Mandelson speech
‘Labour must deal with the recession by not losing its “nerve” over public spending, Lord Mandelson has said.
In a speech in London, the business secretary urged the party to be like “insurgents who are restless with the status quo, not incumbents”.’ – BBC
‘Lord Mandelson set out the cabinet’s definitive attempt to reframe the election debate today by claiming the choice would lie between Labour’s “effective state”, built on tighter spending and accelerated reform, and the Conservatives’ minimalist one, reduced by savage cuts and opt-outs for the rich.’ – Patrick Wintour, The Guardian
‘What was interesting yesterday was the way Mandelson set the context for a Labour counter-attack (“defeatism or fightback?” he asked) against the Conservatives, who have had a better run for their money in recent months than the substance of their policies deserve: they have persistently miscalled the recession and its remedies.’ – Michael White, The Guardian
‘To the London School of Economics, then, to hear Lord Mandelson give a speech that, as it turned out, was much more than that. For yesterday Lord Mandy of Pandy-monium did nothing less than launch the Labour election campaign. How do I know? Subtle things, like when he said: “The fact is that a new generation of Conservatives is now foaming at the mouth with excitement.” At least it’s not rabies, I thought.’ – Ann Treneman, The Times
Dividing lines
‘Strip away the layers of evasive political guile and what was most striking about Peter Mandelson’s speech yesterday was the reasoned modesty of his arguments. Much thought had gone into his address on the explosive topic of public spending and quite a few hands had laboured over it, but his arguments in favour of a fiscal stimulus during a recession and the sensitivity about when and how the debt is repaid would not be particularly contentious in other equivalent countries. In Britain alone the debate is at a fever pitch and this is because of how Conservatives have responded to the economic crisis.’ – Steve Richards, The Independent
‘This is, of course, for those old enough to recall, a return to the rhetoric — if not the practice — of Thatcherism. It is also a repudiation of early-era Cameroonianism, which famously launched a petition, at the height of the increases in spending on the NHS, protesting against “Gordon’s health cuts”.’ – David Aaronovitch, The Times
Brown to address TUC
‘Gordon Brown will today seek to brush aside poll findings questioning the quality of his leadership with a major speech to the TUC in which he will for the first time acknowledge the need for “cuts” in public services.’ – Patrick Wintour and Andrew Sparrow, The Guardian
Maternity leave plans
‘New fathers will be able to take six months’ leave under plans to “split” maternity leave, Business Secretary Lord Mandelson is to announce.’ – BBC
Whitehall green drive
‘The government has saved £7m in the last year by making its departments greener, the Cabinet Office says.’ – BBC