Thursday, October 22, 2009

Why Gordon Can't Blame Peter

Until today Lord Mandelson was master of all he surveyed. Seen as a genius by most Labour MPs, he could do no wrong. But as the postal strike begins more than a few MPs are pointing the finger of blame in only one direction.

Normally, the Prime Minister would be doing the same. He has a default position of blaming individual ministers when even the smallest thing goes wrong. Not face to face, of course. That would be too courageous. No, he gets his monkeys to brief the papers. But this time he dare not. Why? Because he knows the moment that Lord Mandelson withdraws his favours, he, the Prime Minister is finished. Which shows just how weak his position actually is.

25 comments:

vj said...

Mandy's only concern these days in getting El Presidente' T Blair in situ so he can swan back to his huge EU expenses. He has never cared for the UK voter/Taxpayer, and never will. Not even sure how much he cares for the Labour Party anymore, other than where it serves his own ends.

Roger Dodger said...

'genius'

Anonymous said...

That's week as in weak 'yer mean.

See your pal Tim on Conhome, 'aint too impressed with candidate selection.

http://conservativehome.blogs.com/goldlist/2009/10/cchq-has-trashed-principle-after-principle-in-its-manipulation-of-candidate-selection.html

Didn't have you in mind did he?

rob's uncle said...

Re: 'how week his position is . . ': does this mean he is living from day to day?

ken from glos said...

Geniod ?? your blackberry cant spell!! good point though.

Bill Quango MP said...

Peter has given backing to the management against the unions. How does that square with Bob Piper, Bob Roberts , TBNGU , Tom Harris or some of your other Labour fan club readers.

"We know that power without principles is ruthless, sour, empty, vicious."

"I'll tell you what happens with impossible promises. You start with far-fetched resolutions, like privatising the Royal Mail and taking the workers pensions away. They are then pickled into a rigid dogma, a code, and you go through the years, even when you are in Brussels..but you come back... sticking to that, out-dated, misplaced, irrelevant to the real needs, and you end in the grotesque chaos of a Labour government - a Labour government! - conspiring with the fat-cat bonus bosses to hand out redundancy notices to its own workers"

IDD said...

Your argument is *week*.

Anonymous said...

I think the blame should be pointed at the PM. After all he pulled the plug on the part privatisation to pacify many of his party. I would have thought that the CWU must have seen this as a failure and this would have encouraged their actions.

Alan Douglas said...

Almost to be wished for :

Oh come on Czechs, sign that damn Lisbon Treaty so that Mandelrat can ditch the Broon and we can regain the pretense of running our own affairs after an election. (Not !)

Alan Douglas

The Purpleline said...

Mandy dislikes postment as they have often sent his letters to various parts of the country.

They never know whether to send them to Hoy in Herefordshire or to Hartlepool in the county of Durham or to his London hide-the- saussage -away Brazilian rent boy's Embassy.

You can here him in the House of Lords decalaring he would suck the lot of them.

Any Colour but Brown said...

Oh, dear, this whole mess reminds me of the 60s and Peter and Gordon singing "Please lock me away and throw away the key"

I wish.............

Heidi said...

Also perhaps because it's a stupid and self-destructive strike, and Mandy is right?

Anonymous said...

Education education education!

Your argument is W E E K!!!

I ask you!

emarisa28 said...

but the Tories are no better. Mr Clarke has always wanted to privatise it. The Tories say they want to stop the tightening of the EU around our necks yet Mr Clarke wants to do what the EU want - privatise yet another company. We, the public do not seem to have benefited from privatisaion much. I really think when it comes to decisions like this it should be put to public vote. We own it after all

Stepney said...

I don't care.

I've got a cold. I didn't sleep last night so I've just tried a cheeky nap.

Was just dropping off and guess what woke me up? The bloody postman at the door with a package and the post.

Is there no stopping these b*stards?

johnse18 said...

Yes privatisation is essentially an EU initiative/directive. The suicidal behaviour of the Uniion just hastens this.

The EU dispproves of any symbol of national identity and Royal Mail is one such.

After this privatisation expect more creeping moves to standardise the design of stamps, just "to bring us iinto line with the rest of Europe". Then gradually leading to he Postal Service as an EU competence.

Dave H said...

O/T yet in the theme of laughable, lamentable Gordon.

This gem was on Radio 4 Six O’Clock news on Tuesday. Gordon was commenting on the announcement that Karzei had agreed to a run-off. He went on to say that Karzai...

“...needed the legitimacy of an election...”

Priceless.

Paddy Briggs said...

Here's the scenario.

(1) Parliament agrees that Peter M (and any other minister in the Lords) can make statements in the House of Commons and answer questions.

(2) The precedent of a Lords based Minister appearing in and being accountable to the elected house is established.

(3) Ill health brings about the early retirement of our Prime Minister. Cameron makes speech "We have had our differences but I have never questioned Mr Brown's patriotism or sense of duty and I wish him well..."

(4) A "PM for PM" movement gathers pace as fans of Peter M realise that the precedent created (see 2 above) can apply to the PM (Prime Minister) as well as any other minister. PM (Peter M) says that he is highly flattered...blah blah...

(5) Much wailing and gnashing of teeth - especially from the Right as they realise what a formidable opponent PM as PM would be in an Election.

(6) Peter M says that he has heard the call and will stand. Alan Johnson and John Cruddas oppose him. PM wins easily and becomes PM!

(7) A newly invigorated Labour leaps in the opinion polls and moves confidently to an early election…

emarisa28 said...

my point being that you have Cameron and Osbourne saying that they will let us decide on handing more powers to Brussels (Lisbon Treaty) and yet you have Clarke wanting to give our businesses away to them. Bit of a conflict dont you think. I for one feel we should be allowed to vote on things like that and until a party says we can im not sure i can vote this time

Bill Quango MP said...

Dave H:

like this?

Did you see how pissed off Hamid Karzai was at having to go and fight another election.
Especially as it was Brown telling him to do it.

If you want to be President you have to be elected Hamid.

Like you, you mean?

Erm, No. I, erm, inherited the post.

Like Raul Castro?

Erm, no. Not quite..look what’s important is that the people have a vote.

Like with the Lisbon Treaty?

No, not like that. Look, at least you should be elected by your political party.

Like you?

Erm..look we can’t have any more fraud. You can’t just bribe the electorate and rig the postal votes. And you can’t just appoint your family and cronies to top jobs. It looks bad.

Like the Rover group funding just before the election? Like the Birmingham postal vote rigging and Tony,Allah praise his name,Blair’s refusal to accept the commission into vote rigging’s report?

Erm, well..

Or do you mean Cash for Peerages, or Bernie Ecclestone or stuffing Quangos with your friends, creating regional non authorities for Labour Mps to serve in?

Umm ..

Or do you mean little, minor infringements?
Like Vaz, Mandelson, Blears, Smith, Robinson, Cherie, McNulty, Darling, Hoon, Uddin, Moran , Prescott, Irvine, Spellar, Hain, Harman, Jo Moore, McBride, Draper, Byers, Blunkett, Clarke, Levy and of course YOU Gordon. £12,000 to pay for, ahem, Cleaning? I have men to do some Cleaning too. A lot of my enemies have been cleaned.

We don’t do that.

Dr Kelly?

Why don’t you talk to Hillary instead. Miliband was right. I should have just waited in the car.

J R Hartley said...

Mandelsnake as ever saw this issue arising and has been briefing on the possibility of a Milliband Brothers' dreamticket (No not that kind of dream) as PM and Chancellor, just in case El Gordo got a little bit hasty in his opinions on this issue.

Have to feel sorry for these Posties being led to the cliff edge by their unions. The writing's on the wall for your "rights" when they can draft in anyone at no notice to do the same thing as you only cheaper....Time to wake up!

I don't think Call_Me_Dave got the credit for skewering Gordo on his split loyalties in PMQs this week - He had the issue nailed - drop anything unpopular ahead of election has allowed the CWU who happen to be his paymaster to cause more trouble. Gordo's displeasure was a home-truth being heard!!

Mrs Clayton said...

Paddy - I can already hear half of labour singing 'let's do the show right there'

Anonymous said...

The only great thing about being alive today and young enough to witness it is,the long ,fast fall of Mandelson.
He soooo thinks he is a 'smooth'operator,with all the nasty tricks & tactics....He has had a good set of teachers...The Labour Party...Nasty,tricky and truly vile.

Quietzapple said...

It seems most likely that the poster styling himself as Bill Quango MP has never been elected to anything, nor been appointed to any body either.

I caught the tail end of his last ppst (joy if so!) re Dr Kelly.

Poor Kelly committed suicide, after being caught betraying his employer, who did their level best to stand beside him. Had there been a credible volunteer to take the rap for his error, such as Mr Quango, perhaps he might have evaded responsibility.

As it was Gilligan's laziness in not finding another expert to base his BBC piece on led to Dr Kelly being in the firing line.

It should still be remembered that Dr Kelly wanted to return to Iraq to seek more WMD materials, to complete the job he'd already been honoured by his country for.

Quietzapple said...

Tosh.

Journos quiz ministers and misinterpret the results to suit their masters ie All GB's fault.

What IS interesting is the arrogance which Dully Tele journos, paid to be nice to Chameleon's Tories, have found in the lad 'imself . . .

The character which chose Bojo, who chose the bizarre characters to become Deputy Mayors is rather more de trop, surely?