Readers who have seen The Godfather, a truly classic film, will be familiar with the scene at the end when Michael Corleone, the new Godfather, attends a christening. While The Don is at the christening, those who crossed him meet their destiny with the after life. I couldn’t help but make the connection when I read this morning in The Sunday Times that Lord Mandelson wants to be Foreign Secretary.
As The Sunday Times notes: ” Mandelson’s reshuffle call puts the prime minister in a perilous position as he struggles to retain the support of the most powerful figures in the cabinet. If he bows to Mandelson’s wishes, he risks alienating David Miliband, the foreign secretary, and his ally Ed Balls, the schools secretary, who is still eager for promotion. If he refuses Mandelson’s demand, he risks losing his loyalty with potentially devastating consequences for the election.”
As they say… Revenge is a dish best eaten cold…. Game, Set and Match to Mandelson? Brown could well be stuffed on this one. You have to laugh…. Ladies and Gentleman… we have a new Richard III of The Labour Party… I present… for your delectation and delight… Baron Mandelson of Foy, Foreign Secretary of The United Kingdom. Of course, it could just be a load of balls and everyone at the top end of the labour party is happy, working harmoniously together, and only thinking of the best interests of the country as a whole.
SHIT…. I’ve just seen a squadron of black leather clad stormtrooper pigs fly over Upnor Castle on the River Medway… they are heading for Westminster… and they look as if they mean business. You couldn’t make it up…. wonderful nonsense. The Sunday Times piece is rather amusing… and worth a read.
And don’t forget this from The Times on 27 September….
LORD Mandelson has disclosed that he is ready to accept a job under a future Conservative government.
In an interview with The Sunday Times magazine, “the business secretary said he would be willing to put his “experience at the disposal of the country”, if Labour lost power. “As I grow older, I can imagine more ways of serving my country than simply being a party politician,” he said.
Asked whether he might use his experience in business and world trade under a future government, he said: “If I was asked to do something for my country using that asset base, of course, I would consider it.”
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On the plus side, if Mandy became foreign secretary then perhaps “three strikes” would have less chance of becoming law. Though we’d need to hope that David Geffen doesn’t have any pressing foreign policy concerns.
Mandelson is so openly one of Them that it makes one wonder whether he’s not the decoy or the stool pigeon. Anyway, welcome to their new EU. Salute your new Prez.
Nice on Charon. Simple answer – Gordon says to Mandy – “Do you wish to give up your peerage because the Foreign Secretary really ought to be in the ELECTED House of Parliament – the House of Commons.”
I think we can all guess the answer to that.
We have far too many unelected people (Lord This and Baroness That) holding ever more important portfolios and beyond the reach of elected MPs to challenge them properly. In the Commons, it is more and more the case that you only get the monkey and not the organ-grinder. Whatever next – a return to the PM in the Lords?
‘Tonight, Brown, you sleep with the feeeeshes…’