The Perils of Backing the Wrong Horse: Keir Starmer’s Downfall as a Modern Political Fable.
In the unforgiving arena of power, few lessons arrive with the clarity of a Greek tragedy or a biblical parable. The recent fate of Keir Starmer offers precisely such a story. He bet his premiership on a single, high-stakes wager: the rehabilitation and elevation of Peter Mandelson, the man long nicknamed the “Prince of Darkness” for his mastery of political spin, media manipulation, and behind-the-scenes manoeuvring. Starmer believed the gamble would deliver diplomatic gravitas and insider cunning at a critical moment. Instead, it became the emblem of flawed judgment that helped unravel his leadership less than two years after a landslide victory. The lesson is ancient yet urgently contemporary: when you hitch your wagon to a controversial figure whose past is riddled with ethical shadows, you do not merely risk embarrassment—you risk everything. Starmer discovered this the hard way. So have countless leaders before him. And so, the fable warns, may others yet discover. The Appointmen...
