Just hours after Mandelson’s return had been reported, the Tories blasted out a document full of cutting remarks Mandelson had made about Brown. It was an impressively comprehensive list—there’s a lot of material to cover—but the Tories should cease and desist from this line of attack.
In his press conference, Brown was spinning the past disagreements between the two men to his advantage. Tony Blair used to say that if World War Three broke out Peter Mandelson would be the first person he would call, Brown’s message was that economic war has broken out and the situation is too serious for him to let the past differences between Brown and Mandelson get in the way of bringing him back into government.
If the Tories stress just how much the two men hate each other, Brown will look bigger and more mature for still being prepared to work with him. While if the divisions between Brown and Mandelson really are too deep for them to work together, the Tories will benefit anyway so they don’t need to make a song and dance about it.
The Tories also should not panic if the polls get closer over the next few weeks. At the moment the financial crisis appears almost like a natural disaster to a lot of people. Banks are being wiped out for reasons most voters don’t quite understand and everyday seems to bring another alarming, almost random development. In these circumstances, it is unsurprising that Brown is benefitting from being both the incumbent and an experienced figure. But once the drama of this crisis gives way to the drudgery of a recession, the political worm will turn.
Comments