The other day, Danny Finkelstein asked if Peter Mandelson has “given up”. He was reflecting upon Mandelson’s wistful declaration that his career “has not been as successful as I wished. You have certain goals and I never acheived them. That’s a disappointment for me.” Danny professed himself astonished by this, arguing that by any measure Mandelson has enjoyed a “stellar” career:
Quite easily! Mandelson’s role in the development of New Labour and the party’s return to power will be recognised by historians, but clearly overshadowed by the attention paid to Brown and Blair and their relationship. If theirs was a crowded marriage, Peter was the odd man out and, as he must know himself, the one who was dispensable.Not only has he held really dizzyingly high office, but he has been massively influential on two Prime Ministers. He changed the Labour Party profoundly. And in the great political dispute of his life, his antagonist was forced to surrender humiliatingly. How could he possibly be disappointed?
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