There’s a quick lesson you learn in politics. Decisions have consequences. Be careful. Things can come back to haunt you.
Consider this example from the past week in UK politics.
When he became Prime Minister, Keir Starmer dumped a woman from an important job, and replaced her with his friend.
Now that woman, Emily Thornberry, chairs the parliamentary committee that will play an important role in determining whether the current Prime Minister has much of a political future.
Holy Smokes. The UK Mandelson story just won’t quit. It’s the gift that keeps on taking — credibility, public confidence, the benefit of the doubt.
For those of you who haven’t been following, Peter Mandelson was dumped as UK Ambassador to the United States, after close connections to Epstein were revealed. Mandelson took money. Mandelson offered advice. Mandelson leaked confidential information to Epstein. How did this happen? How did he clear the supposedly rigorous Foreign Office vetting process?
Well, it appeared he didn’t. Mandelson failed to pass that test. However, now thanks to the good work of The Guardian, we now know he didn’t. Mandelson failed. But he got the prestigious job anyway.
Guardian 16 April 2026
Did the Prime Minister mislead parliament by failing to disclose this rather salient fact? Apparently not. Because he didn’t know.
Nor did any member of Cabinet.
So now, the most important questions are: Why didn’t he know? Why such a profound lack of interest?
I’ve seen it happen before in governments. Everyone seems to know what the leader wants and is ready to please. People start managing down instead of managing up. No one wants to reveal the ugly truth because there will be consequences. Just go with the flow and hope things work out. Well, they usually don’t. And someone has to take the fall, in this case, the top civil servant in the Foreign Office, Sir Olly Robbins. I predict he won’t be the last.
Indeed. Where was the direction coming from? Or was a government direction-less? Potentially, even worse.
And here lies the lesson for governments of all stripes around the world. When it comes to secrets, most if not all will come out. Why? Because in this case and others, someone wants it all to come out.
So if you are paid by government to manage issues, remember this: It’s going to come out. Figure out a way to get ahead of the story. Or suffer the consequences.
The 2007 provincial general election in Saskatchewan was the last where social media held little sway.
Things keep changing.
Notable quotes from today’s article:
“You could make the argument that candidates should sit for interviews not to directly reach voters, but to shape the answers produced by tools like ChatGPT. The same goes for news releases and other written posts. The best campaigns, and really, any organization, should work to flatten and speed up the road from content idea to execution. That means removing layers of approval so people can move fast, take risks and experiment, and putting trust in the young staff members who are grew up using these platforms and understand culture sometimes better than politics.”
David Plouffe, 05 April 2026
“Don’t script anyone. Turn on the phone and camera and let people tell their story. As a former political ad maker, I can humbly say the best lines never come from professionals. They come from people in a language that is raw, real and accessible.”
The more I read about the Easter Rising in 1916 and the struggle for Irish independence, the more fascinating and nuanced it becomes.
When I woke up this morning, I knew nothing about the life of Roger Casement. Apparently, that’s because his life and actions have caused strife and diplomatic irritation for decades. No one wants to talk about this man.
Often, events and the characters who drive them are overly simplified. One is either a hero or a traitor. Evidence is mustered for one overly-simplified proposition or another.
Today’s article in the Guardian by Rory Carroll makes the case that Casement is far more complex. He was, in fact, both a traitor and a hero because life, as it is lived, can become very complex. there is sufficient evidence for both interpretations.
Here we have an architect of the Easter Rising who was, before he was hanged by the British, trying to stop it from happening, believing it was ill-fated and doomed to failure.
That his attempt to stop the rebellion was thwarted by the British, who felt it was to their strategic advantage for it to proceed, adds a layer of pathos.
Some wise words today from UK policy wonk Polly MacKenzie. Politics is not like running a business. Some skills are transferable, but more is required. As Ms. MacKenzie says, politicians are not mere avatars for factional interests in society. At best, aim for a diversity of voices around the decision-making table. However, don’t assume success at business translates into success in politics.
Seems like a lot of people were surprised and dismayed by Scott Moe’s decision to hike power rate, including a major industry group, made up of some of the largest industry group. In a recent letter to the province’s Rate Review Panel, the Saskatchewan Industrial Energy Consumer Association (SIECA) says a lack of transparency around plans for a rate increase “not only weakens confidence in Crown rate setting, but also creates broader uncertainty regarding the investment climate in Saskatchewan.
Not only are they failing to inform the public or school divisions of these unconscionable delays, They’re not even talking to each other. Take the work done by your ministerial officials and throw it out the window, cut capital funding then deny any delays. Unbelievable.
Ian Hanna 