Blair awarded Children In Need "global legacy award" - management and staff furious

[David Guyatt]

If you agree, go to 38 Degrees HERE and sign the petition to revoke this appalling toadying award

Save The Children staff furious over legacy' award for Blair



Tony Blair received the award at a glittering gala in New York last week

KUNAL DUTTA

Tuesday 25 November 2014

Save the Children is facing a furious backlash from its own staff for presenting Tony Blair with a "global legacy award", amid claims the "morally reprehensible" gesture has endangered the charity's credibility because of continued controversy over the Iraq War.

A glittering ceremony in New York last week saw Mr Blair take the prize for his leadership on international development issues during his time as Prime Minister, but the award has been fiercely opposed by some of the charity's staff.
Questions of impartiality have also been raised. The charity's UK chief executive, Justin Forsyth, was a special adviser to Mr Blair for three years, while Jonathan Powell, Mr Blair's former chief of staff, is currently on its UK board.
A letter signed by almost 200 staff members, which began circulating last weekend, demanded a review of the charity's decision-making process and insisted on distancing themselves from the prize.
"We consider this award inappropriate and a betrayal to Save the Children's founding principles and values. Management staff in the region were not consulted about the award and were caught by surprise with this decision," it said.
Since bringing Britain into the US-led war in Iraq in 2003 despite fierce opposition in parliament and among the public, Mr Blair has been accused of war crimes by peace campaigners. He is expected to be strongly criticised in the report of the Government-appointed Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war, which is due to be published next year.
Mr Blair has since taken the role of special envoy to the Middle East. However, Palestinians and their supporters have frequently charged that his stance has been overly favourable towards Israel.
An online petition calling for the charity to revoke the award had gathered more than 87,000 signatures. It said many saw Mr Blair "as the cause of the deaths of countless children".
Accepting the award at the time, Mr Blair said: "From the beginning of humankind there has been brutality, conflict, intrigue, the destructive obsession with a narrow self-interest. But throughout all human history, never has been extinguished that relentless, unquenchable desire to do good."
A spokeswoman for Save the Children stressed that the award was the decision of the charity's US arm. "Our staff have strong views on a whole range of issues and people and we respect that diversity of views," she added.
A spokeswoman for Mr Blair was "deeply honoured and moved to receive the award in recognition of his work".

[Magda Hassan]

The idiot PA who arranged this will have to resign. Even if they think the sun shines out of Tony's arse the rest of the world hates his guts and think he is a toxic at large war criminal. How can they not know that? God knows how many children's deaths he is responsible for.

[Dawn Meredith]

OMG. Just when you think it can't get more sickening.

[Magda Hassan]

Save the Fatcats

by craig on November 26, 2014 10:01 am in Uncategorized
These are the top salaries at the Save the Children fund.
CEO Justin Forsyth £139,950
COO Anabel Hoult £139,950
COO / CFO & Strategic Initiatives Rachel Parr £131,970
Global Programmes Director Fergus Drake £113,300
Fundraising Director Tanya Steele £112,200
Marketing & Comms Director Sue Allchurch £111,920
Policy & Advocacy Director Brendan Cox £106,029
CFO Peter Banks £102,000
HR Director Paul Cutler £100,980
The UK average salary is 26,500.
StC has just given Tony Blair its "Global Legacy" award. What kind of people like Tony Blair? People who earn over 100,000. I am not sure that if you put money in a tin, or bought from their charity shop, you thought you were paying that many fat salaries. There are also gold plated pensions and other benefits. Justin Forsyth, the CEO, of course worked in Tony Blair's neo-con policy unit.
As I have written before, very few charities are in any sense independent any more. Save the Children Fund gets 176 million pounds over half its income - in grants from various governments, including over 80 million from the British government. That compares to 106 million in donations from the public. In 2012 over 70 million pounds was spent by Save the Children UK on its own staff costs. This was reduced on paper to 44 million in 2014 by the expedient of transferring some Headquarters staff from Save the Children UK to Save the Children International. I have an uneasy feeling about some of Save the Children's accounting presentation. Justin Forsyth's and Annabel Hoult's salary of 139,950 sounds a lot better than 140,000 doesn't it? Rachel Parr's 131,970 sounds less than 132 grand.
Save the Children's highly paid and very numerous HQ staff work in a swanky office for which they pay a staggering 6.5 million pounds a year lease. Do they really need their HQ in ultra expensive Central London? I suppose all those high earners have to get home to Islington. Their HQ costs more than all their other premises put together, including all their shops.
I wonder how much all of this is known to the 13,000 good-hearted volunteers who work many hours for nothing to support these people.
I give regularly to charity, by standing order. I am sure so do many who read this blog. If you are giving to Save the Children, I do urge you to re-target your charitable giving.

http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2...um=twitter

[David Guyatt]

The CEO of Children In Need used to be Blair's "special adviser" and on the Board of CIN is Jonathan Powell, Blair's former chief of staff.

Which for me explains how this atrocity came about.

Anyway, I'm fuming about it. CIN is my main charitable donation of the year and has been for many years past. I've contacted them and said that they'll not get another penny from me in the future unless this crap award is revoked -- and I'll do it too, with a really heavy heart because so many disadvantaged kids desperately need help. But you can't mix this sort of toadying glad-handing political toadying with something so vital and I think the charity will suffer hugely next year unless they revoke.

For fuck's sake he's a war criminal! Tried and convicted in absentia -- and with an arrest warrant out for him, I believe.

[David Guyatt]

The CEO of Children In Need used to be Blair's "special adviser" and on the Board of CIN is Jonathan Powell, Blair's former chief of staff.

Which for me explains how this atrocity came about.

Anyway, I'm fuming about it. CIN is my main charitable donation of the year and has been for many years past. I've contacted them and said that they'll not get another penny from me in the future unless this crap award is revoked -- and I'll do it too, with a really heavy heart because so many disadvantaged kids desperately need help. But you can't mix this sort of toadying glad-handing political toadying with something so vital and I think the charity will suffer hugely next year unless they revoke.

For fuck's sake he's a war criminal! Tried and convicted in absentia -- and with an arrest warrant out for him, I believe.

Whoops. Wrong firm. Not Children In Need thanks goodness, but Save The Children US.

I need a new pair of reading specs I think. Anyway phew!

[Peter Lemkin]

I can hear Tony saying, 'We had to save those children by killing them.'

....but I guess it all fits in a World in which the likes of Obama and Kissinger get Peace Prizes.....