Peter Mandelson’s intervention over the 10p tax band will have come as no surprise to Gordon Brown: there’s famously very little love lost between the two, but it did remind me of my favourite Gordy/Mandy story.
Back in the 80s the two men were at a cheese and wine reception somewhere in Islington. Peter asked Gordon “could you lend me 10p so I can phone a friend” (these were of course the days before mobile phones).
Frugal Gordon frowned then said “Here’s 20p… phone both of them”.
An apocryphal story of course.
Written by Niall Paterson, 08 May 2008
You forget the Labour Party is skint, so I bet Mandy had to reverse the charges.
Posted by: Jon, cephalonia, greece 8 May 2008 16:43:55
Niall,
I am stunned by your revelation: you mean Mandy has got TWO friends? Is one of them called Tony? :-)
Posted by: carol-ann livepool 8 May 2008 12:09:04
I do not think that he feels our pain but it is clear that he feels his own.
He is shown to have been the most extravagant and wasteful Chancellor of all time. If the country was a person it would be declared bankrupt. His legacy will live with us for 30 years or more as children yet unborn sweat to pay off the debts he has created.
Posted by: Victor, NW Kent 8 May 2008 11:57:47
He might have his hand on the tiller, but it's a bit pointless without a rudder.
Posted by: Liz, Suffolk 8 May 2008 11:37:44
JC:
Very funny, however you forgot
that Mr Brown would have informed Mr Mandleson, that he would need to set up a review/inquirey and would wait for that review/inquirey to report back and that he would give him his answer regarding the possible loan of the 10p in a few months:-)
Posted by: Madnurse 8 May 2008 11:27:45
That's two more friends than Gordon's got at the moment I'd bet.
He could use the 20p to ring the Samaritans, as at the moment he looks as though he is the need of their services by his ever more drepressed demeanour.
Posted by: Dave, Wirral 8 May 2008 11:18:04
Ha, and there was me thinking you'd discovered evidence of Brown being human & actually having a sense of humour...
Of course, if it were true, the conversation would have probably gone more like this...
Mandleson:
"Could you lend me 10p to phone a friend?"
Brown:
"I've put double the amount of money into phone boxes than any Conservative government ever has, and under a Labour administration we'd see the quality of phone calls improve exponentially."
Mandleson:
"Err, so that's a no then?"
Brown:
"I believe I've been more than clear in what I've previously said on this matter, the position of my previous thinking hasn't changed since then and isn't likely to in the foreseeable future."
Mandleson:
"Oh, forget it (although I never will)."
Posted by: JC, Deep South 8 May 2008 10:48:28
Friends eh, always know how to shatter a persons [D-ream]. If only the lunatics in the asylum saw the wood from the trees and noted that [Mr Telephone Man]was'nt as pure as we thought! Still, I suppose I'll find a freepohone somewhere!
Posted by: Khalid 8 May 2008 10:39:27