Despite grinning for the cameras as Labour was suffering its worst election results for 40 years, Tony Blair has so far said nothing about Gordon Brown's woes.

But leading Blairites have not been so restrained.

After Charles Clarke's attack on "dog whistle" policies, the 10p tax change, 42-day detention and post office closures - gleefully seized on by David Cameron at PMQs - now Peter Mandelson has joined in.

"Scrapping the 10p starting rate in tax was a big mistake," the former Cabinet Minister, architect of New Labour and now Brussels Commissioner has said in a TV interview.

But he didn't stop there. He went on, not entirely helpfully to his old foe Gordon, to issue a warning that Labour could lose the next general election.

Labour must return to the "tenets" it relied on in the past, he said. (Code, I suspect, for a call to stay true to Blairite principles.)

"They gave us our success in the last 10 years and if they continue to be operated and improved so that they evolve, they will provide success for the Labour Party in years to come," he said.

"But if you abandon those tenets, you are going to abandon key segments of public support for New Labour and in those circumstances, I'm afraid we are going to lose the next general election."

Oh dear! And just as things were going so well for Gordon. (I jest.)

Comments

[alan mcpartland 10 May 2008 23:58:41]

The Blairites, true to form are trying to rewrite history. They conveniently forget that the real slide of New Labour happened under Blair. He ended up being one of the most unpopular PMs in recent history and had to resign to save the party from further pain. Successes of the past ten years??? WHAT SUCCESSES???????? The filling of the prisons to overflowing, the burdening of the police with more and more red tape and targets, the constant testing of kids under ten and even younger, the obsession with targets in the health service which led to hospitals "cooking" the books and of course, the disastrous foreign policy, for which so many Britons paid with their life. There were no successes under Blair, Mandy and it was he and backbiting mean spirited,sinister and nasty little politicians like you, who made New Labour so unpopular and detsroyed the once great Labour Party. No amount of spin, deceit and half truth can hide that rather inconvenient fact.

[Bruce Hulmes 9 May 2008 20:08:27]

He is just being bitchy, obviously Browns got a newer handbag.

[Trevor 9 May 2008 15:50:48]

"New Lab are proving themselves unfit to govern, just as the Tories did pre-1997.
New Lab policies, and Gordon's in particular, are being seem to have failed, despite the misleading spin.
Voters have lost confidence in them and increasing the taxes of 5.3m of the poorest workers, whilst protecting the menu of juicy Benefits paid to shirkers, illegals and immigrants was surely the final straw."

Yes, but the really lovely bit, Bill, is that polls now show that, although everyone and his brother are "Browned off", they don't want any of the other professed non-contenders - Bumfluff Miliband, So What? Balls, and all the other "Me? NOooo, I won't run against Gordon" liars.

[Jon, cephalonia, greece 8 May 2008 16:52:43]

Mandy sticks the knife, I bet Bottler has had the Labour Canteen cleared of all cutlery, just incase.

[Liz, Suffolk 8 May 2008 16:32:38]

I think 99.9% of us have been cynically hypnotised.

[Seb/uk 8 May 2008 15:59:09]

Oh-dear,i've been Cynically hypnotised into believing Labour have done an absolutely rancid job of governing the country.It must be a Consevative brainwashing signal being beemed into my mind,or is it just the wreckage of failed NuLabour polices lying in tatters for all to see.Please help us Carol ann.

[Liz, Suffolk 8 May 2008 12:49:51]

Well said Bert!

[Bert 8 May 2008 12:36:45]

Cynically hypnotised Carole Anne?

Whats up, can't your party do it now Tony has been despatched and you feel a little left out?

How come I'm accused of being a nucon supporter, just because I criticise a shambolic Labour party?, I'll have you know I enjoyed the demise of Michael Portaloo as much as anyone back in 1997.

But that was before Labour went barmy, brought in loads of clearly unpopular legislation, squandered money hand over fist and then sacked the only marketable commodity they had, because they thought he was the problem, had it not been for Tony, they wouldn't even be in power, even the Tories had to admit they liked Tony Blair even if it was all fake and mirrors.

I'd suggest you're not doing your party any favours with your obsessive dismisal of a collapsing government Carole Anne by trying to blame it on anything other than the incompetence of the current version of the party you support.

[carol-ann livepool 8 May 2008 11:57:11]

Bert

Pot, kettle and black come to mind.

Isn't denial a river in Egypt? lol.

As you Nucon supporters have all been cynically hypnotised and marshalled like a pack of dogs to do Dave's bidding, I hardly think you are in a position to criticise others.

*whistle* Oops isn't that your dog whistle calling you?

Now go and find out what your hollow leader's advisers have decided is the sound-bite of the month. Oh, I forgot, it has already been injected into your subconscious subliminally and you know what it is already.

I'll give Dave one thing, he is a fit man, but, he should be, he keeps jumping on and off so many bandwagons he is entitled to a season ticket from the Bandwagon Association.

[Liz, Suffolk 8 May 2008 11:51:37]

After reading Lord Levy's book, it appears that New Labour was nothing but a huge marketing scam which changed the party out of all recognition and then re-sold it to a gullible electorate.

For someone as close to the core of the party as he was, he must have been a very disgruntled bunny to write this.

[Bert: Hastings 8 May 2008 10:30:35]

I was watching television this morning and some really upset Labourite phoned into the show I was watching and criticised the media for launching a campaign against Brown.

Are these Labourites in so much denial that they think their leaders problems are because of the media?

I also watched Milliband on Newsnight last night and he doesn't have a clue either.

and finally ...I'm watching closely for when Gordy next accuses 'Dave' of being opportunistic, so that I can criticise Jacqui Smith for jumping on the popularist vote by attacking Canabis and yobs. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't such an obvious knee jerk reaction to their faliure to poll well, because they wouldn't be doing it otherwise and more importantly, if the reclassification and cops with cams actually meant anything.

Jacqui, if you really really want to start winning votes, try removing speed cameras and acknowledging they're a faliure and have brought about the 'epedemic' of illegal road use as reported on Sky earlier this year and failed to bring down casualties by any real significance and admit they've been abused by councils countrywide as a revenue gathering tool, it's not like the public don't know it already and then do the decent thing and put real police back on the road who understand the difference between a drunk driver and a man rushing his pregnant wife into hospital after her waters have broken and who's very presence will deter the volatile youth from getting up to so much mischeif.

To continue on as you are is absurd, since traffic patrols disappeared, whole communities have become unsafe and we don't believe you politicians with your statistics actually understand what you're doing in real life.

Dump the idea of identity cards and put the police on the trail of illegal immigrants instead of so called yobs, there's more fighting between factions of immigrants than anyone else.

If you actually grow up and develope a spine labour and stop trying to patronise the public by pretending automated policing is working you may find that the polls turn again in your favour.

Although, to be honest, it does indeed look very unlikely considering the amount of damage you've all done already!

[Khalid 8 May 2008 10:26:16]

How Mp's thrive on hind sight when it suit, yet after the dbacle surrounding many a policy doctrine, notwithstanding the fatc that only last week Gord said he would listen, what does the Home Secretary do, ignore the advice of the powers to be, just as she did in the cas of police pay and yet they claim this is not a nanny state. So, [E.L.O-Mr Blue Sky] and welcome happy days!

[neither/niether 8 May 2008 09:24:41]

We moan about Brown, and rightly so, but can anybody seriously want a return, or even listen to what the Jack Boot brigade has to say.
They were after all, the brains behind, the NuLab mythe

You Labour supporters complain about us tory supporters giving Labour, and particularly Brown a hard time.

We are at least up front with our critisism. These old NuLab snides, will stab Brown and any other cabinet member, in the back. BEWARE.

[Liz, Suffolk 8 May 2008 08:43:07]

This is what we want. Mandy muddying the Labour waters even more by sticking his fourpenceworth in.

[T. england 8 May 2008 08:12:54]

Gordon just doesn't listen!
He even employs top people in their field to advise him on things & then goes against it!

Labour are finished, thankfully!

[Bill, Middle England 8 May 2008 06:54:59]

New Lab are prving themselves unfit to govern, just as the Tories did pre-1997.

New Lab policies, and Gordon's in particular, are being seem to have failed, despite the misleading spin.

Voters have lost confidence in them and increasing the taxes of 5.3m of the poorest workers, whilst protecting the menu of juicy Benefits paid to shirkers, illegals and immigrants was surely the final straw.

[carol-ann livepool 8 May 2008 00:04:06]

Jon

I think you are well ahead in the 'political blogger of the year contest' as well as the poltical breaking news of the year contest, so far, lol.
Could you slow down a bit and let Gordon catch up, you have the poor man run ragged, lol.

If Charles appeared on University Challenge his subject to paraphrase Basil Fawlty, would be: 'Stating the Bloody Obvious'

He is, we are told, a very intelligent man; however, he doesn't seem to be firing on all neurons and seems more intent on kicking a rival than on kicking KingCon into touch.
Instead of batting for the opposition, he should be bowling them a few googlies.
Charles would be an effective bruiser; a kind of posh, more intellectual verison of John Prescott without the disadvantages.
Maybe Gordon can give him something to do. He seems bored.

[Bernard from Horsham 7 May 2008 22:26:32]

I think there was a mistake on Sky's PMQ's. Honestly Adam, allowing Polly Toynbee to get away with saying Gordon Brown got the better of Cameron at PMQ's was truly laughable. (One should point Polly did say it thro gritted teeth.)
All Brown did was tell several untruths and list the latest tractor production figures. Was it a case of don't kick man when he's down... the British sense of "fair play...."???