Mandelson’s lesson for Labour: don’t ignore the deficit

Most vendettas, at least in Sicilian legend, are accompanied by omertà, a belief that it is shameful to betray your worst enemies even if it would benefit your cause. New Labour has long felt at ease with the vendetta, but has struggled with the concept of omertà. The Mandelson memoirs, the Blair memoirs, the Campbell diaries, the Cook diaries, the Blunkett diaries, the Deborah Mattinson assessment, the Rawnsley confessionals, the New Labour literature and score-settling would make even the most capacious Kindle fuse at their sheer volume.