The Rest is Politics…

[CurlewKate]

I know this podcast divides opinion-but this week’s is so interesting on Mandelson/Epstein..https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-rest-is-politics/id1611374685

I will try and bear Rory Stewart but in the event I can't take it any more, any chance you can summarise the interesting bits?

Sorry-I don’t think I can-there’s a lot of detail. Rory’s one of the Tories that get a pass from me, so I don’t mind listening to him!

I suppose hes useful in that he is consistency wrong on most things. Whatever he thinks will happen, the opposite usually happens so hes a useful reverse bellweather.

Will try and listen to him...

I’ve listened to today’s episode. I’m very disappointed but not surprised in ACs contribution. He is clearly uncomfortable talking about Mandelson and cleverly kept turning the conversation onto US politics and other peoples dealings with Epstein

Really? I didn’t get that from him at all.

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.

@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

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

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.

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.

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

That would be so cool 😆 Sign me up!

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!!!!! 😂

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.

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.

@MargoLivebetter Couldnt agree with you more.

One of the things that struck me was Rory saying that if it wasn’t for the paedophilia we probably would never heard of any of this. Which makes you wonder what other networks there are….

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.

Yes, that as well. You can see the appeal of the parties too-exciting and flattering to be asked.

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.

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

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

Why would he do that? The ins and outs of Campbell’s working and personal relationship with Mandelson before, during and after the formation of New Labour, is well known and well reported. In,among other places,his published diaries!

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

That's his version...