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Tony Blair's decision to donate the proceeds of his forthcoming memoir, A Journey, to the British Legion has dominated the front pages with the Daily Mail commenting "for once in his lying, war-mongering, money grubbing career, the former prime minister has done something decent".
Blair's decision, announced yesterday but according to his spokesman a longstanding one, will mean the Battle Back Challenge Centre could be in line for an estimated £4.6m windfall. The British Legion funded project helps seriously injured personnel use sport and outdoor activities to fund their rehabilitation.
Many of the nationals led with Blair's donation. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/aug/17/tony-blair-memoirs-donation" target="_blank" title="The">http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/aug/17/tony-blair-memoirs-donati... Guardian talked to two people who lost friends or relatives during the Iraq war. Anti-war campaigner Rose Gentle, whose 19-year-old son Fusilier Gordon Campbell Gentle was killed in Basra in 2004, welcomed the donation but said it would not change her opinion of Blair. She said: "It is OK doing this now but it was decisions Blair made when he was prime minister that got us into this situation. I still hold him responsible for the death of my son." Former soldier Adnan Sarwar, who lost two friends during tours of Iraq before he quit the army in 2007, said: "It may be a way of trying to say sorry for what he has done, a way of giving something back to the troops, but whatever the reason I think we should accept his money and say thanks very much."
The Times discusses the donation in its leader column and backs the former PM's decision. It said: "Mr Blair's motive is to recognise "the courage and sacrifice" of the Armed Forces. He is not renouncing his actions, but acknowledges their consequences. He has long been damned by his critics for making so much money since leaving office. Would it not be churlish to also damn him for now giving so much of it away to such a worthy cause?"
John Miller, whose son Simon was one of six military policemen killed in Iraq in 2003, told the Daily Telegraph http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/tony-blair/7949199/Q... target="_blank" title="he">http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/tony-blair/7949199/Q... was sceptical about how much money would go to charity. He said: "I can’t understand why he has pondered all this time about what he is going to do with the money. He should have said from the start that he didn’t want to accept any advance payment – how much of that advance is actually going to go to the British Legion? When you think about it, because of the amount of tax, they may end up getting very little. He should come clean and explain exactly how much money is going to the Legion and what has happened to the rest."
However, Chris Simpkins, director general of the Royal British Legion, said yesterday: "Mr. Blair's generosity is much appreciated and will help us to make a real and lasting difference to the lives of hundreds of injured personnel."