Another good day to bury bad news - Jo Moore and Mandelson meet again

The spin failure Mandelson, managed to run through the House of Lords the first reading of the part privatisation of royal mail, in an undebated hearing.

While Gordon Brown sunk politics to a disparagingly low level of consideration, by pretending he gave a monkeys arse about the death of Camerons son, Mandelson went one better.

Due for debate today (26th February) Mandelson decided that, an unpopular bill, with more than 120 Labour MPs signing a motion to oppose the Bill, he would introduce it a day earlier as an opportunistic piece of politics.

It does smack of sweet Jo Moore in 2001 '11 Sept 2001: Spin doctor Jo Moore sent her infamous e-mail, suggesting to colleagues it was a good day to "bury" bad news.'

Mandelson, was twice forced to resign from Ministerial positions, had to borrow money from friends to purchase houses, yet turned up as a Euro Minister and enjoying a luxury lifestyle, all on a salary of less than US$300,000 a year, ignoring all questions of 'how did you get the money?' and garnering a peerage at the same time.

In 1996 he acquired No. 9 Northumberland Place, a four storey Georgian terraced house in Notting Hill Gate at a cost of £475,000, with another £50,000 spent on a remodelling by the designer Seth Stein. At the time there was a certain amount of speculation regarding how Mandelson had managed to afford such luxury. It was established that another Labour MP, Geoffrey Robinson had lent him £373,000 on an interest free basis.

Mandelson failed to declare this loan as an interest as he was required to do, but to make the sleaze even worse, Geoffrey Robinson had been linked with Robert Maxwell and was under investigation by the Department of Trade and Industry, the ministry which Mandelson headed. Blair's legal advisers, Charles Falconer (The same man who decided the invasion of Iraq was OK) and Derry Irvine decided that as Mandelson was not in direct control of the Robinson investigation there should be no problem. Mandelson appeared on television to argue that '...There is no conflict of interest so the question of resignation does not arise...'.

Mandelson had neglected to inform the Britannia Building Society (who had lent the rest of the money) that the £373,000 was a loan and not his own money, and was therefore technically guilty of deception. The man resigned.

A year later in 1999, he returned to office thanks to 'no sleaze' Blair. Strichand Hinduja re-applied for a British Passport in February 1998, at the same time as the Hindujas made an offer to help fund the Millenium Dome, to the tune of £1 million. Mandelson made a telephone call to Mike O'Brien, the Home office minister, enquiring as to the progress of this application, and also passed on a written enquiry regarding the passport application of a third brother, Prakash Hinduja in May 2000.

Mandelson initially appeared to deny that he had ever made any "direct contact" with anyone in the Home Office on behalf of the Hindujas, then retracted his denial claiming he'd been missunderstood. Within days he was required to sign a second resignation letter and left the government on the 24th January 2001.

In 2004 Blair put him forward as the British choice for European Commissioner and he was duly appointed.

This poor misunderstood man was subsequently given a peerage and returned as yet another of Browns unelected and unaccountable Ministers in Cabinet in 2007.

So the cycle revolves.

Dead people make for a good time to introduce unpopular policies.

Jo Moore on 11th September 2001 and Mandelson the former Minister without portfolio and spin meister general for the Labour Politbureau, follow a fashion in labour party politics.

Think of the lowest depth you can go to and then go further.

Nice one Mandelson. Have you already chosen the investor for the Post Office 'investment' by any chance?

Why did Mandelson choose to introduce the Bill a day earlier when UK politicians were pretending to give a flying fig about dead children?