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Lord Mandelson's home was besieged by protesters today angry at the closure of Britain's only wind turbine factory.
The Climate Rush demonstrators chained themselves to his railings and planted miniature wind turbines at the front of the house in Regent's Park as they demanded he invest in green energy.
Dressed as suffragettes, students Elly Robson, 21, and Ali Freeman, 22, bore the slogan “Deeds not words” on their costumes. They held up a banner referring to Vestas — the factory that was closed down on the Isle of Wight — reading “Mandy put some wind in Vestas' sales”.
Protesters also targetted former cabinet minister Hazel Blears's car, which was attacked last night while she canvassed voters.
Vandals smashed the windscreen of the Citroen Xsara Picasso and slashed all four tyres while she knocked on doors in Weaste, Greater Manchester.
The Salford MP, who was at the centre of the MPs' expenses scandal, dismissed the idea the attack could be the result of a vendetta, saying it was "teenagers with nothing to do on a hot afternoon".
In London protests outside Mandelson's house included two demonstrators called the Yes Men, part of an American group who have performed stunts across the world exposing what they claims is corporate greed and the effect of climate change on the globe, and Tamsin Omond, 24, who founded Climate Rush and is the London co-ordinator of protest group Plane Stupid — and who chained herself to an aircraft at City Airport in June.
Miss Robson, from London, who is studying history at Cambridge, said: “We are going to get to a point where we can't stop catastrophic climate change. Closing Vestas shows a complete lack of regard for the problem we are all facing.
“If the government can bail out banks, they need to be bailing out our green future.”
Miss Freeman, also from London, who is studying human science at Sussex University, said: “Climate change is not being given the same level of attention that climate science shows it needs. In this case, we decided to go straight to Peter Mandelson, as he has the power to change this.”
The Yes Men, Andy Bichelbaum and Mike Bonnano, protest by pretending to be powerful people and spokesmen for prominent organisations. They create fake websites similar to ones they want to spoof, and then they accept invitations received on them to appear at conferences and on TV.
They have posed successfully as representatives of oil giant Exxon Mobile, the American government's department of housing and urban development and the World Trade Organisation.
Their documentary, The Yes Men Fix the World, will be released tomorrow.
The demonstrators vowed to stay outside the house until the First Secretary and Minister for Business and Enterprise returned from his holiday in Corfu.
The protest comes three days after bailiffs evicted workers from the Vestas factory. Six employees had occupied the top floors of the building following its closure, which ended more than 700 jobs.
Reader views (43)
What can we do to get rid of Peter Mandelson?
- Richard, London
How have the socialist managed to have a 'Lord' running the country, a man who incidently bears a striking resemblence to Dr Joseph Goebbels both in looks and in his mastery of the 'Big Lie'
- Dave Morris, Sunderland UK
How can this wretch think himself "in charge" ? Whitehall is in charge. He has not been elected but he has been kicked out of the government twice. He is as bad as Brown and Harman.
Small matter of his £2.2m property mortgage too.
- Michael, Kensington, UK
*Doh!* The Queen doesn't run the country Judith! She has no executive powers and is there to present a continuous and acceptable Head of State whilst charlaton politicians come and go. If she wasn't heading it up the UK would look like a Banana Republic. This would be quaint and amusing were it not for the fact that all the necessary steps for transfer of power have in the last 10 years been taken for a totalitarian dictatorship (communist or fascist) to lawful seize control at any time of its choosing.
- Roz, France
Mandelson the puppet master in charge.......For goodness sake Brown call an election.......It is easy to see the Prince of Darkness is running things......And he is even more unelected than you are.
- Themanoftruth, United Kingdom
Not only is the Peter Perfidious Peer an member of the discredited House of Lords, but he has not been elected to the House of Commons. Since when did the Lords have precedence over the Commons.
- Anthony, London Borough of Waltham Forest.
If it's unconstitutional to have Lord Mandy running the country what's the Queen doing keeping schtum?
- Judith C, London, England.
I think we should leave Lord Mandelson alone, it might spoil his concentration on filling out his next mortgage application form.
- Shallotman, Basildon
Not only did I not vote for Brown to run this country, I sure as hell didn't vote for Mandelson to run it. I take extreme exception to this man having any say over how the UK operates.
- Geraldine, London
I still can't quite fathom how an appointee can 'run the country' while the elected MP (a requirement for the post) who is the Prime Minister is away on holiday? It exposes a set of governmental rules that bear questioning, as the potential for manipulation is enormous. If nothing else, it is a conspiracy theorist's wet dream!
- Rogan, Irving
I was not aware the Peter Mandelson and his wife, or is it husband, had returned.
Is there not a constitutional issue here, having an unelected person acting in the stead of the PM, even if he is a lord?
The power of the lords to rule were removed many years ago so how can this be? This is Brown sticking up his middle finger to the electorate, perhaps testing the water for the arch spinner of all spinners return??
- Hugh, Middx
Mein Gaulieter und Blokleiter Herr Meddlesome, sagt - "I am not in charge!"
Then who is? It cannot be Herr KlunkenFistenKartoflnKopt-Heid McRuin because he is still on holiday. Maybe its the Number Ten Toilet Cleaner who has been left the keys to the 'Nuclear Bag' with instructions to 'Light blue touch Paper, put head between legs, put hands over head, and kiss your fundement goodbye!!"
- Uncle Vanya, East Anglia Area UK
Mandelson's pad must be the right place to go for a "save our wind turbines demonstration", there's obviously a lot of hot air there already.
- Drew Byrne, West London
Anthony, Esher, Surrey, If your comment is a sign of inteligence down south, then your ability to read and comprehend leaves a lot to be desired. All Reuben said was "He is UNELECTED" as he is, achieving his position through the House of Lords. No mention of 'unelected Prime Minister'.So much for the reform of the House of Lords. Mandy is one good reason for getting rid of it.
- Al, Kingstown UK
Roll on the General Election, when he and Labour will have their a...s well and truly kicked.
- Dee Jay, Fleet Hampshire
The Salford MP, who was at the centre of the MPs' expenses scandal, dismissed the idea the attack could be the result of a vendetta, saying it was "teenagers with nothing to do on a hot afternoon".
Oh well thats all right then, 12 years in power, god help us all.
- Steve M, London
With his myriad roles, PM has enough power to get Britain lording it over Europe in the rush to renewable energy. Anything less is not good enough. We need to demand change NOW on climate policies - and saving our last wind turbine factory is a good place for him to start. If you agree, lease write and tell him.
- Suzy, London SW5
The Climate Rush demonstrators seem to have forgotten that the world is now safe from climate change; New Labour is now making supermarkets charge for plastic carrier bags; so we don’t need wind power turbines any more; the world is saved.
We can drive bigger vehicles, leave shop lights on all day, heat swimming pools for the elite, and build more 40 bed-roomed houses for bankers and billionaires, even floodlit tennis courts and golf courses, are now viable.
Nobody has done more for climate change than New Labour; they alone took on the plastic carrier bag campaign; and won this magnificent battle, single-handedly.
Soon we will be able to open our coal mines again, giving us more power than ever; plastic bags were the main culprit of global warming; ok they are not really gone; but now they cost you 5 pence each.
- Mickinlondon, london.
Quote, Simon Ellis, London E8. Can somebody please explain why Peter Mandelson is now regarded as such a great politician?
It’s simple, Simon; in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king?
- Mickinlondon, london.
I like Mandleson, because every time his head pops up it's another nail in Labour's coffin. Carry on Peter, because we all know you are only interested in yourself....you wouldn't even piss on your own family if they were on fire. I recon the Government hate him but think he is somehow necessary (?).
- Rod, Epping, UK
I am unelected too,when do I get to run the country?
- Jimfred, London Uk
Peter Mandelson is the next Labour Party Prime Minister, and as for the Wind Turbine factory on the Isle of White, well one is always sorry when people lose employment. But wind turbines are the McGuffin of the green movement, why oh why are they not situated off shore, where they have great access to wind...instead of poluting the countryside all over Europe. The greens seem to think only they have the answer, and don't think I am one who believes in no change, just less hysteria and more pragmatic thought
- Roger Lawley, Beziers France
To Reuben Camara, Republic of Morecambe, UK
Of course he's unelected, all Prime Mnisters are.
I suggest you leave the thinking to us clever guys down here in London!
- Anthony, Esher, Surrey
EDITED by admin @ 13.01 on 10 August 2009
Breach of community regulations
- Mel Barrows., Tenerife. Canary Islands.
How can this vile politician afford such an expensive property in london??
- Rsaviour, london england
This place is getting just like France - the State rules ok?
- Ted, London
Who is this man. where did he come from, who elected him who wants him
I give up with Gt Britain if this is all we can muster.
The great conman. a peer of the realm, how , why. what for.
- Terence Mccarthy, South Africa
Tony B Liars implant, the greed and incompetance just never ends with liebour the man is un elected, a serial liar, just right for this bunch of idiots ruining England and Bodger Brown just puts his head in the sand, its just like a remake of the muppet show.
- Alan Davey, London UK
Sorry, I missed the plot here: how did the oldest democracy in the world get to be run by a twice-disgraced unelected jobs-for-the-boys 'Lord' . . . ?! To think Baroness Jay (herself the daughter of a peer) used to bang on about how undemocratic an unelected Upper House was!
Under Labour there has been nothing less than a spectacular transfer of power from the people to the state: it causes a lot of concern across Europe - doesn't it bother anyone living there?
- Roz, France
It's classic Labour all over. Everyone gets a go, because then no one is excluded or made to feel inferior, regardless of the fact that the job itself is never done to anyones satisfaction.
- Ian, london
No one at present can SPIN the Labour party back into electible status, will only see revival (IF) from NEW generation of Labour party members in the time to come!!!!!
- Hello Kitty, North London
Peter Mandlieson, archenemy of truth and democracy, twice-disgraced serial liar, signally rejected by the electorate and now our unelected, unaccountable de facto Prime Minister.
Is there anyone out there who still believes that we live in a democracy?
- Keith Lonsdale, Doncaster
Corruption and sleaze is at the very heart of this labour government. Mandelson is the personification of both.
- Frank, Home Counties, England.
So they can't even decide between themselves who is covering for whom when they are on holiday - that just says it all!
- Jk, London
Meddling Meddlesum trips the light fantastic on his return from Corfu and Joe Public can see straight through the phony creep.
He is UNELECTED.
He is a sheer disgrace to the word democracy.
Welcome to Police State UK.
- Reuben Camara, Republic of Morecambe, UK
What mandate does Mandleson hold? He was not a sitting MP when he was appointed to the Lords.
- Bj, London
Phew. I'm sure we're all relieved that an unelected official has returned from his holiday to rule over the people who didn't put him in power.
- Bob, Cheam
Ha ha ha....at last...the power is all mine....mine I tells ya.
- Hansel, London
smug - he's only here because he's been ordered to - his mind will be on what he's missing! - get them out!
- David, soton
Perhaps he should have sent Ms Harman a text before he left, something along the lines;
"U av 2 go"
- Darius, London UK
Now's the time to apply for a mortgage. Here's the man who can help you tick all the right boxes, he's done it before !!!!!!!
- John.W, east kent
God help us all ....
- Marianne, SW France/London
Can somebody please explain why Peter Mandelson is now regarded as such a great politician? I just cannot think of anything constructive he has done throughout his career . However i can remember that he was sacked or resigned for shady dealing with Indians. No wonder Gordon Brown looks so exhausted if this is the best team he can muster.
- Simon Ellis, London E8
