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Dodatok 5.1.1 Mrs. Blair fights off the press // Mirror of the week.

Mirror of the week

Julia ZAGOROYKO (London)

It's been three weeks since British society has been enjoying a scandal involving the wife of Prime Minister Tony Blair. Or rather, the society does not care, but the British press enjoys it, which itself has unearthed the facts, skillfully "fried" them and now tries to serve them as long as possible through the screens and newspaper pages.

It's no secret that British journalists "adore" politicians most of all, regardless of their party affiliation. And more painfully "beat" those who are in power. But if serious newspapers are more engaged in strikes in politics and economy, then the tabloid press tries to hit "below the belt" - it tracks the juicy nuances of private life and paints them, resting on public morality.

The incriminating campaign against Sheri Blair began on Sunday, December 1, on the front page of Mail on Sunday, and the Daily Mail in the following days only accelerated the scandal's revolutions through new finds. The essence of history is briefly as follows. Sheri Blair decided to buy an apartment in Bristol, where the oldest son of the Blair is studying at the local university. In order not to search for housing herself and not to attract excessive attention (the same press), she entrusts the case to a certain Carol Caplin, who from a personal sports coach has long become a close friend of the wife of the prime minister and her trusted adviser in matters of "style" of life . Kaplin attracts to the task of his boyfriend-Australian Pieter Foster. In October, he successfully negotiates the purchase of two apartments in one house, negotiates a price reduction, draws up the necessary papers and reports on his successes regularly by Sheri Blair by e-mail. And after a month it turns out that Foster is a fraudster with experience. In 89-m for the sale of tea for weight loss, he served four months in a US prison, and in 95-m was convicted for two years in Britain, again for fake teas for weight loss. From Foster's correspondence with friends, discovered by journalists, it became known that he hoped to deploy advertising for the next "losing" tablets with the involvement of the Prime Minister's family. In 2000, he was sentenced by an Australian court to 2.5 years imprisonment for forgery of documents. Today Australia demands his extradition from Britain.

The case takes a particularly unpleasant turn when the electronic correspondence of Foster and Mrs. Blair gets into the hands of the newsmen. The newspaper Daily Mail prints out that part of the letters that concerns the issue of real estate. All the in-depth business deals (and supposedly "friendly", Foster's free services) are brought to the readers' court. Sheri Blair is being accused that she chose a person with a criminal record as her financial adviser.

Tortured by newspapers and television, Cherie Blair decides to make an official statement. During the reading, which is broadcast on all channels live, her voice sometimes shakes with rolling tears. She admits mistakes, does not blame anyone but herself, and explains that she did not have the faintest idea of ​​Mr. Foster's past. On this story of the scandal, which had already been called "Sheri-gay-tom", could be considered closed. If not for one significant "but": ignorance does not absolve from responsibility. And Mrs. Blair, as one of the most prominent lawyers in the country, can not not know this.

In fact, the wife of the prime minister did not commit anything illegal. She bought real estate for her own, not state money. Mrs. Blair is not a poor woman, her annual income far exceeds her husband's salary. Suffice it to say that one hour of her consultations as a lawyer costs 250 pounds sterling (about 400 dollars). And even the fact that one apartment was intended for the son, and the other was bought as an investment, her own business.

However, there is one really uncomfortable nuance for the Prime Minister in this story. There has been a hot month in the country and the government's proposal to increase tuition fees in universities is being discussed at various levels. Almost half of parliamentary Labor opposes, many parents foresee the collapse of their hopes to learn children, students go to demonstrations. By the way, even the son of Foreign Minister Jack Straw took part in the London demonstration in the Sunday before last (as all the media gladly informed). Indeed, as against the background that almost every second person wishing to study at the university can not afford it, a loving mother, she is the wife of the Prime Minister, the leader of the party who preaches equal opportunities for all, buys an apartment worth 67 thousand pounds ( More than 100 thousand dollars), where her son, a first-year student, will live. It turns out a party-moral problem.

Last week, the government suspended the discussion of the project on increasing the payment for higher education. Many commentators felt that a considerable role in this was played by the apartment scandal of Cherie Blair. The very same Tony Blair persistently "kept silent" all the hard days, while the press was sorting out the bones of his wife. However, after her public statement could not resist. And briefly commented: "I'm proud of my wife." Still not to be proud of. There are not that many women in Britain. A highly professional lawyer who dreams of becoming the supreme judge, working mother of four (!) Children aged 2 to 18, the wife of the prime minister, who performs duties in many charitable organizations. Therefore, of course, her recognition of human weaknesses could not but touch the hearts of British women.

I must say that many journalists, especially from the "jelly" press, are already fed up with participation, even indirect, in fanning the scandal. It became noticeable even a week ago, both in the tone of the analytical articles in the leading newspapers, and the kind of venerable TV commentators who, without appreciable enthusiasm, "explain" the causes and consequences of the case. Tony Ben, twenty years ago, the leader of the Labor Party, could not have better defined the contradictory nature of the unleashed scandal. In a live broadcast on Sky News, he told reporters the following: want to attack Tony Blair, his government and his party - attack. To do this, the country has many problems: a possible war in Iraq, relations with the US, pensions, health care, education. But why touch the Prime Minister's wife and analyze her private mistakes that do not affect the interests of the state?

After the promulgated "repentance" of Cherie Blair, the commentators cautiously began to talk about the fact that the story had run its course and it would be time to draw a line. But, it turns out, the public did not think so. In any case, the television question of the BBC-24 showed that the viewers were divided almost equally: some consider it finished, others want further investigation.

Last week, the scandal seemed to be on the wane. When suddenly on Friday, not enduring the lost "yellow" leadership, the light of the ramp was directed by the Sun newspaper. In large print on the first five pages, the contents of Foster's phone conversations with his mother were printed, and comments were carefully attached to them. The personality of Foster as a result was completely "smeared" in black. All other mass media began to discuss vividly - who, whom, when and for how many sold conversations, and at the same time and who wrote them. Different versions were expressed in the versions in which "Foster" himself appeared to be Foster himself, then his girlfriend and even Downing Street, 10 (address of the prime minister's headquarters). Finally, "unfortunate" Foster broke the silence and made a public statement in front of the cameras: he apologized before the Blairs for the inconvenience, said that he was not so bad as the journalists portrayed him, and announced that he was flying to his Australian homeland.

After that, from the first newspaper pages, huge portraits of the distraught Mrs. Blair disappeared, and the rest of the story began to be spelled out in small columns somewhere on the inside pages. For the time being, it is difficult to say whether the scandal has ended at all or is threatened with a new round of fire. For journalists still suspect that Cherie Blair could try to influence the deportation of Foster to Australia. If there is documentary evidence, there will be no mercy to the wife of the prime minister. In addition, mutual "investigations" continue among the tabloids-search for sources of leakage of confidential information and clarification of the cash amounts that the editorial offices paid for the goods received. Where and on what they will stop is very difficult to predict.

Nevertheless, the British press, not only tabloid, still have questions to the Blair family. The legality of their production is difficult to deny. Really, really, the prime minister (under the statement of his wife) was not in a course, what the spouse buys two apartments in total cost almost half a million pounds? If he knew, why did he not interfere at least with advice? Or did he not ask the course of the deal and the people involved in it?

But the most serious question is: why does the Prime Minister's wife allow herself to deal with dark personalities and why is she so illegible in business connections? And how can it guarantee to society that scammers for services rendered will not demand payment from it that is more substantial, which can affect the interests of the state?

Our commentary: on the application of the publication, you can determine the role of the ZMK in the British syspilstvii tae vplyv on diyalnist parliament, a lot of those politsichnu povedinku vysokikh posadovikh osib.