Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Guardian release “the Mandy tape”…
Whoops… looks like Mandelson is not too pleased with the Guardian for taking him out of context, so they have published the lot online... Blair: the Process is the bare minimum of the policy you need...
Mick Fealty @ 01:41 PM
No please, the last thing we need in re/interpretations of Mandelson’s slitherings.
Oh go on then!
Posted by on Mar 13, 2007 @ 02:04 PMIt’s well worth a listen… a bit of a coup for the Guardian… most candid account from inside the SoS’s office I can recall from anyone…
Posted by on Mar 13, 2007 @ 02:07 PMThanks Mick.
That was an extremely interesting interview and I have to say very damning, and all too believable, because its totally consistent with what the world thinks of Bliar. Someone who says what is convenient at the time, someone who has no principle.
Oops, spelling mistake, Blair.
Posted by on Mar 13, 2007 @ 02:11 PMHmmm… “the Unionists will never know...” ah well, they do now, but when it’s too late of course… And he has just meters to go until the finishing line....
Posted by on Mar 13, 2007 @ 02:15 PMFor others, I refer to the tape you can listen to. An absolute must for all with an interest in the peace process.
Posted by on Mar 13, 2007 @ 02:15 PMBloody brilliant. Was the side deal on Rita O’Hare ever fulfilled does anyone know?
Side deals, the unionists have their proof of them now.LOL. Thanks mick
Posted by on Mar 13, 2007 @ 02:26 PMThe Brits really are a shoddy crew.
Although it’s nice to see how the net can finally nail the half-arsed ‘it was taken out of context’ defence.
Posted by on Mar 13, 2007 @ 02:27 PMtotally irresponsible of Mandelson to give this interview; after 26th March sure.
He has the knack of screwing things up for the Prime Minister in a way that no-one else could even if they tried.
peteb’s going to have a field day.Posted by on Mar 13, 2007 @ 02:29 PMThe proverbial brown stuff is going to hit the fan. Everybody duck. Great stuff on policing issue. Thankyou guardian, thank you Mick. Now we know what really happened at weston park, the shinners and the OTR’s McGuinness and adams modernisers or back to the bad men, and they played on it. this is gonna go down in the history books.
Posted by on Mar 13, 2007 @ 02:32 PMWell worth the listen, this is of course second nature to this duplicitous Government. Just a pity it had not been released before the elections last week and the DUP would have had an even better result 40+ MLA’s. If he has keep all his promises to the IRA and Sinn Fein, it is much more that he did for the Unionist population, of course he was dealing with pushover Unionism then, but it says something about the principles of the Prime Minister - he has none. I am sure like me the Unionist people are saddened at the lack of integrity of the most of our other SOS they had not the backbone to say what they felt to the PM they are all “YES MINISTER” men.
Posted by on Mar 13, 2007 @ 02:35 PMMandelson-
“If you didn’t give success to the modernisers [i.e. Adams and McGuinness], then power would pass back to the bad men.”
Pesky securocrats, eh?
Posted by on Mar 13, 2007 @ 02:40 PMIt is worth noting that Mr Mandelson’s version of events may differ with reality and remembering that his integrity and honesty is very much open to question.
Those who normally discount him now seem suddenly convinced he is a trustworthy source.
Posted by on Mar 13, 2007 @ 02:47 PMexcellent point SuperSoupy
Posted by on Mar 13, 2007 @ 02:51 PMThe process is the policy
That does wonders for the credibility of the deadline.
Posted by on Mar 13, 2007 @ 02:53 PMMandy has not forgotten that Blair sacked him twice (forced him to resign). I sense a strong element of revenge in this interview.
Much better for all of us that Mandy has moved on to Brussels to deal with shoe import quotas rather than more important matters like NI.
He was an atrocious proconsul.
Posted by on Mar 13, 2007 @ 02:55 PMMuch better for all of us that Mandy has moved on to Brussels to deal with shoe import quotas rather than more important matters like NI.
I don’t know about shoe imports per se, but he certainly knows how to put the boot in.
More important to who?
Not the majority of British, Irish or mainland Europeans I suspect.Posted by on Mar 13, 2007 @ 03:00 PMFor a man that had his bacon saved by Blair after multiple transgressions he certainly doesn’t have any respect for or loyalty to his ‘friend’.
A disgraced politician, given a top European job biting the hand that fed him now it can’t deliver any more benefits.
I’m not surprised.
Posted by on Mar 13, 2007 @ 03:02 PMSS,
Is that just a case of playing the man, or would you like to put your real name to a concrete allegation?
Although I’d rather you put your own house rather than mine on the line, and have the courage to publish it on your own blog.
Posted by on Mar 13, 2007 @ 03:04 PMHenry,
Indeed.
Posted by on Mar 13, 2007 @ 03:05 PMMick,
I thought Mr Mandelson’s dishonesty was common knowledge. Don’t you remember it being found he had hidden his financial interests from both government and a financial instituition? It was the reason for his first resignation.
Posted by on Mar 13, 2007 @ 03:12 PMHis judgement hasn’t been the best in Europe either. Taking hospitality from Microsoft as it faced(faces) major EU investigation and sanction was ill-judged (at the very least) for a trade Commissioner.
He is also a figure of ridicule for his recent request that he receive a Maserati as his official car.
Posted by on Mar 13, 2007 @ 03:20 PMI fully agree that it is riveting to see how the British Government, acting in their position as ‘honest broker’ (ho hum), thinks in terms of handling the two sides - or rather, IMO, as illustrated quite starkly on this occasion, one side. Mandleson doesn’t mention at all what the UUP demands were. All his comments were directed towards SF and their position.
Then again why would he need to spell out unionism’s demands? It is the status quo of a NI incorporated within the UK; the government knows it and would not wish to change it until absolutely forced to - either by ballot or by bullet, to paraphrase a former player. They were not in that situation. It is quite obvious to me that Mandleson was acting purely and simply as a plenipotentiary for unionism while, at the same time, recognising that the Nationalist/Republican side had several issues that could be resolved around a negotiating table - but don’t ask for too much, greedy little Shinners. For a start, it really blows the ‘honest broker’ myth out of the water completely.
But what I find really interesting is why, in the middle of some of the most tortuous and delicate negotiations in the history of the ‘Process’, Mandleson has chosen to give an interview of such depth and detail? Does anyone else consider the timing odd?
Posted by on Mar 13, 2007 @ 03:24 PMThere couldn’t have been any other way except process, nursing along, and shepherding, till we got to the twin pillars ( Of Hercules )
Legend has it that Atlantis is found beyond them.
And I don’t see a Samson capable of pulling down those pillars to be more biblical.
Posted by on Mar 13, 2007 @ 03:35 PM“The process is the policy.”
Say what you will about Blair, but given the circumstances (deal with the modernizers or it’s basically back to the gun), I think he worked the policy as best he could.
And say what you will about Sinn Fein, but in their brilliant negotiations, and as they were supposedly being “fed” and “sustained”, they were able to squeeze every last drop out of Blair and his process.
Posted by on Mar 13, 2007 @ 03:44 PMNot good for the SDLP that tape.
So it seems in the eyes of the British that Republicans are the ones who make the demands and nationalists are the ones who will accept what they are given.
Posted by on Mar 13, 2007 @ 04:02 PM
