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The Labour Party finally fell in love with Peter Mandelson this afternoon.
An extraordinary, melodramatic and utterly sentimental performance from the man dubbed the Prince of Darkness brought the Brighton conference to its feet in delight, albeit tinged with bemusement in some quarters.
He electrified the conference with a barnstormer of a speech that eclipsed rivals including Chancellor Alistair Darling and lifted the gloomy mood on the eve of Gordon Brown's big speech.
Lord Mandelson also appeared to fall a little in love with himself, devoting a big chunk of his address to an emotional memoir of his career in the Labour Party, from image maker and arch manipulator, to Gordon Brown's enemy and, finally, closest ally. He disarmed critics by mocking his old image and admitting he was shocked to be invited back into government for a third Cabinet career. “I was as shocked as you were,” he said. “My network of informants had let me down.”
He said he felt nervous and apprehensive about returning to frontline politics until, inevitably, his party loyalty proved stronger. “The pull was too great,” he said. “The pull of coming back to serve my country ...” The grandson of Herbert Morrison admitted he was part of Labour's aristocracy. “I didn't choose this party. I was born into it.” They laughed. And he recalled Tony Blair's dictum in 1996 that the New Labour project would only be complete when the party “learned to love Peter Mandelson”.
“I think perhaps he set the bar a little too high,” teased Lord Mandelson in mock self-depreciation. His audience roared approval and he basked.
The Business Secretary gave heart to activists by saying his comeback showed they should not give up hope of a recovery. “If I can come back, we can come back!” At times he went hopelessly over the top. But they cheered louder and louder as he ripped into David Cameron and George Osborne (dubbed Boy George) with gusto. “Not for the first time, Boy George is sailing too close to the wind,” he said to laughter —ostensibly a joke about economic policy but actually a glancing blow at Mr Osborne's unhappy trip to a billionaire's yacht off Corfu.
He said Mr Cameron was only a triumph of the “image-making department”, adding slyly: “Who am I to criticise?” As the crowd stood up, the Prime Minister, beaming, sprang to shake his former enemy and effective deputy's hand. Truly, Lord Mandelson had come home.
Reader views (41)
Mandleson is a thoroughly odious individual.
The very way that he prostrates himself to the most powerful, and greedy, shows this man's total lack of any character, principles, and any common decency. He has pandered to just about every powerful interest group in an blatant attempt at ingratiating his pathetic self to the rich and powerful. Mandleson is amongst the worst politicians to ever have polluted the halls of power in Britain, only one rank below The Evil Maniac Thatcher, and perhaps a minute fraction above the similarly constituted David Cameron. Who knows the motives of such people?
Mandleson doesn't care about what is right. He was never elected, so he obviously feels no obligation to serve the people of Britain. Everything he has done runs contrary to our interests. I hope to see the demise of this evil, slimy little toad ASAP.
- Iosif, West Sussex
Mandelson is perfectly vile; he will lose the election for Labour - a tragedy given the tendencies of the opposition. Tragic also that the party feels it must allow itself to be manipulated by such a charlatan as the price of survival.
Mandelson's example is not just bad for Labour government, it's deadly to politics in general. The only conclusion the voter can draw from a system that both fears and respects the likes of Peter Mandelson is that every MP is equally dishonest; no meaningful choice between policies, thus, and no real reason to vote according to one's own conscience.
One can't help suspecting British politics is in fact by nature essentially Mandelsonian and that Peter just happens to be an unusually priggish example.
Monbiot believes that Business cut an election deal with Brown in return for having Mandelson in the cabinet as their own puppet deregulator/general gopher (a job to which he has applied himself quietly but assiduously since October 2008). It would be rude not to suppose more and worse.
- Nick, Birmingham
What a creep and what a load of lowlife creeps the rest of the labour party gaggle are to even give this creep the time of day!!!!!!
- El Del, Valencia Spain
do we really believe him??? No, his coming back was well planned and no emotion involved at all. He shouldn't make jokes about other people like Osbourne.
- Michael, Cheshunt
What on earth can the Tories offer Britain?
- Robert, Philadelphia USA
They might love him, but we the electorate loathe him and his party.
- Mark Burton, St Ives. Cambs
Am I right in saying that technically 'Mandy' is an 'unelected' Deputy Prime Minister? Look at him go! He is clearly after the job of Prime Minster! Didn't Hitler go about getting power the same way? This guy scares me!!!
- Michael Hathway, Bromley
....'Mr Osborne's unhappy trip to a billionaires yacht off Corfu...'
Hang on.... wasn't this buffoon on that yacht too?
- Toby Webster, Ongar, England
I wouldn't trust him any further than I could throw him.
- Richard, Surrey
Not the sharpest knives in the drawer most of these Nuliebour diehards are they.
Meddlesome is a twister and spin merchant.
Clutching at straws springs to mind when you are looking at wipeout next time round.
- Roy.C, wigan.england.
The unelected Mandelson wants a foot in both camps after Labour lose the election. No chance ! Kick him out of the Lords as he won't be needed any more, neither will Sugar.
Brown, the unelected PM, is a hopeless mess. I just hope the country can survive him until May.
- Michael, London, UK
Bye Bye Labour, you are brown bread. If this is your best shot then you will be buried next year for decades to come.
- Roger, Surrey
Yes, I too am 'shock' that he can be THAT shameless!
- K Lee, Herts, England
So glad Labour have learned to love him. I never will learn. In fact, I cannot stand the sight of him, nor the sound of him.
I heard his voice first on the radio, without knowing who he was and goose-pimples broke out, he was so smarmy.
He has a very unfortunate attitude of condescension, although what this petty crook has to be condescending about, I am not sure.
Get rid of him, Labour, if you want to win!
- Sidney Marks, London, UK.
Lord Mandelson was anything but loveable on BBC TV this morning: crotchety and full of bluster. The Nu Lab conference may have been dazzled, but then they are enveloped in such dark mistrust and devious machinations that anything slightly dressed up as normal would provoke rapture. Perhaps they are on happy pills?
- James Elliott, Eastborne UK
Mandelson is the best NuLab have got. With no wish to be too effusive, look at the pigs ear Churchill made (Gallipoli, Singapore) occasionaly. We could do worse. At least he knows where the levers are. Cameron and Co. are on the Youth Training Scheme.
- Michael John Murphy, Brightlingsea
"Things can only get better" - Country Bankrupt - Given away our right to self rule to EU by agreeing to Lisbon Treaty without asking the people - Freed the killer of Lockerbie - Ruined our relationship with America - Made a laughing stock of Britian. What an achievement!
Lying, bitchy, backstabbing, devious, pathetic Mandy has to be brought back to prop up his former worst enemy - Yes I'm sure that Mandy would work for the Tories too!
Words absolutely fail me - Our once great country of which I was so proud is now left in the hands of people with no morals and no principles.
Roll on general election whenever the un-wanted un elected Scottish MP Gordon Brown is forced to break his denial and call it - We the British people will tell you loudly and clearly what we think of you, the labour Party and what you have done to this country.
- True Brit, London
As for Harman standing beside - ugh. What a shame she is in a safe seat - not that she lives there! I wonder if it would be possible to get some brave person to stand against her - preferably someone who actually sent his/her kids to a comprehensive, as opposed to the private and grammar schools to which la Harman sent her own kids, despite being violently anti-grammar / private!
- Liz, London,UK
Dead right Tom.
Desperate times call for desperate measures!
Fortunately the electorate have long long memories of paying too dearly for ZaNuLabour's grotesquely oppulent, vindictively devisive, ruinously squanderous and arrogantly undemocratic lifestyle.
- Dave, Cumbria
"Labour learns to love Mandelson at last". Then they are fools and proves that they have no morals or ethics whatsoever!
- Wa, Oxfordshire
Labour may have learn't to love Mandelson. The rest of us recognise that he is a corrupt self seeking toad who should not be trusted with a bag of screws never mind the country.
- Peter, Harrow, UK
labours years in power have left too much history to be swept away by vague promises and pleas of 'lessons learnt'.
two unwarranted wars./
i.d cards.
blatent explotation by m.p's
survellance culture.
inept government management
david kelly.
emperor blair, henchman straw, hoon,campbell,etc.
spin and deceit.
to name just a few that come to mind.
why would any rational person believe in them and vote accordingly.
not that the tories don't have as much, if not more left luggage to burden them and make offering them power an unpalatable option.
sadly the liberal democrats, apart from cable, who unfortunately went a policy too far, have little to offer,
but having never had power they've had little opportunity to collectively blot their copybook. where'as
individually there are a few untoward instances.
- M.O'Brien, london.uk
ARE JOE PUBLIC GOING TO BE BOMBARDED EVERY DAY FOR THE NEXT 9 MONTHS WITH THE ANTICS OF THE MASTER OF SLEAZE?
ABSOLUTELY PATHETIC.
HYPOCRITES THE LOT OF THEM.
- Reuben Camara, Morecambe Compound, EUSSR
If you trust this man you are either an idiot or
have less brain cells than a moth with Alzheimer's.
Apologies to David Attenborough and the Bristol Team on behalf of moths.
- Macdangler, Wimbledon SW19
After Mandy announced he is ready to work for the Tories, and under George Osborne?
- Properganda, paris
I wish people would stop referring to this viper as 'Mandy'; it makes him sound almost cuddly. I am sure he sleeps curled up like a snake and would poison himself if he bit his tongue. I am glad his party has learnt to love him; that makes them unelectable, because British people are fair-minded but not stupid.
- Beatriz, London
Mandelson = SLEEZE!
I have no idea what these nasty labour politicians have to smile about. They have managed to totally trash a country in 13 years! Shame on them and pity the rest of us.
- Margy, London
I wonder just exactly how much Mandy has made out of milking the political system (both here and in Europe) over the years? Does the photo suggest TEN times as much as any other individual? No wonder he's got a big smirk on his face!
- Fraser, Telford Park
They are all desperate corrupt vermin together.
- Frank, Home Counties, England.
The old schmoozer!
- Paul Lettan, Old St Pancras, London
"Mandelson also appeared to fall a little in love with himself"
When is he anything else but in love with himself? He proved that this weekend by stating he would work with a future Tory government. He is more in love with his pension provision than he ever was with a political party. Ever since he got his fingers burned over the dodgy loan, he has been obsessed with feathering his nest.
He isn't even an MP. It says a lot that Labour need to bring on a serial failed minister to gee up the troops.
- Nobby Clark, Perth, the Scottish one
If it takes a twice disgraced, unelected former spinner to cheer up the demoralised Labour Party it tells you all you need to know about how low this party has slumped.
Roll on the General Election and let THE PEOPLE speak.
We've had enough of Labour Lies, we've had enough of bullying and cowardly Brown and we've had enough of Mandy.
If Brown and his boss Mandy drags this out to the last possible date for the election their downfall will be all the greater and all the more deserved.
If Clegg had any sense he would have gone for Labour's jugular last week at Bournemouth with the aim of becoming the Official Opposition next year and who knows if the Tories cock it up again he might have a chance to realise his dream!
- Dcl, harrow
Love is a strange word to use to describe a man who has said he would be willing to serve in the next Conservative Government. Double agent fits Mandleson better.
- Albert Hall, hove england
'I didn't choose this party, I was born into it'
Don't Labour hate the hereditary principle?
- Ap, Bristol
It's a pity, from the Cabinet's point of view, that the electorate aren't overly enamoured of the guy though, isn't it! Their reaction to his preaching to the choir is hardly a ringing endorsement of the man or his politics, from the perspective people who have become tired of the hypocritical Champaign socialists living large off the backs of people whose lives they control like any robber baron from the dark ages.
They keep harping on about the inexperience of the Tories - a silly argument at best when you consider how inexperienced the socialists were when they came to power after the previous Tory government. Are they saying they weren't really up to governing the country when they took over? The same argument suggests, by the bye, that as they are in power, they should stay in power because the others haven't been in power - circular thinking that fits in well with this Labour crew. It saves having to come up with constructive reasoning.
- Rogan, Irving
Illustrates the depth of desperation Labour are in having to resort to the low life that is Mandy to fish them out of trouble.
- Tom, St. Albans
This party has single handedly destroyed Britain and yet there are still a fickle few in Brighton deliriously happy with the results.
- Roger, London
Yes, that is definitely what the country wants to see - the government having a big love-in and patting itself on the back and telling us what a great job it's doing.
- Kevin T, Beckenham, Kent
Speaking personally; I would not even buy a second hand car from him.
But they say you can fool all the people some of the time.
Mandy fools himself all of the time; and he fools New Labour all of the time.
Mind you; I don't think the public are fooled by him at all.
They say the proof of the pudding is in the eating; so lets see what happens at the next general election; where the public will give their opinion of Mandy?
- Mickinlondon, london
Nasty, nasty man!
- Simon, London
Just about sums up the NuLab Party. This loathsome man is totally untrustworthy and totally devious, a typical example of a NuLabour politician. They deserve each other.
- Ayly, Orihuela Costa,
