1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,600 Speaker 1: Mister Starmer has returned to Britain via Japan. He went 2 00:00:03,640 --> 00:00:05,440 Speaker 1: to Japan. They've got a snap election this coming week 3 00:00:05,480 --> 00:00:07,440 Speaker 1: in which we should probably talk about before the end 4 00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:09,800 Speaker 1: of the week. But anyway, he did, of course go 5 00:00:09,880 --> 00:00:11,360 Speaker 1: to China to deal with China. 6 00:00:11,520 --> 00:00:14,520 Speaker 2: This is Britain back at the top table at last, 7 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:22,880 Speaker 2: facing outward, replacing incoherence and isolationism with pragmatic engagement, replacing 8 00:00:22,960 --> 00:00:25,560 Speaker 2: naive posturing with the national interest. 9 00:00:26,720 --> 00:00:29,320 Speaker 1: He was the first leader to go there in eight years. 10 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:31,720 Speaker 1: Not that Bednock was buying any of that. It is 11 00:00:31,760 --> 00:00:34,800 Speaker 1: not the Prime Minister engaging with China that we take 12 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:35,400 Speaker 1: issue with. 13 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:39,120 Speaker 2: What we are criticizing is his supine and short terms 14 00:00:39,159 --> 00:00:39,680 Speaker 2: to a prince. 15 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:43,080 Speaker 1: I am sure the Prime minister. 16 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:44,560 Speaker 3: I'm sure the Prime Minister. 17 00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:47,960 Speaker 2: Means well, but his negotiating tactic has always been to 18 00:00:48,040 --> 00:00:51,040 Speaker 2: give everything away in the hope that people will be 19 00:00:51,120 --> 00:00:52,440 Speaker 2: nice to him in return. 20 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:55,440 Speaker 1: Time for Rod Little and Britain. Morning to you mate, 21 00:00:56,520 --> 00:00:57,279 Speaker 1: Good morning him. 22 00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:00,520 Speaker 3: Kenny really nailed it there to be. 23 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:03,560 Speaker 1: Liked, yes, exactly what would he have been feeling like? 24 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:06,679 Speaker 1: I mean, really quickly out of ten ten's the greatest 25 00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:08,840 Speaker 1: success you've ever seen one. It was a bust in 26 00:01:08,920 --> 00:01:12,320 Speaker 1: both China and Japan. Anything come out of it materially. 27 00:01:12,880 --> 00:01:16,280 Speaker 3: There six in Japan, four in China. He got nothing 28 00:01:16,319 --> 00:01:19,680 Speaker 3: out of China. You know, there was nothing there to 29 00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:22,760 Speaker 3: bring home to say, well, we've sorted out their human 30 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:26,640 Speaker 3: rights issues, or we've sorted out this big deal, you know, 31 00:01:28,080 --> 00:01:31,000 Speaker 3: go for one or the other may but he got neither. 32 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:34,160 Speaker 3: It was pretty sid. 33 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:37,600 Speaker 1: As he sat on the plane coming home. Would he 34 00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:41,319 Speaker 1: have pondered Mendelssohn in what is turning out to be 35 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:44,160 Speaker 1: a dreadfully seedy said of affairs? 36 00:01:44,480 --> 00:01:51,120 Speaker 3: Well, one would assume. So. Now you know, I've known 37 00:01:51,160 --> 00:01:54,680 Speaker 3: Peter Mandelson for the best part of forty years. I 38 00:01:54,760 --> 00:01:58,480 Speaker 3: once interviewed him for the BBC and he took his 39 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:07,760 Speaker 3: trousers off during the inter He is loose, oily, machiavellian 40 00:02:08,200 --> 00:02:11,840 Speaker 3: and to my mind, corrupt, And every time he's had 41 00:02:11,840 --> 00:02:15,399 Speaker 3: a government job he has been found out and there 42 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:19,520 Speaker 3: has been horrible inquiries with readhom about him borrowing money. 43 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:24,400 Speaker 3: He is grasping and greedy. It was this. You know, 44 00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:28,160 Speaker 3: if Sakir Salmon had said, Rod Liddle, I would like 45 00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:31,800 Speaker 3: you to be my ambassador to Washington, that would have 46 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:34,400 Speaker 3: been a bad call, but it would have been nowhere 47 00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:36,560 Speaker 3: near as bad as Peter Mandelson. 48 00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:41,760 Speaker 1: So are they? Is the whole Labor Party tainted by 49 00:02:41,800 --> 00:02:43,400 Speaker 1: association with this guy? 50 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:49,440 Speaker 3: Well, in fairness to the Labor Party, Tony Blair once said, 51 00:02:49,639 --> 00:02:53,680 Speaker 3: my job, I will consider my job done once the 52 00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:57,720 Speaker 3: Labor Party loves Peter Mandelson, And to the Labor Party's 53 00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:02,360 Speaker 3: minor credit, it never has. But it is. It is 54 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:06,240 Speaker 3: the leadership which he's tainted because Sakir Starmer in thrall 55 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:10,239 Speaker 3: to this appalling man, went back to him and said, 56 00:03:10,280 --> 00:03:14,160 Speaker 3: you could be ambassador to New York, having known, having 57 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:18,359 Speaker 3: known that he had connections with Jeffrey Epstein. So it's 58 00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:21,399 Speaker 3: a really bad deal for star. 59 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:24,280 Speaker 1: Who's the bigger Pillock, Mandelssohn or Andrew. 60 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:30,000 Speaker 3: Well, Andrew's I think, if you, if you have to 61 00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:33,359 Speaker 3: kind of weigh up the IQs, I think Andrew is 62 00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:36,360 Speaker 3: a few yards behind Mandelson. But I'm not so sure 63 00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:40,560 Speaker 3: Mandelson has been you know, I am a loss to 64 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:45,000 Speaker 3: define what Madelson has done as a politician which makes 65 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:48,480 Speaker 3: him so attractive. You know, there is this idea that 66 00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:52,040 Speaker 3: he's clever, but he's failed in every single job he's 67 00:03:52,080 --> 00:03:58,480 Speaker 3: ever had, and so probably Andrew is the sicker. But 68 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:01,240 Speaker 3: then you know where we're on the level of a 69 00:04:01,400 --> 00:04:09,560 Speaker 3: meever with Andrew, whereas poor old Andrew, it's like it's 70 00:04:09,600 --> 00:04:11,120 Speaker 3: all going really well over here. 71 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:15,560 Speaker 1: You can see what I mean. The problem is, it's 72 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:20,560 Speaker 1: it's there's still I mean, obviously of Mendelssohn slipped government 73 00:04:20,640 --> 00:04:24,760 Speaker 1: information to Epstein while he was in government. That's that's 74 00:04:24,760 --> 00:04:27,720 Speaker 1: a whole different level of trouble. And so the investigations 75 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:29,920 Speaker 1: under way. I get that part. But but standing there 76 00:04:29,960 --> 00:04:33,080 Speaker 1: with no pants on as idiotic as you look in 77 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:35,640 Speaker 1: your jockeys, it's not a crime. 78 00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:40,640 Speaker 3: No, that's not a crime. And nor is leaning over 79 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:43,240 Speaker 3: a woman lying on the on the floor, as we 80 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:48,920 Speaker 3: saw with Andrew. But both of them contradict what both 81 00:04:48,960 --> 00:04:51,520 Speaker 3: of them have said, which is said, no relationship with 82 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:55,920 Speaker 3: this ghastly little man was over long before that. Clearly 83 00:04:56,040 --> 00:04:59,279 Speaker 3: with both men it went on a lot lot longer 84 00:05:00,360 --> 00:05:04,360 Speaker 3: because they got stuff from it. You know, they've gained 85 00:05:04,440 --> 00:05:09,200 Speaker 3: from it. So it's very very difficult to argue their case. 86 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:13,160 Speaker 1: So's already Mandelssohn's quest. So that's fair enough. Can they 87 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:14,880 Speaker 1: extract the peerage from him or not? 88 00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:19,560 Speaker 3: I think they probably will or if they don't. If 89 00:05:19,680 --> 00:05:23,000 Speaker 3: Mandelson has an ounce well, actually doesn't have an ouncewer 90 00:05:24,040 --> 00:05:28,800 Speaker 3: of conscience, but they should extract it from him. They should, right, 91 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:31,160 Speaker 3: you know, if you can take if you can take 92 00:05:31,240 --> 00:05:34,119 Speaker 3: all the titles from Prince Andrew, who at least remove 93 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:37,359 Speaker 3: a peerage from that awful man. And he is an 94 00:05:37,360 --> 00:05:40,080 Speaker 3: awful man, Mike. You know, I'm not kidding about this. 95 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:45,280 Speaker 3: You know there are malevolent people in politics, and there 96 00:05:45,320 --> 00:05:48,400 Speaker 3: are plenty of people who are kind of okay, just 97 00:05:48,440 --> 00:05:51,120 Speaker 3: a bit inact, and that's kind of most of it. 98 00:05:51,480 --> 00:05:53,600 Speaker 3: But Mandelson malevolent? 99 00:05:54,279 --> 00:05:58,960 Speaker 1: Right angelique? Are we saying stogia? Stogia? How are we 100 00:05:58,960 --> 00:05:59,400 Speaker 1: pronouncing it? 101 00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:02,360 Speaker 3: I don't know how. Why would you ask me how 102 00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:06,840 Speaker 3: to pronounce that? I mean, I think it's Greek. I 103 00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:10,160 Speaker 3: asked the Labor Party if it was Rumanian and they 104 00:06:10,279 --> 00:06:13,440 Speaker 3: got really sniffy and said I was a racist. I 105 00:06:13,600 --> 00:06:18,040 Speaker 3: don't know what it is made, but anyway, she looks okay, 106 00:06:18,080 --> 00:06:20,880 Speaker 3: she said, of Manchester councilor standing in the Goldman Denton 107 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:26,200 Speaker 3: by election, She's going to get absolutely hammered because this 108 00:06:26,279 --> 00:06:29,520 Speaker 3: by election will between the Greens, be between the Greens 109 00:06:29,520 --> 00:06:30,679 Speaker 3: and Reform. Right. 110 00:06:30,839 --> 00:06:33,800 Speaker 1: Well, I saw a poll it had Reform thirty six, 111 00:06:33,880 --> 00:06:38,240 Speaker 1: Labor thirty three, Greens twenty one. But if Burnham was 112 00:06:38,279 --> 00:06:41,200 Speaker 1: allowed to stand, they had Burnham at forty nine, Reform 113 00:06:41,200 --> 00:06:44,920 Speaker 1: at twenty eight. Would you believe a pole like that, Yes. 114 00:06:44,720 --> 00:06:48,080 Speaker 3: I would. I think if Burnham had been allowed to stand, 115 00:06:48,160 --> 00:06:50,840 Speaker 3: he would have won. I think he would have been 116 00:06:50,839 --> 00:06:54,240 Speaker 3: a unifying figure which would have captured the left. And 117 00:06:54,360 --> 00:06:58,760 Speaker 3: I think he would have won that Sukistarma for reasons 118 00:06:59,480 --> 00:07:01,800 Speaker 3: my kind, I'm not sure he didn't really want him 119 00:07:01,800 --> 00:07:06,120 Speaker 3: back in Parliament. There we are. I think this is 120 00:07:06,200 --> 00:07:09,080 Speaker 3: going to be This is going to be one of 121 00:07:09,640 --> 00:07:14,880 Speaker 3: four or five by elections which are genuinely significant. Over 122 00:07:14,920 --> 00:07:18,280 Speaker 3: the last fifty years, we had Orbington in sixty two, 123 00:07:18,560 --> 00:07:23,000 Speaker 3: we had burbonsey eighty. I come with seventeen nine eighty 124 00:07:23,520 --> 00:07:28,320 Speaker 3: we had a Hillhead. This is another one like that. 125 00:07:28,760 --> 00:07:32,880 Speaker 3: If Reform win, it proves that they can overcome the 126 00:07:32,960 --> 00:07:38,360 Speaker 3: left and win in seats which aren't technically theirs. If, however, 127 00:07:38,440 --> 00:07:41,720 Speaker 3: the Greens win, and you say Labor's ahead of the moment, 128 00:07:41,800 --> 00:07:46,000 Speaker 3: I don't think that will last long, then that signals 129 00:07:46,080 --> 00:07:50,200 Speaker 3: that there could be a big backlash against reform. A 130 00:07:50,320 --> 00:07:52,560 Speaker 3: technical voting. It's really interesting. 131 00:07:52,720 --> 00:07:54,480 Speaker 1: It is interesting, and we don't have long to waite 132 00:07:54,520 --> 00:07:56,880 Speaker 1: because that by election is Fab twenty six. We will 133 00:07:56,920 --> 00:08:00,000 Speaker 1: talk again, what else today, We'll do it on Thursday. 134 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:02,080 Speaker 1: I think rod little out of Britain just by the way, 135 00:08:02,240 --> 00:08:05,000 Speaker 1: and this is interesting. Vehicle production in the UK fell 136 00:08:05,040 --> 00:08:06,720 Speaker 1: to a seventy three year low. We've got the numbers 137 00:08:06,720 --> 00:08:08,680 Speaker 1: for the entire year. I alluded to it a couple 138 00:08:08,720 --> 00:08:11,760 Speaker 1: of times last year on monthly numbers, but last year 139 00:08:11,760 --> 00:08:14,800 Speaker 1: it was the worst year since nineteen fifty two. For 140 00:08:14,920 --> 00:08:18,000 Speaker 1: more from the mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to news 141 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:20,920 Speaker 1: Talks at B from six am weekdays, or follow the 142 00:08:20,960 --> 00:08:22,440 Speaker 1: podcast on iHeartRadio.