You came and you gave without taking…

Another day, another song. And Barry Manilow was a keen observer of the labour politics of the future with his rather telling song all those years ago.

I always like Peter Mandelson. He was one of the good guys. Blair’s major strategist and the world’s first ‘spin doctor’ as he never let the truth get in the way of a good message. He was always just more clever than everyone else around him. Including Tony Blair. In fact, especially Tony Blair. And, like Nigel Farage, I admire sheer brilliance when it comes with a hard, no-nonsense edge to it, regardless of the politics which may be horribly attached to it. That’s another matter.

So ‘Mandy’ eventually became a ‘Dame’, when ennobled by Gordon Brown, so he could return to government, having effectively been sacked for a few dodgy deals involving undeclared loans which, coming from someone who was under investigation by the department Mandy ran, could, to some very cynical eyes, appear almost bribe-ish. And then using his clout to get his cleaner a UK passport was a push too far.

I liked his appointment as ambassador to the US because he’s someone who would never be ‘pushed around’, even by Trump. He’s way too clever for the Orange Dunce. Who actually always appeared to be rather fond of Mandy, left-wing history notwithstanding.

But I’d forgotten, or never realised, that the two men were ‘connected’. By their shared guilt by association with Jeffrey Epstein. The dead paedophile. But being dead doesn’t protect those who had historical affiliation. As Mandelson found out today when Starmer sacked him. And as Trump is spending an inordinate amount of time denying.

And I can so see how Trump would have been drawn to a known sex offender who flaunted his crimes openly. It would have appealed to Trump’s ‘grab ‘em by the pussy’ ethos.

But Mandy is gay. Openly, happily, married-ly gay. And would not share Epstein’s predilection for little girls. Nor be party to… the parties. So I can only imagine. Because we’ll never know. Yet remain free to speculate like fuck.

And my view is: Starmer threw Mandy under a bus to avoid being seen as ‘weak’ and ‘slow to react’, as he normally is viewed. His party are in disarray, his personal rankings are below those of Fred West and there are rumours he won’t last another year. He doesn’t know how to handle his MPs about Gaza, nor Ukraine, the boats keep coming, the economy’s gone to shit. So let’s sack Peter Mandelson and see if it improves my standing.

Well, Kier, its doesn’t. You got rid of one of the… of the only decent person in your entire party structure. Tosser.

Happy Thursday

A xxxx