Monday 12 July 2010

Mandelson Memoirs Provoke Strong Reaction Amongst Labour Hierarchy.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/also_in_the_news/8806560.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/politics/10590932.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/politics/10590932.stm
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/07/12/john-prescott-calls-for-end-to-labour-feuds-115875-22406852/
The publication of Peter Mandelson's memoirs was always going to be controversial; given the many years he and Gordon Brown were at loggerheads before he was brought back into government as Business Secretary.

Charlie Whelan, Brown's close aide immediately attacked Lord Mandelson on the publication of the book.

It follows David Miliband's criticism of Mr Brown at the weekend.  The former Foreign Secretary, who refused to contest Mr Brown's succession to the Premiership in 2007 and remained publicly loyal to the latter during his time in 10 Downing Street, has now rounded on the former PM, by saying that whilst he supported Brown in all the things he pledged to do on succeeding Tony Blair, these promises were not kept.

All this has led to leading figures in the party to plead for unity.  Leadership contender Andy Burnham made an impassioned plea to the party to move on from the factionalism of the Blair-Brown era. And Former Deputy PM Lord Prescott moved quickly to do the same

With the Coalition now likely to be very unpopular, following the cancellation of the BSF programme and all the spending cuts that have been confirmed, Labour absolutely must not turn in on itself.

Those of us who remember the disunity of the Party and the dark days of Opposition in the 1980s will not want to return there.

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