Mandelson the maestro

If you have a few minutes, do read the transcript of Peter Mandelson’s exchange with the FT. Whatever you think of his politics, it is a masterclass in how to handle this kind of interview.

Apart from Mandelson’s comments on spending, a couple of other things jumped out at me. Mandelson advances a new attack on the Tory policy on public services: “They seem to have entered a Faustian pact with public sector producer interests. Their message is, quote, we will spend less on you, but require you to reform less and change less…. David Cameron offers the soft option on public sector reform. This may be because they are fishing for votes, or simply because they care less about the public services.” This is obviously balderdash when it comes to education where the Tories are planning to be truly radical, but there is a certain truth to it when it comes to health policy.