The Third Man for the third way

Peter Mandelson’s Machiavellian streak runs deep. Like the wily Florentine, Mandelson wants to retire to the country to farm and be close to the earth; but first, there is the small matter of a book for political princes. In this morning’s Times, Mandelson has written an exhaustive plug for his forthcoming book, The Third Man: Life at the heart of New Labour.   In the course of writing his publisher’s press release, Mandelson makes two important points: one historical and one current.
 
He admits his greatest mistake was to broker Blair and Brown’s deal in 1994; the soap opera that followed, Mandelson argues, would never had occurred had they fought it out there and then. He welcomes the current contest, and urges the candidates that whilst they should distance themselves from New Labour’s terminology they must not discard its precepts. A new troupe of actors will improvise the old script.

Amid whispers of a lurch to the left and the two Eds’ avowed statism, Mandelson reminds his party, gently, that elections are won from the centre.