Blair: Africa passion brought me to politics
Prime Minister Tony Blair has said that it was his passion for Africa that brought him into politics three decades ago.
He was speaking to an audience of young people for an hour-long studio debate on music channel MTV.
Sitting alongside Bob Geldof ahead of this weekend’s Live 8 concerts and next week’s G8 summit, Mr Blair said: “Africa has been a passion of mine. Concern about development was, in part, what brought me into politics.
“Thirty years ago, I guess I was the age of most people here. Thirty years later, I am in a position to do something about it.”
Asked by pop group Destiny’s Child about why Africa was so important, he said: “It is important because even while we have been speaking there are scores of children that have died.”
Mr Geldof praised the Prime Minister for pushing the boat out “further than any politician I have known”.
The former Boomtown Rats singer, who is behind the Live 8 concerts taking place across the world on Saturday, added: “We need a final push and that is Saturday. It’s incredible to me after 20 years that we are almost there.”
Meanwhile, Mr Blair is reported to be contemplating a rift with the US over climate change at the G8 summit, which begins next Tuesday.
The US is so far apart from the rest of the G8 countries on climate change, that it could be left out of a final agreement, The Guardian newspaper reports.
According to the disputed text on climate change, leaked to the paper, the US is objecting to statements suggesting that significant global warming is occurring.
Downing Street is reportedly considering a compromise whereby it drops the statement on climate change, in return for agreement on action to tackle greenhouse gas emissions – allowing the US to refuse to acknowledge climate change, while tackling its causes.
All Eyes On Tony will be shown on MTV at 1900 BST.
