As usual a dumb article written by what passes for a journalist these days called Maria Hyde has written a banal article trivialising the trivial to no greater effect than making the sceptical reader feel something is weird about England. In The Guardian, this halfwit opines,
Eyes down, players of New Labour bingo, and dabbers at the ready. The great Peter Mandelson memoirs game is afoot, and you must mark off the hilarious reactions of his lordship's former colleagues one by one. Thus far we've had "friends of" Tony Blair complaining that Mandelson is opportunistic and mercenary, David Blunkett accusing Mandy of self-absorption and slagging off his comrades in print, and Alastair Campbell whingeing about him getting his facts wrong. The minute Gordon Brown brands Mandelson deranged that will be your cue to shout, "Bingo!"
Of course, those pinning their hopes on a full house may be waiting for Geoff Hoon to accuse Lord Mandelson of being an overpromoted dimwit, Dr John Reid to lament his wildly misplaced self-regard, Tessa Jowell to claim he'd ditch his nearest and dearest to save his political skin, and Hazel Blears to brand him a tediously perky redhead.
But it has been an encouraging haul so far. Indeed, arguably the most telling aspect of Mandy's memoirs, for those who find their revelations engrossing and at the same time merely confirmatory – Blair used to call us "cynics and sneerers" – is the reaction from those involved. How can people who so apotheosised image and presentation still lack self-awareness to such a mind-blowing degree?
In their rush to define themselves against Mandelson's book, almost all the major figures of New Labour have confirmed its every last implication.
The more one knows about the narcissistic posturers and spin doctors who governed Britain between 1997 and 2009 the more the public's disgust will increase. But this is part of the point. Politicians are, as J G Ballard pointed out, now part of the "entertainment economy".
But they are second rate even as celebrities and that's to say not very much at all.
Politicians are not as important as they used to be and are largely messengers between the money markets and the public dedicated to squaring circles and "triangulating" and crafting precision tooled soundbites that tap into collective emotions and herd sentiments.
The chattering classes ( as this article confirms ) will get trills of delight whilst an interpretation of the bigger picture, that is to say what this kind of politics really represents about the UK's decayed democracy and declining civic institutions, needs to be addressed at least partially seriously.
In time, Mandelson will not be remembered that much. Blair will because his name is associated with Iraq. Only Mandelson's vanity makes it seem that he will always be forever preening in the TV spotlight.
New pathological dark spinners will emerge that delve deeper into trying to "give the people what they really, really want".
That could well include some Gentile Fascism of the sort Orwell once predicted in his great essay The Lion and the Unicorn. Or the dystopia of mass conumerism and fascism conjured up by Ballard in Kingdom Come. Let's face it: these people are and were more than a bit creepy.
That was obvious to those who saw how Blair was carefully choreographed and presented, the near totalitarian style entrance into Downing Street in 1997, the rhetoric of the People's Princess, and slimy proteges like the slightly odd psychotherapist Derek Draper.
Politics is now oily PR or even "public diplomacy", how to manage and depth psychologise the docile masses who linger in suburbia and who voted for PM Blair partly because he looked like a reassuring Daytime TV Doctor on the Richard and Judy Show.
The future will consist of more permatanned creeps somewhat like Robert Kilroy Silk who are experts at straddling telly talk shows but others who might have a background in soap opera and encouraging the masses to shop and feel real good. The feel good factor.
All whilst the nation embarks on illegal wars and destroys social harmony, leaving nothing but large shopping malls to affirm social solidarity rituals where the only other contact with real "lived life" is through being plugged into consciousness through TV.
As an ideas man would most probably suggest Peter Mandelson should work as a Cable TV presenter or like a David Dickinson try selling a range of perfumes and luxury goods for Westfield in London.
But in broadcasts peppered with warnings about those enemies within who don't share "our values" of total devotion to consumerism.
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