Article for Sunday Mirror by Iain Dale
Margaret Thatcher once famously said: “Every Prime Minister Needs a Willie”, referring to her loyal Deputy Willie Whitelaw. Peter Mandelson was Tony Blair’s “Willie” and it is his downfall which may well signal the beginning of the end of the New Labour Government. Mr Blair faces a bleak New Year without his closest confidante to advise him on the civil war which now exists between Downing Street and Gordon Brown’s Treasury advisers.
If the Tories are appearing smug this Christmas who can blame them? For the first time in eighteen months they have scored a notable victory and claimed the biggest scalp of them all - their nemesis, the Prince of Darkness. Yes, it is a personal tragedy for Mandelson but he deserved to go. Indeed, the Prime Minister should have sacked him.
Why? Not because he has done anything corrupt, but because, like his protege Derek Draper he has been stupid and arrogant, and probably both. Hardly a hanging offence, but in today’s politics it’s enough to have to walk the plank. For Mandelson it was inevitable. After all, he had been persecutor in chief of Neil Hamilton, the former Tory Trade Minister who was accused of taking money from Mohammed Fayed.
Interestingly, when Hamilton became a DTI Minister he openly declared his former relationship with Fayed and told civil servants he would not deal with any DTI affairs relating to Fayed or Harrods. Peter Mandelson, however, failed to declare his loan from Geoffrey Robinson even when told that his own Department was investigating the Paymaster General’s business affairs. The irony is astonishing.
Because of New Labour’s campaign against exaggerated Tory sleaze, spearheaded by Peter Mandelson, we now expect our politicians to lead blameless, sex-free, frugal lives where everything is open and above board. Fine in theory, but politicians have weaknesses like the rest of us.
We now run the risk of nobody wanting to stand for political office for fear of having to go through what Peter Mandelson has experienced this week. Ironically, we only have Peter Mandelson to blame.
Iain Dale is Managing Director of Politico’s Bookstore and the author of ‘The Blair Necessities’.
