News this morning that Adam Smith, the special advisor at the centre of Huntgate (watch your spoonerisms there), will beappearing at the Leveson Inquiry next Thursday afternoon. He will take the stand immediately after News Corporation Europe’s former public affairs boss Frederic Michel, whose communications with Jeremy Hunt’s office hold the key to the cabinet minister’s future.
The week promises to provide legion column inches, with Peter Mandelson (Monday), Tom Watson (Tuesday) and Jeremy Paxman (Wednesday) also appearing.
The Leveson Inquiry was set up pursuant to the Inquiries Act 2005. Falling on a sword to save your minister is one thing — perjury under oath is quite another.
There’s nothing like a glass of champers to kindle the flame of bipartisanship. By all accounts many were consumed at the Spectator Awards yesterday evening, where winners included Caroline Lucas (“newcomer”), Tom Watson (“inquisitor”) and Gisela Stuart (“Survivor of the Year”).
Here “Parliamentarian of the Year” Ed Balls receives congratulations from across the aisle:
With their past form, Scrapbook trusts this social encounter went better on dry land:
But at least they could still stand. A certain Bristolian MP was reportedly not feeling quite herself:
The Liberal Democrats’ very own court jester Lembit Opik was temporarily refused entry to their party conference this evening, according to Guardian deputy editor Ian Katz and Guido Fawkes. Delegates reported the former Montgomeryshire MP attempted the “don’t you know who I am” routine to unimpressed guards: ”If he hasn’t got the paperwork he hasn’t got the paperwork”.
The incident recalls a similar episode from last year’s Labour conference in Brighton, where Peter Mandelson was held up for ten minutes while security officials checked his credentials.
Peter Mandelson was denied entry to Labour conference in 2009
It was essential that Peter Mandelson be given a working pass in 2009 as he would give an acclaimed speech to delegates the next day.
It was essential that Lembit Opik be given a working pass in 2010 as he plans to give an acclaimed speech to an attractive female researcher later tonight.
Lord Mandelson probably wouldn’t expect to be supported in anything by John Prescott. However beyond the former DPM prominent figures from Labour’s past and present have been lining up to denounce Mandy’s memoir. However the Noble and Learned Gentleman today received support from an unusual ally, one George Galloway. In his regular column for Scotland’s Daily Record, Gorgeous George said:
It’s hard to understand the outpouring of rage against Peter Mandelson over his book The Third Man. Everybody writes books at the end of a political era, some even before it ends. Two of Mandy’s critics, David Blunkett and John Prescott, published largely unread tripe now not even available in the bargain book basket at Morrisons.
Perhaps Mandy could become RESPECT’s first peer..?
UPDATE: Tweetminster have now uploaded the documents, all linked below. Mandelson was on very good form depsite illness cutting short an interview with The Guardian yesterday.“This chat is on the record. But whatever you do …”, he said darkly as the assembled bloggers half-expected a Mandelson threat of New Labour folklore, “please link to the Amazon page“! Anthony Painter has a substantive overview of the 90 minute event, including Mandelson’s plea to “rock the f**cking boat”.
A couple of the Scrapbook team are currently en route back from a bloggers’ briefing from the Dark Lord himself, where a small batch of Mandelson’s papers were released.
Having likened Peter Mandelson as a crab thirteen years ago, the newly web-savvy David John Prescott has turned to the internets to poke fun at his memoirs:
As of 8 July at least the two rivals have one thing in Commons, ahem sorry, common. Both being peers of the realm, perhaps they can have a friendly joke about this on those cosy red benches?
A reprise of This Week’s take on Prezza’s introduction seems appropriate:
Peter Mandelson is to provide political bloggers with exclusive access to archive source material used for his book The Third Man. Those attending a breakfast briefing this Friday will be provided with copies of the documents under a Creative Commons license. These will only be offered to other media after a period of three days.
A source at publishers HarperCollins told Scrapbook:
The material will be a selection of diary entries, letters and memos to and from Peter Mandelson. Some of this material is referenced in the book directly, though not all of it. The papers relate to key points in Peter’s career from the late 1980’s through to the eve of the 1997 election. This material will be released exclusively to a selection of political bloggers at the breakfast on Friday and then to wider media on Monday, along with more material relating to Peter’s career post 1997.
The Times’ serialisation TV spots kicked off at the weekend, casting Mandy as a rather sinister storyteller. Shorter adverts on the Blair/Brown pact and coalition talks are set to run during the week.
Borrowing its title from a screenplay and novella of the same name, similarities with Graham Greene’s “Third Man” take the reference beyond a simple one to Mandelson’s stature within New Labour. A shadowy and ruthless figure who seemed to come backfrom the dead, the fictional Harry Lime was also given to threateningjunior ministers and journalists those who crossed his path.
Remind you of anyone?
UPDATE:The book’s introduction backs up our little theory:
“Through much of our time in government, my influence was exercised largely behind the scenes, sometimes in the shadows – another reason why the title’s echo of Graham Greene’s story of post-war Vienna seemed appropriate.” - The Third Man, p. xvii
As an impoverished blogger, Scrapbook takes some small comfort from the fact that even (former city trader) Guido Fawkes was outbid on this copy of Machiavelli’s The Prince signed by Peter Mandelson. The charity auction is now up to £380:
Could probably stretch to £10 for Brant’s The Ship Of Fools signed by the Tory front bench.
