Parliament of Fowls

On to Peter Mandelson's status report. Please believe me when I say I am a Tory supporter at heart. I am not making these readings up, it was actually because political readings started showing some interesting developments that I started this blog.

Same spread as for George Osborne's spread from earlier. Mandelson has always intrigued me as an operator and I used to use him as a principal character in my cartoon diary because, together with Michael Howard, he was just about the most obvious walking cartoon character in the House of Commons (now the House of Lords, of course). The temptation to go back to drawing him got to me the other night and hopefully I will upload part of the strip once I can get it inked and coloured properly.

1. Situation in question - II WANDS - "Good advice being given and received - in the card we see two figures talking closely together, as if secrets were being shared or important guidance asked for. In one hand we see a crystal ball, which we take as having been used for scrying purposes." [Scrying is the act of reading fortunes or divination in general. It usually refers to visual techniques such as crystal gazing rather than symbolic oracles such as tarot.]

This is Mandelson sharing rather too much with Deripaska, and there is an air of secrecy about the whole thing that suggests that issues discussed are bargains, deals or agreements not for public consumption. A conspiratorial air about the whole thing.

2. Nature of Difficulties - VII SWORDS (ill-dignified) - "The need for vigilance. Also, an important but worthwhile sacrifice being made. A rather shadowy figure creeps into our encampment and makes off with five swords, leaving behind two that he cannot carry."

Mandelson is faced with the people willing to disclose what he had done for their own purposes (the Tories embarking too fast on attempts to discredit him) but carrying off something of value in the process. Mandelson had two weapons left (the ability to disclose what Osborne had been doing there too, and therefore damaging him more in the process), but it still remains that there was something of value in allegations of misconduct.

3. Past Form - VI PENTACLES - "Rewarding on the basis of merit. Sharing is the theme here. But how do we go about rewarding fairly? This card would also look at how we choose to share our time and energy with others, between ourselves as individuals and our family and so on."

Mandelson was the recipient of recent good fortune and the benefactor of Brown, and thus is able to stabilise Labour somewhat. His assistance has been timely and therefore naturally he was the (legitimate) target of scrutiny to make sure things balanced out.

4. Future developments in general - VII PENTACLES - "Hard work, but approaching the harvest time. Notice how in this card we are only approaching our harvest time, i.e. a point when we can witness all of our efforts paying off and materializing. The figure in the card shows someone working with a hoe, not a scythe or other cutting instrument. The hoe is used for making water channels through which the plants can receive water. As he stares at the ripening crop, we become aware that it is still not yet ready to be plucked. As you can see, some of the Pentacles are still very small on the plants."

Mandelson unfortunately will be remaining in post to prepare Labour to fight the next election, as de facto minister for propaganda or otherwise. There is a serious attempt to get down to business and a need for Mandelson to concentrate on his current job and his role as an election co-ordinator or assistant in that department. A serious attempt to make sure he stays out of trouble in order to protect himself within the government and party.

5. Impact on the Party - THE STAR - "The Star in a spread normally shows that powers that have been hidden until now will begin to show themselves. Thus, vital new energies begin to enter in on the equation. New encouragement, new motivation. Help from above.

Mandelson has reinvigorated his Party despite the problems over Deripaska and although he has been questioned he has largely survived any problems. He can now turn back towards the roles he has been assigned under Brown. This card speaks of hopes rather than their actual fulfilment, but the impact on Labour has been negligible given Mandelson's ability to turn the tables on Osborne while still facing scrutiny himself.

6. Impact on Self Image - THE HERMIT - "The Hermit shows us one possible way towards liberation of the human soul, rather than necessarily the only way in which that is achieved. Thus he could well lead us out of the rocky pass we find ourselves in. But we shouldn't be too quick to avail ourselves of what he offers us in its place. Caution is advised here, even if we do choose to follow his lead and take the path of renunciation which he suggests. Essentially we shouldn't rush at this point. Let us look instead at what other options there might be."

Mandelson is alone in this crisis and has insulated his actions from damaging the rest of the government. Although he must take good care to make sure he avoids compromising situations, this will probably help to make certain that he does not make a similar mistake. By being circumspect and keeping aloof he will find it easier to walk his own path than have others like Deripaska cross it too often.

7. Impact on Career - PAGE OF PENTACLES - "A young sergeant-at-arms stands looking out onto the horizon. Represents looking at one's own economic horizon for something new to get into. An alternative meaning is the preparedness to take on new responsibilities, as the young sergeant gets ready to become an officer."

Mandelson's career is renewed and focussing on new horizons. The Page normally represents the seeds of new ideas and growth; for Mandelson it probably indicates he is learning how he needs to be seen now and learning from mistakes he has made. Seeing a veteran of political life as a page is interesting. But it does mean that lessons are being learned all the time and Mandelson treats his role as one where he is starting again from the bottom and working back upwards.

8. Direction of trend - IX WANDS - "Allow other people to support you in your undertakings; you don't have to be defensive."

There is no need for Mandelson to worry - Labour is rebounding thanks to his assistance and their strategists can be thankful that this has damaged Osborne more than Mandelson in the long run, if only because we expect more from someone like Osborne who has seen where Mandelson has gone wrong in the past.

9. Outcome over time - PAGE OF WANDS - "Learning and/or travel is shown here, as the Page prepares himself for a journey which will take him through foreign lands, suggested by the mountains shown in the distance."

Mandelson has got to start from scratch again and work his way back into the heart of the political arena. He needs to sharpen Labour's game - which he is already doing - and also needs to steer himself round trouble which hers caused him problems in the past. Doing this in the manner of a Page he appears to humble himself and learn rather than teach, an approach which will strengthen him in the long run.

A short spread to assess the continuing significance of Yachtgate now that the shooting war is virtually over.

First of all, my interest is in Osborne because most people know what Mandelson is like and that he should be in trouble is not surprising. Osborne however is regard as one of the brightest minds of his generation and yet he was badly caught out by trying to beat Mandelson at his own game. The Tories have a history of trying to spin against New Labour (none of that NuLab stuff here, I still have some respect for my alma mater so long as the Tories continue to beat about the bush) with David Miliband the subject of a "Stop Miliband" unit eighteen months ago and the Diet Torygraph full of earnest young Tory wonks trying to force Miliband not to stand in the Labour leadership contest. To me it smacked of desperation that the Tories depended on personal attacks to cover up their lack of ideas. Now it seems downright criminal and that it backfired was actually justice of a sort, regardless of what you think of Mandelson (which in my case is "not a lot either"). To say it cynically, the Tories should stop trying to launch ad hominem attacks and concentrate on their next manifesto - if they have one yet.

Anyway, that's just the opinion. Tarot dwells in the realm of uncovering hidden truths and projecting the way forward, and this is what I got for Osborne's prospects. Mandelson will follow in the next post.

The book descriptions of the cards come from Terry Donaldson's "Step-by-Step Tarot" concentrated meanings section.

1. Situation in question - X CUPS - "Emotional commitments. A man and a woman stand arm in arm, and feel themselves to have arrived at a point where they can stand and take stock of what they have created for themselves for their own happiness. This card is not predicting marriage, but instead is getting the Querent to look at what it is they want from their loving relationships - what commitments do they intend to make and which ones to keep? How do they go about choosing someone as a partner? Should they be more choosy and expect more or are they content to take 'second best'?

Here I believe GO overindulged and made an immediately unwise choice in the middle of what, for him, was supposed to be the fulfilment of his career. The card is the apex of its suit so GO was at the apex of his career when this scandal broke. He made some misjudgements which caused problems later on, probably through too much Retsina and too little thought.

2. Nature of Difficulties - THE LOVERS (ill-dignified) - "Promiscuity, guilt, venereal disease and AIDs. [NB all metaphorical - otherwise the Tories have a bigger shock coming than previously thought...]

George was playing away from home and got caught out of his depth. Playing with the international jet-set as a politician is always risky, but messing with powerful political opponents like Peter Mandelson doubly so. An excess of sensual titilation caused a few indiscretions which looked very dangerous in the cold light of day.

3. Past form - QUEEN OF WANDS - "If it represents a process, it shows mastery over the level of action, required by the situation. Initiative."

GO has shown himself to be the Tories' brightest and most intelligent spokesman, and his networking skills are obviously excellent. Ultimately he was too good at his job and gave the impression that he was socialising too far in the wrong direction. The past nous and gumption he has shown was impressive but also foolhardy when it entered the wrong arena and left safe territory. The Queen of Wands can very volatile - she is good at responding to the situation but not at taking the lead.

4. Future developments in general - ACE OF CUPS - "Emotional fulfilment. Here we see a cup which 'runneth over'."

The future is still set to overflow, making the most of good things but with the temptation for it to occur again ever present. George needs to see the promise shown here overflowing in a good way so that everyone in the party and the electorate benefits from his talent, not just the party treasury and his own lifestyle.

5. Impact on Party - STRENGTH - "A pointer towards exercising your qualities of reason, rather than to respond with anger, injured pride or feelings of self-importance. The lion on his own can be a very destructive force but when feelings are brought under the jurisdiction of the mind, then something more positive can be derived."

Osborne has been lucky to survive this and the Conservative Party has not been destroyed by this affair. However, a destructive force has been reined in - the mere existence of such a tendency could shorten the leash more severely than David Cameron did earlier this week. Maintaining a grip is also a conscious burden on the party and loosening this stance could again unleash concomitant problems again in a much more dangerous way for the leadership.

6. Impact on Self Image - THE EMPRESS - "The representation of harmony, which doesn't necessarily show that that is what you are experiencing. But it suggests that you look at how that can realistically be achieved. In terms of creating, the card is asking what it is that you are hoping to create; how and for what do you wish to harness your creativity?"

George needs to look at why he is in politics - is it for social reasons or is it to put his talents into the creative business of running the country and an economy? He is happy with his job still being largely intact, even as a strategist, but needs to look at why he is where he is and get a better idea of his purpose before he goes any further towards a position of actual authority.

7. Impact on Career - IX PENTACLES - "Gaining recognition, in one's own and others' estimation. The figure here stands dressed with a beautiful set of medallions around her chest. Reminiscent of the golden medallions awarded to athletes at Olympic competitions, it suggests the achievement of honours or recognition as the direct result of the individual's own efforts and abilities."

GO has acclaim and reward but this is a very passive card - his career has not suffered because of the ambiguities of what has gone on but the static element of this card suggests a very cautious and slow-moving progression and development which may be difficult to maintain. It suggests an observer rather than a participant and one relaxing in luxury, which indicates that he is resting on previous laurels rather than acquiring new ones.

8. Direction of trend - VIII PENTACLES - "Skills properly acquired. This card is similar in some ways to the Three [of Pentacles], in that it shows the same working tools being applied. Only here we have them being utilised in a far more professional manner than in the Three, where the figure was just beginning to get to grips with them. From the face of the man, who now has a beard, showing maturity, while in the background he has amassed a small stockpile of pentacles which he has displayed on the wall behind him."

The development here is positive, with lessons being learned and applied in order to repair any damage done to the party and to make sure it doesn't happen again. Action here is taken by someone experienced and diligent - it may be necessary to correct the way in which the party is going, and systematically reforming the way in which it is financed and avoid similar mistakes and overtures from large corporate backers with dubious legal standing. The mistake needs a lot of repair work done and much of this is still to do.

9. Outcome over time - ACE OF SWORDS - "Breakthrough. We have here the upraised sword, emblematic of victory. We are reminded of all the legends to do with swords, such as King Arthur and Excalibur, Siegfried, etc. The cutting of the ties that bind."

The impact this has on the situation over the longer term is to dramatically change the way in which the party does business and teach those who run it how to govern. The leadership - Osborne in particular - is forced to move from a passive and comfortable position into an active and forceful role in order to make sure the lessons of this are absorbed into the party's fabric. Issues which seemed trivial to some have a drastic impact on the long-term future of the party and a decisive bearing on the nature of the personnel involved.

Mandelson's reading will follow asap.