In a move I find inexplicable, the former British Prime Minister has been awarded the 2010 Liberty Medal and its US$100,000 prize by the National Constitution in Philadelphia. Philadelphia's mayor Michael Nutter praised Blair's "relentless pursuit of a long-elusive peace in Northern Ireland as British prime minister and his dedication to the Middle East peace process".

 

The Northern Ireland part I almost get, but it was an American, former senator George Mitchell, who really got that peace process to work. The Middle East part is ridiculous. Blair has been the mid-East envoy working for the USA, Russia, the United Nations and the European Union for three whole years. In all that time, what has he accomplished? Zilch, as far as I can see.

 

And how do you give a peace prize to someone who led his nation into a war for extremely dubious reasons?

 

Mind you, seeing that another former winner is that arch crook who runs Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, the news is perhaps less surprising.

 

Details at Tony Blair wins 2010 Liberty Medal award | Richard Adams | World news | guardian.co.uk

Let's award the peace prize to GW Bush and while we are at it, let's award him a Noble prize for economics.