Martin Ivens, in today’s Sunday Times, indulges in what can best be described as an extended, free-form riff on the theme of the centrality of Peter Mandelson to the futures of Gordon Brown, Tony Blair, Europe and, ultimately, the world.
Mandelson, until his wider objectives are realised, is central to the Labour party, too; but, implies Ivens, only in a temporary shoring-up capacity, “the last prop holding up this ramshackle government”:
The former Prince of Darkness, now Gordon’s Good Angel, persuaded the last Blairites not to quit. Now he even pops into No 10 and tells the PM to stop e-mailing and go to bed.
Ivens’s analysis of Mandelson’s indispensability is compelling and probably, in large part, correct. There is no doubt that, since his recall from Brussels last year, Mandelson’s assumption of power has been progressive, relentless and seemingly unstoppable. He has now, it appears, even convinced Brown of the suicidal folly of his crude “Labour investment v. Tory cuts” stance, finessing the argument to the subtler and more credible one of prioritisation:
His is a rare voice of sanity. Brown, seduced by the notion he could rerun his favourite campaign of “Beware the Tory cuts”, has been stubbornly denying that a re-elected Labour government would have to make cuts too. In poll after poll the voters say they don’t believe him. Last Wednesday Mandelson finally called a halt to this nonsense. “There will be spending choices and a growing need for greater efficiency across the board, and less spending in some programmes,” he purred.
But, says Ivens, Peter Mandelson’s real ambitions extend well beyond the immediate and perhaps impossible task of saving Gordon from himself. They reach out beyond these shores, back to Europe and to the campaign, formally declared last week, to install Tony Blair as EU president. When the recalcitrant, muddle-headed Irish and Poles have finally seen sense and ratified the Lisbon treaty, the way will be clear for Blair to be promoted as the “Big Man” candidate for the presidency, poised to bestride the world stage, look Barack Obama in the eye and call the shots to Vladimir Putin. Another good reason, by the way, for postponing as long as possible a general election that could see the referendum-pledged Tories returned to power before the treaty is ratified.
And where would that leave Peter Mandelson and Gordon Brown? Ivens proffers his own hypothesis:
Perhaps it’s all a pipe dream. But if Tony got to Brussels, favours could be returned. Mandelson would make a fine presidential chef de cabinet. And when Gordon lost the election, his chums could fix up a big international job for him, too. We might be stuck with the three of them for another decade or so. This psycho-drama could run and run.
Pray God it doesn’t; but yes, it could. Ivens’s article is one well worth reading, bookmarking and revisiting in, say, 18 months’ time, to assess how the “pipe dream” has panned out.
Cameron could stop all this by pledging a Referendum on the LisbonConTreaty regardless of whether the Irish, Poles and Czechs have ratified it. There is no way the EU would choose Blair if there was a realistic prospect of the UK de-ratifying their undemocratic Consitutional Treaty.
Say what we will about Mandelson, do you think we could do with a “Mandelson” in our party?
Our do we already have one?
Pingback: Mandelson’s expanding empire « David Jones, MP