Labour's 'timid' record - Mandelson

Mandelson says Labour has only tinkered on equality

Labour was timid in its first five years and its record of delivery was patchy, according to former cabinet minister Peter Mandelson.

Mr Mandelson says the government has only "tinkered" in its efforts against social inequality, despite "talking a good game".

Too many of the worst estates in Britain remain unchanged by five years of Labour describing them as bleak ghettos

Peter Mandelson

The candid comments come in a new version of the former Northern Ireland Secretary's book, The Blair Revolution.

In extracts serialised in the Guardian newspaper, Mr Mandelson also says "clumsy, crude over-use of spin" has lost public trust.

He admits blame too for his part in giving substance to the idea that the Millennium Dome was the visual embodiment of new Labour.

Lacking boldness

Eighteen years in opposition made new Labour neurotic, says Mr Mandelson, with many of its strengths turning into weaknesses.

"In putting reassurance first, arguably we sometimes lacked boldness," he says.

"In winning back middle class-support, we caused some heartland confusion, and loss of support.

It was a mistake to keep Jo Moore, says Mandelson

"In acquiring skills to deal with the media, we created 'spin'. In imposing early, tough financial discipline, we delayed public service delivery.

"In breaking dependence on trade union finance, we generated allegations of 'sleaze'. In winning business to our side, we lost some workforce confidence."

Mr Mandelson says "real delivery proved patchy" in Labour's early years and the spin machine was used to fill the gap.

He hails new Labour's achievements in rebuilding the public's trust in the party; taking a truly modern outlook; and in completely changing the debate about public service investment and reform.

'Tinkering'

But the government's "timidity" in its first term in office, especially when it had such a large majority, annoyed many people who wanted to see it make a quicker impact, he continues.

He says: "The goal of social democracy is to create the sort of society in which the daughter of a Hartlepool shop assistant has as much chance of becoming a High Court judge as the daughter of a Harley Street doctor."

Mr Mandelson argues New Labour has put forward the right message in denouncing snobbery and racial prejudice.

"But has it really taken these citadels by storm and made a difference for the sort of young people who live in my constituency and feel shut out because so many paths are barred to them?

"The answer is no. We have just tinkered."

In his hardest criticism, Mr Mandelson says too many of the worst estates in Britain "remain unchanged by five years of Labour describing them as bleak ghettos depressing the spirits of all who live in them".

'Clumsy' spin doctors

The former minister is seen as one of the key architects of Labour's spin machine during opposition.

In government, there was often a tendency to over-hype achievements so the major changes that were made were often lost in a "fog of charge and counter-charge".

He adds: "Crude clumsy handling of the media by overly controlling and politicised press officers causes more problems than no handling at all, because it undermines trust."

Mr Mandelson also suggests the decision to keep transport special adviser Jo Moore after her e-mail suggesting 11 September was a good day for burying bad news was a "mistake".