Repeating History

A political rival is kept onside by being given the role of Finance Minister and is largely considered a successor in waiting. After more than a decade of their party holding power the rival gets tired of waiting and arranges a relatively bloodless coup, but even after forcing out his former boss and taking the reins of power the sniping and backbiting between the two party factions continues.

After waiting impatiently for years for the top job he believes is his by right to come to him, the former Finance Minister than dithers away his mandate and ultimately is destroyed by a venal corruption scandal that reveals a sense of entitlement to the public purse among elected officials. He loses his leadership and in due course his party loses power.

Any of this seem familiar at all?

LORD MANDELSON, the business secretary, penned a devastating critique of Gordon Brown’s character, labelling him “insecure”, “self-conscious” and “angry”, according to leaked e-mails.
The memos are understood to state that Mandelson thought Brown was too preoccupied with celebrity gimmicks and should concentrate on “strategic policy formulation” rather than “telling people that you watch The X-Factor”. Only last week the prime minister telephoned to inquire about the health of Susan Boyle, the Britain’s Got Talent runner-up who had been admitted to the Priory suffering from exhaustion.
Mandelson also suggested that Brown could not win the next general election unless he brought back more heavy hitters into the cabinet.