Where's McSweeney?

In a book I have previously mentioned in this blog (Blair Inc: The Man Behind The Mask by Francis Beckett, David Hencke and Nick Kochan, John Blake 2015) a whole chapter is devoted to Peter Mandelson in which it is claimed our ‘Petie’ (as Epstein called him) was very keen on getting hold of the lovely lucre, with an envious eye on Blair’s success in this regard. The chapter deals with one of Mandy's approaches—to the Russians, with whom Blair did not have much to do with. It had been alleged in the press for example that through a mutual acquaintance, Nat Rothschild, Mandy whilst EU Trade Commissioner might have influenced a reduction in EU trade tariffs to the benefit of the Russian aluminium oligarch Oleg Deripaska. Mandelson of course ’strenuously denied’ any impropriety. Nevertheless it became clear that Mandy shared more than just a visit to Deripaska’s yacht (along with George Osborne). A sauna was mentioned and his use ’of Deripaska’s private jet to fly from Moscow to Siberia to visit [Deripaska’s] estate as well as the use of Rothschild’s private jet to fly from Davos to Moscow.’ (p.160) A subsequent libel case found the judge rejecting the notion that Rothschild and Mandelson had flown out as friends not as business associates,’ and said ‘That conduct foreseeably brought Lord Mandelson’s public office and personal integrity into disrepute.’
 
None of this could possibly have been known to those who vetted Mandy for the U.S. ambassador’s job. Nobody could have raised an eyebrow about Mandy’s grasping desire to not merely hob-nob with billionaires and oligarchs but to join their ranks if he possibly could, even if it risked in the judge’s words ‘bringing his personal integrity into disrepute.’ This is what is so repulsive about Starmer’s decision to appoint Mandy in the first place. All this must have been known but it was still considered the right thing to do. Which as I have said before points to the cancer at the heart of this so-called Labour government.
 
Heaven knows what more may emerge from the Epstein files. And maybe it’s not too late to have a close examination of what Mandy actually did when he was E.U Trade Commissioner.
 
How very curious but ironic it is that we have lost an ambassador to Washington who may have had a back door to the president and the Russians.