Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Mandy Ratchets Up the Temperature

When I ran into Peter Mandelson the other day he asked me how my blog was doing, giving more than a hint that he is a regular reader. I told him it did particularly well on the days I wrote about him. Today will be one of those days.

Just when calmer heads seemed to be winning the day, he has pitched into the Damian Green debate and ratcheted up the temperature by about a hundred degrees. His interview on the Today Programme is now leading the BBC news bulletins. In the interview he tried to turn his fire on the Conservatives in the most blatantly partisan manner, accusing them of everything from conspiracy to break the law and killing the first born creating a smokescreen. The BBC News website hasn't thought fit to run the story yet, so here's what he later told Sky News.
"I also have to say I think that for many Conservatives, it is a self-serving smokescreen, behind which to hide their own apparent collusion with a Home Office official who was allegedly systematically leaking Home Office papers to the Conservative Party, in order to pursue his own personal political ambition."

The Business Secretary added: "I would like to know from the Conservatives whether their frontbench and their leader knowingly colluded with that civil servant in riding a coach and horses not only through the Civil Service code but also through the law."
This is classic Mandy and word for word what he earlier said on the Today Programme. Expect this to be the line followed by other Labour spokesmen throughout the day. It's called a 'deviation manouevre'.

My partner isn't political at all. He said to me the other night: "Who's behind all this Damian Green stuff? Isn't it obvious it's Mandelson? All this nastiness only started when he was brought back?" I wonder if that is a commonly held view amongst people outside the Westminster bubble?

UPDATE: Listen to David Davis & Lord Foulkes debating what the Speaker might do HERE.

43 comments:

Decorem said...

The tragedy is that Peter Mandelson spends more time spinning for the Labour Party than he does on his main portfolio of business secretary.

British business is having a tough time at the moment. Not just the big banks and other city organisations but small businesses up and down the county who are seeing orders drying up and staff being laid off. Perhaps he would be better off spending his efforts on these problems rather than getting involved in something that little or nothing to do with the job he is tasked with. Unless being business secretary is just a smoke screen.

RantinRab said...

Every time I see or hear of that odius excuse of a human being I feel a flush of anger. *Goes off to kick the cat*

rob's uncle said...

Your bottom link goes to ' . . Business secretary Lord Mandelson and political editor Nick Robinson discuss the speech . . ' at
http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_7762000/7762243.stm

Dick the Prick said...

Don't rise to it - he's against the flow on this.

OT - one of the twins has died. Young Hope - sad.

Anonymous said...

Why does the BBC interview Mandelson so often?

Either the editor of Today is gullible or he is quite deliberately following a New Labour agenda.

In either case, Mark Thomson ought to take a long, cool look.

Scary Biscuits said...

All, this nastiness might not be just Mandy. I am surprised that the name of Campbell hasn't yet surfaced in this scandal. He's also recently been re-hired by Gordon and to me this affair is classic him. It also shows ZANU-Labour has learnt nothing from the death of Dr David Kelly.

Pogo said...

Decorem: "The tragedy is that Peter Mandelson spends more time spinning for the Labour Party than he does on his main portfolio of business secretary."

But does it really matter? What the f**k does Mandelson know about business anyway? As far as I'm aware he's never had a "proper" job, ie one outside politics or political journalism, so he's not going to be able to bring any useful experience to the table. He's probably doing less harm concentrating on spinning.

Dick the Prick said...

Cherami's on the ball - he does get a load of time on Toady.

force12 said...

This nastiness would have occurred without Lordy Mandy but they needed someone adept in the art of ultra spin, nastiness and intimidating bullshit that Mandy seems to excel at.

It makes me wonder what on earth happened to people like this in their formative years that makes them 'grow up' and behave like this, even revel in this sort of pond life, bottom feeder activity.

www.videos-events.com said...

Iain, please tell your partner it's "who's" not "whose" and get him to put a question mark at the end of his questions.

I have never SEEN anyone speak so sloppily!

Kcila said...

Spot on. I have said all along that the stench that follows Mandy descended rapidly over British politics the moment he was brought back. Within weeks of his ladyship's return we have had the gutter politics that was his trademark and reminiscent of those grim days when he was an MP.

Pity Mandy doesn't put the same effort into revitalising British business as he does to slagging off his opponents (both in and out of the Labour Party).

rob's uncle said...

The URL for Lord Foulkes and David Davis is:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_7762000/7762175.stm

Eddie 180 said...

I see the BBC is saying that Sir Paul Stephenson is saying that the decision to arrest Damien Green was made by the Met.

I sense a concerted effort to manage the news today, on the day that this is likely to come to a head.

Sir Paul Stephenson will suggest that Ministers were not involved at any stage, although not specifically saying so. The Speaker will no doubt be ensuring his allowing the police into the Commons was justified. Mandelson pointing the finger back at the Tories.

Why has Sir Paul Stephenson chosen to make the comments today?

Roger Thornhill said...

Your partner has his head screwed on right. I think itis Mandy, too. Expect to see Govt officials put above the law in some future duff legislation.


I also think Mandy is behind the edging towards the Euro and the intentional screwing up of the £ and the economy to make the Euro seem like a floating log to a shipwrecked man. Unfortunaltely, it is more like a turd in a swimming pool. We should keep well away.

Alex said...

I was taken aback by how quickly the BBC responded to the interview and put its at the top of the agenda. Mandelson made his accusations with little or no pushback from the interview about leaks made to Brown in the past. Then all of a sudden on came Robinson to reinforce the message ("comment on the statement", surely - Ed), and then bingo, using Mandelson's tipoff about what he was going to say ("in a rapid piece of quickfire" - Ed) it is top of the news headlines at 6.30.

Alex said...

sorry, 8:30

Oscar Miller said...

Let's face it Mandy is now running the country. When's the last time anyone actually saw or heard Gordon Brown? I've noticed the latest tactic is to talk about the Great Leader in reverential, obsequious tones and for nice news broadcasters to quote words from the Great Man. But we don't actually get to hear and see him. No doubt because Mandy's worked out he's a vote loser. Instead Mandy is lording it (literally) over all and sundry loving the limelight, while broadcasting toadies give him all the airtime he craves. Something is very very rotten in the state of this country.

Anonymous said...

The Beeb are still running the Mandy interview in their news headlines, but it only merits a short paragraph on the website story.

yellowbelly said...

This would be the unelected Business Secretary who commited mortgage fraud, given the job by an unelected Prime Minister with no mandate, who made a career of using leaked Government documents in the 80s/ 90s whilst in opposition, taking the moral high ground? Yeah right.

Man in a Shed said...

Maybe somebody would like to add up how much money Mandelson has made from the tax payers (via Westminster & the EU) including the purchase value of his pension.

PIENOMICS said...

Iain,

I have just listened to the interview with Mr Mandelson.

This man makes me want to vomit.

What a miserable little hypocrite. Old Labour pre 1997 feasted on leaks from civil servants. Here is a man that has been sacked twice from the Cabinet, been rewarded with a monstrously overpaid job in Europe and who then returns to the Cabinet as an unelected minister.

Like all the other members of Nu Labour he has never had a proper job in his life, never paid a salary, knows zero about the problems, stresses and challenges of running a business and yet dares to lecture on flexible working practices. What the hell does he know?

This is the same man who "allegedly told George Osborne that debt would be the undoing of Gordon Brown and who now happily stands shoulder to shoulder with a man he has poured scorn on for years.

I wonder if he will tell the audience at the Hugo Young Memorial Lecture tonight why he refused permission for his conversations with Hugo Young to appear in his posthumous book. I think we all know the answer.

The Nu Labour project is spinning out of control. They have ruined the economy. It's time for them to go and present their CV's for a job in the real world!

Dave said...

Don't forget that Mandy's drawing up a list of which business he's going to save

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/12/01/mandy_list/
"Lord Mandelson of Foy is preparing criteria to decide which British businesses the government should save if they go bankrupt."

YCMIU!

Alfie said...

Gaaaaaah! Mandelson.....

he should be fitted with a bell so people are warned of his presence and can exit, quick-like before he gets to them.

The guy should have been banged up for the 375 grand memory loss. Iago is alive and well and in the palace of Westminster all right.

Anonymous said...

Mandy's second demeanour not disclosing all the finance details when he applied for the mortgage which resulted in his firing is a serious offence in its own right. Some one I know suffered from this offence albeit more minor than Mandelson's offence. He escaped with his Blair connections. This sleaze bag has the temerity to pass comments on others when his boss (?) Brown spent most of his career in opposition colluding with civil servants by soliciting leaks. If this is waht Labour prty today is, we know the depth it has sunk to.

About this blog which Mandy enquired. He has deployed his trolls- DB, Chris Paul, Jimmy...

Richard Holloway said...

The BBC Today interview was the worst piece of propaganda I've ever seen. The questions were tame "is there something you'd like to tell us Lord Mandleson" style. There was no attempt to question his answers, and no attempt to interrupt (unlike all Cameron/Osbourne interviews).
Shameful.
I intend to lodge a complaint.

Anonymous said...

Its about time we habitually referred to Mandelson as 'Propaganda Minister' and Chequers as 'The Berghoff'.

Socrates said...

It appears that Mr Mandelson has some super manipulative skills that have allowed him to succeedc as EU trade commissioner. Sadly, when it comes to party politics and the current climate his style seems to be out of touch with the people he represents...ooops i forgot, he hasnt been elected has he!!!!

Oscar Miller said...

The Mandy 'interview' was a fix if ever there was one. And sadly complaining to the BBC is like suggesting to Goebbels that he might be a little one-sided. The complicity between the Brown cabal and the BBC top news managers is impenetrable. They each bolster the others interests in a vicious cycle of mutual dependency.

Desperate Dan said...

Smarm covered bile is the best we can ever hope for from Mandelscum.

Hacked Off said...

Scary Biscuits, I'm afraid that you are mistaken in thinking that NuLiebore have learnt nothing from the strange and unlikely death of Dr.Kelly.

They have learnt that thay can get away with murder, aided and abbetted by compliant judges and large buckets of whitewash.

The jury in the De Menezes case have been told they cannot bring in an Unlawful Killing verdict.

Need I say more?

The Penguin

Anonymous said...

Just heard Dominic Grieve on Mandelson (Sky News): "I don't trust Mandelson, that man's unfit for high office". Spot on. As far as us ordinaries are concerned, Labour arrested a Tory MP. End of. Even those who don't care about politics hear this and wonder if we're any different from Zimbabwe.
Suppose I'll now be arrested for leaking the conversation between Sky and Dominic Grieve.

not an economist said...

I dont think Mandy's argument here makes sense. If the Tory's were trying to cover up their part in this (i.e., actively colluding with the official to leak documents) then why have the Tories kicked up such a stink in the first place? Surely their actions have simply highlighted this issue, drawn more attention to it and so increased the risk of their role being uncovered?

Mark Fulford said...

We are in serious danger of over-rating Mandy. He must love being feared and revered as the puppet master when he was, in fact, making tea.

Of Mandy “we have nothing to fear except fear itself”.

Jimmy said...

So this is "raising the temperature", but presumably Cameron's "Stalinist" crack was measured and statesmanlike? I don't think it does nay harm to remind people which party is actually responsible for this whole sorry episode.

strapworld said...

He fell once.

He fell twice.

He will fall again.

AND THE WHOLE COUNTRY WILL EXPLODE WITH LAUGHTER.

Anonymous said...

Jimmy,

Your masters Mandy, the twice disgraced spin doctor and Brown the man who built his parliamentary careers by soliciting leaks, do not want us the voters know that the Labour is letting in thousands of illegal immigrant and clearing them to take up work. That is the issue.

Cameron said 'Stalinique' but your Labour buddy Charles Clarke was the one who let the world know that Brown behaves like 'Stalin'. Ask him why did he say that.

The party which thrived on soliciting leaks was Labour. As regards to Jaqui Smith, the most underserved home secretary, the leftie school teacher, she through her incompetence has let these illegals to work in this country. One of them was in Brown's protection squad. What a scandal and what mockery this govt has become!!

Lola said...

I heard the first few words of Mandleson's interview on Today this moring, then I turned it off as I knew it was going to be fatuous. How did I know this? Because his first answer, as near as I can recall it started with the statement "Well, we had to do something as the markets were acting in their own self interest". Yes. And..?

You really couldn't make it up could you?

Lola said...

Making Mandleson Business Secretary would be excellent if he could stick to it, but he can't. And anyway that's not why Brown gave hime the post.

Why would it be excellent? Because his political skills could do wonders for business, but of course they are being used by Brown for other purposes.

Mike Wood said...

How on earth does any interviewer manage to keep a straight face when they hear Mandelson condemning people leaking documents?

Tim said...

Is it true Green promised him a job

Lady Ellipsis said...

Hi ,

Listened out for you on George Galloway's show on TalkSport last night at 11.20pm but no sign of you? Quentin Letts appeared to be on instead ?

Gawd bless George though.... :)

Best,

Ellipsis
http://ladyellipsis.blogspot.com/

Iain Dale said...

They were running late. I got on about 11.35.

Lady Ellipsis said...

Aaw,sorry ,I missed it,just tuned in briefly to listen out for you !

Best ,


http://ladyellipsis.blogspot.com/