Osborne stumbles: but is there a bigger story about Mandelson?

Tisiphone

You are a brave woman Melissa. Watch out for the poisonous revenge from Mandelson!

Mainwaring

He's making a list. Don't tell him your name, Kite.

Edward Collier

There's a fantastically funny article adjacent to this story in today's Guardian, from a whining crybaby who alleges she was there on the beach in Corfu when Osborne had the bare-faced cheek to use the pier on a beach to tie up his motorboat (when tout le monde knows that piers are for indulging little Piers who wishes to dive into the sea. Bless.)

john

This is a rehash of articles in the Daily Mail, Sunday Times and Evening Standard. There should at least be an acknowledgement.
More pro-Labour stuff from Kite of the Labourgraph

norman

There is no doubt Lord Sleaze will fall flat taking Brown with him. Cameron can survive without Osborne and even replacing him with an X, no clever cookie is needed for the shadow chancellor's job as Darling and Madleson will hurt each other and the economy situation is such that the economy will itself provide the real world opposition. If Mandelson goes, it is only a matter of time when leaks come haunting him again, Brown goes with him. As for Blair, the Bernie's F1 gate should haunt him.

Pip Gold

When competing companies arrange a tete a tete for "private" discussions about the market and prices, this is seen as price-fixing. If details are whispered to dealers in advance of a sell-off, this is "insider trading". I do not like the thought of opposition cabinet members chortling, cavorting and gigglingly swapping the gossip. It sickens me - it may be a game to them - looking at the state this country is in, it obviously is just a game to them and one they are losing.
This article has sickened me. It seems so cowardly and puerile.
George Osborne cannot let matters rest here. Nat Rothschild has said that if the Tory party dispute his words any more, he will ruin them.
Either Mr. Osborne pursues this to the end and wins, or he does nothing and effectively admits that he lied.
We expect that of New Labour and most people I know want to throw them out.
We will not accept this from an incoming Tory party.

Ronnie

We are being treated to a glimpse of what politics in Russia is like, and this is just the begining. If the spotlight does turn on Lord Mandelson's strange business relationships, things will get much more interesting.

Mervyn Cannon

Can anyone tell me why Nat Rothschild, a good enough friend of Osborne to invite him to stay with him in Corfu, suddenly turns on him to such a degree that he obviously wants to destroy his political career?

Some suggest it was a fit of pique over the indiscreet disclosure of Osborne's discussions with Lord Sleaze regarding Brown et al.

I however, find this highly unlikely and suspect there is more to it than meets the eye. 'Hell hath no fury like a Mandy scorned'

Frank Goddard

well they are all in it are'nt they,Mandelson Brown,Bliar,Camp-bell,the BBC,with Peston,and the village idiot Nick Robinson,Sky News(with that political social climber for Nu-Labour, Adam Boulton),Times,Sun, all Rupert Murdoch's empire,All these massive media pontificators ganging up on poor old G.Osborne.The time now has come to rid the political scene of this corrupt goverment and media, before we are all gobbled up and put into political slavery with no redress.

Don Logan

I just wish someone had the guts to face down this sh*t Mandelson, our political classes are just wimps, so therefore deserve what they get.

john problem

Oh dear. One had hoped our leaders were smarter than it now appears they are. MPs got away with their kitchen make-overs and free potted plants for years, but here are some of our brightest brains who didn't have the nous to keep their collars up, or stand behind the mizzen mast, when discussing the dosh with the wealthies. Where will we find some really savvy men to lead us into the dark future? British politics is doomed unless more devious minds come forward.

Barry

What amazes me is that anyone would not have realised that Mandy would have abused his position at the eu, after all the eu is run on corruption, which is why he fitted in so well.

RODEST

I wonder how much of this saga was premeditaed entrapment by mandy, its likely that he new arkward questions were on the agenda and sought out a scapegoat to take off the heat. A Nulabour trick is to burry bad news when there are hot headlines around.

Mandelsons latest trick is to blame people for thinking that when he said he met his Russian in 2006 this was his first meeting. I am beginning to understand the logic behind this; it is everyones fault for not having the skills to read his mind and determine what is true or false.

Osborne has done what 95% of MPs would have done when there was donations to party funds on offer. As Malissa points out, he and Feldman probably dismissed it as soon as they left the booze up.

After the cespit has been emptied one wonders if Mandelson will resign or be sacked by Brown. The latter seems unlikely and will pave the way for mandy to have a third crack at the ministrial pension pot.

Niallster

Bottom line Osborne has shown himself to be as dumn as a box of rocks.

The whole situation reeked of a set up by the Dark Lord and so it transpired.