Free Speech? No Chance.
By Graham Davies

As Tony Blair basks in the glory of receiving his Presidential Medal from the man whose political decision-making he influenced so highly, it’s good to see that he still believes in Freedom of Speech. As long as there is a hefty invoice attached.

He has clearly decided to widen his portfolio now that his job as Special Envoy representing the Quartet of Middle East Mediators (Russia, the US, the UN, and the EU) is going so well (only 1000 Palestinians dead so far).

On the speaking circuit, he commands up to £157,000 for a 90-minute appearance. That’s £29.07 per second. Put another way, what someone on the minimum wage earns in an hour, Tony takes in one fifth of a second.

His gigs are handled exclusively by the Washington Speakers Bureau, which is more difficult to negotiate with than Hamas. This is the organisation which unleashed Bill Clinton into the speaking marketplace, where his ability to blag hospitality in general and golf games in particular has become as legendary as his former trouser problem.

It’s tough work. A lot of smiling and hand-shaking. But strangely enough, it doesn’t have to involve any high quality speaking.

No sharply-focused Micro-Messages. No gems of insider insight on world events. These guys can get away with repeating the same sequence of anecdotes again and again, almost as if they were their own tribute band.

You see, in the world of Professional Speaking, ex-Statesman Style, it’s not What You Say….it’s Who You Used to Be. And how much you can charge the mugs for the privilege of listening to it.