Rock star and humanitarian campaigner Bob Geldof has delivered a blistering critique of former Prime Minister Tony Blair, branding his post-Commission for Africa actions as "a disgrace". The Boomtown Rats frontman, who co-founded Live Aid, claims Blair "walked away" from the ambitious anti-poverty agenda they helped establish.
The Broken Promise
Geldof's outburst comes nearly two decades after the high-profile 2005 Commission for Africa report, which Blair championed during Britain's G8 presidency. The initiative promised transformative change for the continent through debt relief, fair trade and massive aid increases.
"We had this extraordinary moment where the world's most powerful leaders committed to ending this obscenity," Geldof told The Independent. "Then Blair just... left. It was unforgivable."
A Legacy of Lost Potential
While some Commission goals were achieved - including significant debt cancellation - many targets on healthcare, education and infrastructure were missed. Geldof argues that sustained political will could have lifted millions from poverty.
The activist saved particular scorn for what he sees as Blair's subsequent focus on lucrative consultancy work: "While children still die from preventable diseases, Tony's making millions advising dictators. The irony is grotesque."
Blair's Defence
Representatives for the former Prime Minister point to his ongoing Africa Governance Initiative work and argue that geopolitical shifts - including the 2008 financial crisis - derailed many development plans.
However, Geldof remains unconvinced: "History will judge whether we meant those grand promises. Right now, it looks like we lied."
