ALTHOUGH his name fell by the wayside as the Sword of Damocles hung over his former pal George Osborne, Peter Mandelson’s tawdry pas de deux with him around the world’s rich unelected and their toys reflects the same cravings that have already got him into trouble twice. The Shadow Chancellor was first introduced to the Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska at the annual Davos rulers-of-the-universe conference in January. The future Lord Mandelson was present. Osborne next met the Russian on board his yacht in August. Mandelson again present. The same day Osborne attended a party in Corfu and sat at the same dinner table as Deripaska – and Mandelson. Osborne had dinner with former friend and financier Nat Rothschild the following evening, with Mandelson who was said in later reports to have “dripped pure poison” about Gordon Brown. Osborne was fingered as source. Flash forward to this week and Osborne’s future on the rocks. Mandy not present, but safely installed in the Government. Funny, that.
