he isn't wealthy in the sense of the Russian oligarchs or the Rothschilds with their untold billions, though he is certainly not poor. But he is a classic example of power - how to get it, how to hold it, how to wield it, and how to come back bigger and better when you temporarily lose it.
Yes, we meet again the brilliant and mysterious Lord Mandelson, Baron of Hartlepool and Foy - known to his glamorous friends, and many enemies, as The Dark Lord, Mandy - or, so rumour says, to Rupert Murdoch as starfucker.
Mandy was one of the architects of New Labour and officially the King of Spin. He was Labour's campaign manager in 1997 when the party returned to power with a phenomenal majority, after 15 years in the wilderness. And that was the beginning of Mandy's rise to power, for he had backed Tony Blair for the No 1 job at No 10.
The combination of Mandelson and Blair made Mandelson. Every power-behind-the-throne merchant needs a good 'man up front', and Tony was the perfect partner.
Tony was friendly and likeable where Mandy was menacing: Tony was warm and emotional where Mandy was cool and calculating: Tony was 'a pretty straight sort of guy' as he would label himself, where Mandy was a complex and secretive character. Mandy was media savvy, ruthless in his dealings with the press, Tony was the photogenic, spell-binding speaker with the great smile. The dark and the light. The Ying and theYang. A marriage made in heaven.
There were a couple of slip-ups - The Dark Lord has always had a tendency to recklessness - but even the slip-ups turned out well because with Tony's support, Mandy became European Trade Commissioner, and that job gives its holder access to real power on the world stage.
How Mandy used it, and how it elevated him into the circles where true power exists, we'll talk about in my next post.
At the moment, back in London, Mandy has become almost overnight not only a member of the House of Lords, but the UK's Secretary of State, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, President of the Board of Trade and Lord President of the Council. All this without even being an elected as an MP. How about that for style?
But what need has he of all these names and titles? He is, in fact, the top man of the UK, the Prime Minister in everything but name, the power behind the power that rests in the occupant of No 10 Downing Street.
Mandy was one of the architects of New Labour and officially the King of Spin. He was Labour's campaign manager in 1997 when the party returned to power with a phenomenal majority, after 15 years in the wilderness. And that was the beginning of Mandy's rise to power, for he had backed Tony Blair for the No 1 job at No 10.
The combination of Mandelson and Blair made Mandelson. Every power-behind-the-throne merchant needs a good 'man up front', and Tony was the perfect partner.
Tony was friendly and likeable where Mandy was menacing: Tony was warm and emotional where Mandy was cool and calculating: Tony was 'a pretty straight sort of guy' as he would label himself, where Mandy was a complex and secretive character. Mandy was media savvy, ruthless in his dealings with the press, Tony was the photogenic, spell-binding speaker with the great smile. The dark and the light. The Ying and theYang. A marriage made in heaven.
There were a couple of slip-ups - The Dark Lord has always had a tendency to recklessness - but even the slip-ups turned out well because with Tony's support, Mandy became European Trade Commissioner, and that job gives its holder access to real power on the world stage.
How Mandy used it, and how it elevated him into the circles where true power exists, we'll talk about in my next post.
At the moment, back in London, Mandy has become almost overnight not only a member of the House of Lords, but the UK's Secretary of State, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, President of the Board of Trade and Lord President of the Council. All this without even being an elected as an MP. How about that for style?
But what need has he of all these names and titles? He is, in fact, the top man of the UK, the Prime Minister in everything but name, the power behind the power that rests in the occupant of No 10 Downing Street.
- or, as history might say, Lord Mandelson is the alter rex, the other King.
Yes, Lord Mandelson understands power, he knows where it lives, he has a feel for it and is comfortable around it. And though he has many enemies, powerful people like and appreciate him. And that's important. Brilliance is not enough. The right people have to like you.
Of course, those who don't like him use adjectives such as complex, vengeful, dangerous; they talk of his combination of suave charm and icy menace.
But the people who like him see clearly his strengths - his steadiness in a crisis, his ability to communicate a sense of purpose, his sense of humour and his refusal to despair.
We last met him a few posts back, wheeling and dealing in Montenegro with two particularly powerful people who like him, Nat Rothschild and Oleg Deripaska.
Oleg Deripaska - now there's a man of power. Let's take a look at Oleg and the Mandelson connection next time.
But it's the witching hour in London so that's all for tonight.
.
Yes, Lord Mandelson understands power, he knows where it lives, he has a feel for it and is comfortable around it. And though he has many enemies, powerful people like and appreciate him. And that's important. Brilliance is not enough. The right people have to like you.
Of course, those who don't like him use adjectives such as complex, vengeful, dangerous; they talk of his combination of suave charm and icy menace.
But the people who like him see clearly his strengths - his steadiness in a crisis, his ability to communicate a sense of purpose, his sense of humour and his refusal to despair.
We last met him a few posts back, wheeling and dealing in Montenegro with two particularly powerful people who like him, Nat Rothschild and Oleg Deripaska.
Oleg Deripaska - now there's a man of power. Let's take a look at Oleg and the Mandelson connection next time.
But it's the witching hour in London so that's all for tonight.
.
No comments:
Post a Comment