The Rest is Politics…

Alistair Campbell is one of the meanest, most bullying men who ever worked in modern politics - probably the most bullying.

His career since then has been him trying to whitewash himself, including his self-serving diaries.

He and Mandelson built New Labour by chucking out anyone that was inconvenient or unnecessary to them. They created the era of spin, and of making MPs and journalists answerable to them.

I will not hear a word of Campbell being all "Poor me! Who knew that Mandelson was such a wrong 'un!" from him. He's still spinning, but because a few years have gone by, people have forgotten, or don't know, what he was like.

Sweary Malcolm Tucker in 'The Thick Of It' was basically Campbell.

I listened to the RS-AC episode where they first discussed Epstein and Mandelson. It was clear AC was choosing his words carefully and of course wondered why. Then I listened to the 15min scripted soliloquy by AC a few days later, which I think he intended to be a deeper dive into his thoughts and feelings about such a betrayal by such a friend. Unfortunately he came across as having even more to hide. Yes I’m sure it’s complicated when you find out that someone (friend? close colleague? hybrid of the two?) who you thought you knew well turns out to have a proven, treacherous/treasonous side to them (I’m willing to assume AC didn’t know the details about this side of Mandy’s dark arts, but am aware I might be doing him a huge favour). But I’m sure there’s much more to this still for AC than he’s letting on and he’d do well to drop it now if he wants to not prompt more and more questions. (I don’t believe AC is implicated in the Epstein stuff directly, btw. Just saying that that world is one that the likes of AC mastered, at one point, and I’m pretty sure still has a decent place in it so any digging into it is bound to raise accusations of hypocrisy and standing).

The whole saga goes to show how stupid they all must think the people who do the good and right thing are. Stupid, or patronisingly “decent”. They really do cock a snook at the poor plebs paying their PAYE taxes and abiding by laws. Eventually the clouds part and something happens to them and they calm down (the episode on child sex abuse streamed on demand was shocking and so, so important). He was bemoaning the risk of being besmirched by association. Yes, it is a real risk that if you lie with dogs you will get fleas, and nobody could ever tell me that none of them knew or at least suspected the shadiness they were lying with. No point crying about it now. You rode the peaks, now suffer the troughs. Just like the rest of us plebs.

Ha ha ha. Of course it did.

I'll give it a listen. I am sure that the poor naive ingenue Campbell was totally duped by the multiple resigner Mandelson.

Listen to ACs follow-on podcast where he talks very passionately and movingly about what he feels about Mandelson and the recent revelations. It sounded sincere to me.

That's his version...

Try this one instead. Sally Morgan worked with Mandelson right through the Blair/Brown years
and the others were on this podcast with Mandelson for a year before he went to Washington
http://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/6528fe7e3308660012b7db47?id=6528fe7e3308660012b7db47&source=subscribe&action=podcasts

He also seems to be deflecting from his close past with Mandelson.

I think the reason he didn’t go over his meeting with Epstein in detail is because he described this meeting in quite a lot of detail on the earlier podcast. I suspect the producers suggested he explain it again for new listeners but there’s a balance to be struck when you’re telling a story you’ve told before

I'm only half way through it but I found it quite depressing. So far it seems to me that if you need something, e.g funding for charity or for an educational institution or an introduction to someone who could be useful then the character and behaviour of the person enabling this seems to be totally disregarded.

It was also very interesting to see how interconnected all the people in positions of influence seem to be. One comment on another programme discussing this came from someone who had a friend who was into conspiracy theories. He said that he was finding it a bit more difficult today to rubbish his friend's theories on the "elites".

I suppose it was ever thus but it's quite disillusioning to see it in action.

On that top @CurlewKate I thought it was really interesting that Rory brought up is fundraising. Once you get to the upper echelons of the "philanthropic circuit" it is extraordinary how well connected people start to become. A vast amount of business is conducted indirectly through philanthropic events, circles, connections. Wealthy individuals will seek out charities that connect them with other people who are already donors that they are interested in. The donation to the cause is rarely what it is all about, that's for sure!

University of Oxford wouldn't have been nominating Mandelson as a potential Chancellor, if they hadn't thought he would be useful with their fundraising, as well as all his other influential contacts.

@MargoLivebetter Couldnt agree with you more.

You have to remember that Campbell also worked for Ghislaine Maxwell's father, Robert Maxwell, at the Mirror. He's far more aware of that world than he lets on.

As I said, Campbell is very good at spinning. And now he's trying to spin himself out of the Maxwell/Epstein/Mandelson story.

I thought this was going to be the 29th Jan podcast where they talk about the live streaming of child porn about 30 mins in. Estimate 500,000 children in Malaysia have been subjected to this and everyone turns away because it’s too uncomfortable -also live streamed on any social media -not the dark web.
Anyway back to today’s podcast - yes good episode, Rory seemed to be revelling in it a bit. And he also repeatedly mentioned the abused girls -they can be forgotten in all this.
And at least they mentioned many other American names - I couldn’t understand that it only seemed to be a handful of Brits (BBC) who’d been caught out.

I love the Rest is Politics, although not always a fan of either Alastair or Rory. They both annoy me in very different ways.

Found AC squirming in this one fascinating. Lots of interesting voice tone changes with wheedling tones coming in and phrases of agreement being used, where he tries to associate RS with phrases like "I know you know what I mean", "I think you'll agree with me" etc. Some interesting micro expressions too. Fascinating. He met Epstein too with his pal, Ghislaine Maxwell, but other than saying Epstein was creepy he didn't go into any more detail, which given the specific topic covered, I find astonishing! AC definitely knows far more than he is letting on.

Rory doing lots of heavy lifting in explaining "how it all worked" and lots of diversion to US people and a "get our jail free" clause for AC when he said "you clearly failed the name dropping test".

I feel like they sort of covered Mandelson, without really covering it at all - if that makes sense!

Bring on Tucker and Mannion!!!!! 😂

That would be so cool 😆 Sign me up!

I’d definitely subscribe to a politics podcast hosted by a ‘post centrist dad rehab’ Malcolm Tucker and Peter Mannion, MP.

Yep I can’t say I’ve followed his reinvention, I don’t listen to this podcast, but he was the master of spin and a key player in all the sleazy Labour stuff.

McSweeney looks like he and Starmer are part of the same.

Alistair Campbell was a terrible bully when he was running Blair's press operation. A bullying spin doctor who shouted and swore at MPs or media who didn't play ball.

His reinvention as a calm, sensible centrist dad has been interesting to watch.

Exactly he’s part of the set. And the newer version McSweeney and Starmer.

@CurlewKate Yes and I’m not anti AC at all. But I’ve noticed this quite a bit. I usually watch the video version and sometimes he physically squirms when there’s a valid criticism of Labour ( esp Blair) . It’s like he knows it’s a valid point but he’s trying to be careful

You have to remember that Campbell and Mandelson basically got Blair elected, and then ran his operation, working together. He's always going to deflect from discussing Mandy as much as possible. Far more comfortable for him to focus on Epstein.