Too much news, not enough time

Here are some links to articles that I wanted to discuss yesterday but ran out of time:

Max Hastings explaining 'Why I fear the lights will go out in Britain' - He's right and I have blogged about this before.

The Mail with more on Peter Mandelson, Oleg Deripaska, Nat Rothschild, Aluminium, Alcoa, the loss of British jobs and questions about Peter Mandelson's role - It's a potentially explosive story but I doubt it will be allowed to gain traction.

The new government have killed the unnecessary and unloved HIPS (Home Information Packs), well done Eric Pickles - I did want to explain how HIPS were the bastard child of the EU, John Prescott and Yvette Cooper and just how bad an idea they were. Instead take a read of Samizdata's piece.

The BBC's Stephanie Flanders explains how Germany is really to blame gor Greece's economic woes:

'Whenever Germany tells you how much the Greeks are costing them, remember this: German exports to Greece have risen by 133% since the single currency started. Greek exports to Germany have risen by 13%. The resulting trade gap between the two countries is one reason why German banks are now sitting on so much Greek debt.'

If only I had time to fisk that article.

Peter Mandelson and Oleg Deripaska

Peter Oborne is interested... see "Deeply disturbing questions over Mandy's oligarch" the second item in the column.

"It is almost now a year since the connection between Mandelson, then EU trade commissioner, and Deripaska first became public knowledge.

I found the details shocking then, and I still find them shocking today. Many profoundly important questions remain unanswered, such as: Why is Deripaska denied a visa in the U.S? Why did Mandelson accept hospitality from such a figure, especially since Deripaska is an aluminium tycoon with a keen interest in breaking down trade barriers with Europe.

Why did Mandelson lie - saying that he had made only a fleeting visit to Deripaska's yacht when, in fact, he stayed several days?

If any readers can cast any light on all this, I would be keenly interested."

Dinner with Mandelson

It is interesting how effective having dinner with Peter Mandelson can be. To Oleg Deripaska and his favourable EU aluminium tariffs we can add David Geffen whose dinner with Peter Mandelson at the Rothschild’s holiday villa on Corfu was entirely coincidentally followed by Lord Mandelson ordering officials to draw up draconian regulations on internet piracy. Peter "Mandelson is understood to have demanded that internet service providers be given new powers to cut off the accounts of British web users who persistently download music and films for nothing.". Also coincidentally we may be able to add Peter Mandelson meeting Colonel Gaddafi’s son at the same Corfu villa and then Ali al-Megrahi's release becoming considered.

All entirely coincidental I am sure as Peter Mandelson has always upheld the highest levels of probity in public life. It was, of course, purely bad luck that led Peter Mandelson to have to resign twice from the Cabinet.


Thanks to Tory Bear for the David Geffen meeting spot.

Peter Mandelson and Oleg Deripaska

I see that even the EU realise that something needs to be done regarding its code of conduct.

Vladimir Putin exerts control

Vladimir Putin laying down the law to Peter Mandelson's boating host Oleg Deripaska. As always follow the links, follow the money...

Peter Mandelson's back...

Here's something I just read in The Mail, unsurprisingly there is nothing on the BBC about it. Apparently:

Peter "Mandelson is under attack over a deal that could see some production at Vauxhall moved to a Russian firm controlled by one of his close friends.

Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch, is a key mover behind the rescue of the car manufacturer, which employs 5,500 in the UK.

Under a deal hammered out over the weekend, some car production could shift to Mr Deripaska's car maker GAZ in low-cost Russia.

That could threaten thousands of jobs at Vauxhall plants in Luton and at Ellesmere Port in Cheshire.

General Motors, which owns Vauxhall, will this morning file for bankruptcy protection, making it one of the biggest corporate failures in U.S. history.

GAZ has teamed up with Canadian car parts giant Magna and Russian bank Sberbank to buy Vauxhall and its German sister firm Opel, the European arm of General Motors.

Lord Mandelson is facing accusations of manufacturing a deal to favour Mr Deripaska.

Their relationship sparked controversy last year after it emerged that the Business Secretary - then a EU Commissioner - stayed on the billionaire's £80million yacht anchored off Corfu.

It was later claimed that Lord Mandelson signed off on valuable trade concessions to the Russian tycoon - a charge both men have denied.

He faced criticism recently for giving van maker LDV - controlled by Mr Deripaska - a £5million handout to smooth its rescue by Malaysian firm Westar. "

The Mail goes onto report the worries of Conservative and LibDem spokesmen:

"Last night, Liberal Democrat treasury spokesman Lord Oakeshott said: 'The Business Secretary clearly has a conflict of interest given his past contact with Oleg Deripaska. He must steer well clear of any deals on Vauxhall with Mr Deripaska lurking in the shadows.'

A Tory frontbencher said there was an 'air of suspicion' over the deal because of Lord Mandelson's links to Mr Deripaska. "

And on the BBC not a word. In fact until I read that piece in The Mail I had no idea that Mr Deripaska was involved in any way with the Vauxhall deal, I suppose it is my own fault for relying on the BBC for unbiased news.

I am labelling this post "BBC bias and BBC/NuLab but I suppose it is feasible that the BBC like much of the media is in fact not biased towards Peter Mandelson but scared of him. If ever a man had "something of the night" about him, it is Peter Mandelson and not Michael Howard.