The Unmaking of Mandelson

Why, it's the eighth day of the week, the scandalous-revelations-about-Peter-Mandelson day! Since grovelling on Laura Kuenssberg a month ago, he must have known more dirty washing was waiting in the filthy, bottomless laundry basket of the Epstein files. And over the last few days, it started snowballing. First, Epstein's funding Reinaldo Avila da Silva - Mandelson's husband - training in osteopathy came out. Then there was the £75k payment Mandelson "couldn't recall" receiving directly from his best pal. And then the real meat to this piss weak gravy: paging Epstein advance notice that the European Central Bank were bailing out the Euro to the tune of €500bn - while he was in Downing Street. Suggesting to Epstein that JP Morgan, who he subsequently did contract work for, should threaten to burn down the bond market to force the government he was part of to retreat on bankers' bonuses - while he pushed against the policy from the inside. And leaking market sensitive messages between ministers and spads so Epstein could anticipate decisions and make repeated killings. His reward? Epstein backing him for a $4m job. Funnily enough, none of this appeared in his Milquetoast memoir, The Third Man, which he was writing at the time.

In what looks like an open-and-shut case, following multiple complaints to the police the plod are now involved. The weight of evidence, and now his disowning by Keir Starmer, media incredulity, and the likely popular anger will surely mean this won't be a partygate-style whitewash. Then again, this is Britain. The problem is that publicly holding Mandelson to account could bring out all kinds of horrors that frightens the establishment. Who has benefited from being friends with Mandy? Have the projects he's been involved with, from Progress to continuity remain organisations to Labour Together and our chum Morgan McSweeney been variously compromised by this close associations? How did Mandelson use his influence while enjoying life as a EU trade commissioner to make sure the bloc's decisions reflected the billionaire interest - and did Epstein and other financiers make a wedge from the inside track he might have provided them? And, of course, what did and didn't Starmer know about his malfeasance when he was appointed the US ambassador. We're not talking about associating with the world's most notorious paedophile and sexual abuser, which even my cat knows about, but the other stuff that, to all intents and purposes, looks like treason for the benefit of his swollen bank accounts.

To be sure, Mandelson will have received a few sympathetic text messages from some mates in and around politics. He is the exemplary manifestation of the rot that is British politics. His peddling of centre ground nonsense and the importance of moderation, all that is now confirmed as self-serving drivel. Empty words that greased his way into the echelons and confidences of the masters of the universe. He is the logical culmination of the career politician, attracted to government office not because of any commitment to a set of values or public service, but simply for power, position, and profit. Which suits those who wield real power fine. There's a reason why no one gets rich from fighting for socialism. And despite this most damning of disgraces, for some who sit in the cabinet or aspire to, for decades Mandelson was their model. Achieve high office, and leverage that for big pay outs in the lucrative elite career circuit afterwards. Which begs a further disturbing question: what is being done now by ministers and politicians to secure preferment and nice jobs later?

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