humanly possible.

    * I wonder who the "right" country is?  Saudia (western occupied Arabia!) or Israel ??? (BAFS)

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