Lord Mandelson has published his memoirs, and the book is being serialized by The Times, behind the paywall. So I’m reading the extracts quoted in the Guardian. Mr Blair and Mr Brown were engaging in personal power struggles, instead of running the country for much of the time Labour was in power. Most people knew that, however the depth of personal antipathy makes it a depressing read. The economy was booming, wars were being fought in far-distant places, and the opposition was useless, allowing such a disunited and dysfunctional government to survive. Also Mr Blair apparently had promised in 2003 to resign, so that Mr Brown could take over the permiership before the general election, but Mr Blair reneged on that promise. All in all, the revelations and stories coming out from former ministers diminish the reputation of those concerned. I wonder what Mr Blair has to say, when his memoirs are published.
