Richard Melson

Note from Jeff Blankfort 

(jblankfort@earthlink.net)

Subject: UK Police to Quiz Blair on Loans: important background

What is not mentioned in the following article is that Lord Levy struck his
initial bargain back in 1993 on behalf of the Labour Friends of Israel with a
promise of financial support in return for a policy more favorable towards
Israel. In the past, Levy has also fundraised for Ehud Barak.

Here is an excerpt from a profile on the Labour Friends of Israel:

http://www.spinwatch.org/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=345

Michael Abraham Levy is a former chairman of the Jewish Care Community
Foundation, a member of the Jewish Agency World Board of Governors, and a
trustee of the Holocaust Educational Trust. [4] According to Andrew Porter of
The Business, Levy expressed his willingness "to raise large sums of money for
the party" which led to a "tacit understanding that Labour would never again,
while Blair was leader, be anti-Israel". [5] The partnership proceeded as Levy
started inviting potential donors for tennis at his palatial home where Tony
Blair would join them for a set or two. Levy would then proceed to ask the
guests for donations after Blair had left. [6]The genius of Levy's fundraising
strategy ensured that most of Labour's election funds came from private sources,
rather than its traditional source – the trade unions, thereby weakening their
say over policy. [7]

Levy's investment eventually paid off, with Blair's accession to power. The
reward was not long in coming as Levy was ennobled and subsequently retained as
a "special envoy" to the Middle-East, leading predictably to the development of
a strong pro-Israel line. [8]  Given the fact that Levy has both a business and
a house in Israel and his son Daniel used to work for Yossi Beilin – the former
Justice Minister of Israel – speaks of a serious conflict of interest,
especially when he is the man assigned by Blair to negotiate impartially with
Palestinians and Israelis. [9]The fact that Levy acted as a fundraiser for
former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak casts further doubt on his capacity for
impartiality.According to Neil Sammonds of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign in
2002, Four of the previous five ministers with Responsibility for the Middle
East had been active members of LFI. [10]

********************

EXCLUSIVE:

POLICE TO QUIZ BLAIR ON LOANS

EXCLUSIVE But don't come to No 10, he says

By Justin Penrose, Crime Correspondent- Sunday Mirror - 16 April 2006

http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/

=exclusive--police-to-quiz-blair-on-loans-name_page.html

POLICE are to formally question Tony Blair over the cash-for-honours scandal.

Officers from Scotland Yard's Specialist Crime Directorate contacted Downing
Street last week asking for an appointment with Mr Blair.

The PM's chief of staff Jonathan Powell and his chief fundraiser

Lord Levy will also be quizzed by detectives as potential witnesses.

Police are also demanding access to telephone records, emails and documents
relating to the awarding of honours and donations to the Labour Party.

The decision to interview a sitting Prime Minister as part of an on-going
criminal inquiry is unprecedented.

Downing Street - horrified at the thought of police officers being pictured

walking into No 10 - has made it clear that

the interview should take place at a neutral venue.

The move, which signals just how seriously Deputy

Assistant Commissioner JohnYates is treating the investigation,

will send shockwaves through Westminster.

Yesterday it emerged that detectives entered

the Cabinet Office in Whitehall to seize documents.

Former Number 10 adviser Des Smith was arrested on Thursday over claims he gave
an undercover reporter a "shopping list" of titles for potential donors to Mr
Blair's city academy schools.

Mr Smith had boasted to the undercover reporter that £10m gifts to Mr Blair's
city academies would make a seat in the Lords "a certainty".

There is no suggestion Mr Blair will be arrested. "Everything will be handled in
an extremely discreet and private manner," said a Downing Street source.

Mr Blair is one of just a handful of people who knew

about secret loans to the Labour Party from supporters.

Lord Levy negotiated secret loans worth £14

million ahead of last year's General Election.

The emergence of the loans -

which did not have to be declared -

led to the police inquiry which has been

broadened into the funding of city academies.

Critics have complained about the apparent link

between sponsors of academies and the honours list.

Eight donors to the schools -

which are funded directly by Whitehall -

have been nominated for gongs.

Downing Street has desperately tried to distance the PM from Mr Smith and
refused to comment on the investigation, saying that it was a "matter for the
Metropolitan Police".

Lord Levy has also insisted that he will not be the fall guy in the scandal

j.penrose@sundaymirror.co.uk

To interview a sitting PM for an on-going criminal inquiry is unprecedented

MONEY MEN ON YARD LIST:

A DOZEN millionaires who loaned Labour £14m for the last election

are set to be interviewed by police as potential witnesses:

ROD ALDRIDGE:

Ex-boss of IT giant Capita, awarded huge Whitehall contracts -
£1m.

RICHARD CARING:

Owner of the trendy Ivy restaurant and a fashion chain - £2m.

GORDON CRAWFORD:

Ex-chairman of London Bridge Software - £500,000.

SIR CHRISTOPHER EVANS:

Chairman of Merlin Biotechnology. Knighted in 2001 - £1m.

SIR DAVID GARRARD:

Property tycoon' also supported academies. Knighted 2003 -
£2.3m.

NIGEL MORRIS:

Made a fortune from Capital One Financial Services group - £1m.

SIR GULAM NOON:

Made millions from readymade curry meals - £250,000.

CHAI PATEL: Head of Priory clinics - £1.5m

ANDREW ROSENFELD:

Property tycoon' also supported academy schools - £1m.

LORD DAVID SAINSBURY:

Supermarket mogul' science minister and Labour's biggest
single donor - £2m.

BARRY TOWNSLEY:

Stockbroker who has put over £1m into a city academy - £1m.

DEREK TULLETT:

City high-flyer - £400,000.
_____________________________________________________
Montreal Muslim News Network - http://www.montrealmuslimnews.net

=====================================================
To UNSUBSCRIBE / SUBSCRIBE to our regular e-mailing list please visit:
http://www.montrealmuslimnews.net/subscribe
=====================================================

Listen to Caravan, produced by Samaa Elibyari, every Wednesday from 2-3PM:
http://www.montrealmuslimnews.net/caravan.htm

"Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will."

—Frederick Douglass (1817-1895)

Change address / Leave mailing list:
http://ymlp.com/u.php?montrealmuslimnews+richardemelson@hotmail.com