The years during which Mandelson and Blair had such influence over the
party also saw a steady decline both in the number of active Labour party
members and the quality of those rising through its ranks. A cursory assessment
of the calibre of Starmer’s Cabinet – many of them parachuted into safe seats
by factional chicanery – makes that abundantly clear.
Iraq
Arnhem: Heroes and scapegoats
“To add insult to injury, there was a rumour going round that despite risking our lives we were now being criticised by the British, and that attempts were being made to turn Sosabowski and the Polish Brigade into the scapegoats for failure of the operation to achieve all its goals.”
Words and deeds
Is this a man whose warnings about polarisation, populism and post-truth politics can be taken remotely seriously? A phrase from my youth came back to me on reading But What I Can Do?: “How can we hear what you’re saying when what you have done is deafening me?”