What's Bothering Cherie Blair?

Cherie Blair is clearly feeling the heat these days, walking out of a SKY TV interview only at the mention of Mrs Thatcher. What could lie behind her lack of composure? Is she feeling the loss of power too keenly?

Or is she worried that long-kept secrets about herself and her marriage could be starting to leak out?

The relationships between the key NuLab characters was recently put into a new light by comments made by Clarissa Dickson Wright, of Two Fat Ladies fame, when she was interviewed by Mary Wakefield in The Spectator on 8th September. Clarissa had been a barrister in an earlier life, and had shared Chambers with many prominent New Labourites before they went into politics.

Her first revelation of interest - 'Cherie Blair was always jumping on Derry Irvine.' Mmm. OK. So the subsequent PM's wife was hot on the subsequent Lord Chancellor - interesting - although we knew that it was Derry Irvine's artist friend who painted Cherie in the nude as above before.

Of course his appointment as Lord Chancellor would clearly have been based entirely on professional grounds, but this is a major revelation, is it not, confirming what was suspected previously but never really substantiated - as lawyers might say? And curious that the MSM, who must have known all this for donkeys years, had never seen fit to mention it before.

Oh well. I doubt that need worry Cherie unduly.

But what about Clarissa's next item of interest - about Tony? - as follows -

'He got on conspicuously well with all the male junior clerks. Everbody knew it.' and his nickname was Miranda as a result, from the scene in The Tempest when Miranda sees the sailors.

Well this is quite a revelation, Clarissa. Tony Blair was and therefore is gay.

Of course if it had been a Conservative politician let alone PM, such a story would be splattered all over the Red Tops. But somehow this factor about the Blairs has gone unmentioned throughout, until now, and even then it hardly gets a side mention in an article about Clarissa's dramas which certainly are not dull, but could hardly be called as as newsworthy as Tony Blair's sexuality.

No wonder Cherie's getting a bit jumpy as these revelations will all be appearing in Clarissa Dickson Wright's memoirs which have just been published.

Any More Items Of NuLab News?

If Tony's gay, and it appears that he is, and we know that Mandelson is of course, could the extreme hatreds between the Blairs and Gordon Brown also have another dimension yet to be revealed? I heard the NuLab regime in its early days referred to as the Gay Mafia, and wondered who that might include. I am not totally surprised about Blair to be honest, as it had crossed my mind before. I now find myself having similar thoughts about late marrying Gordon. Anything to report about him, Clarissa? I don't think much else would surpise us now.

There is also this short extract from Andrew Marr's recent A History Of Modern Britain (MacMillan 2007) - 'There was Mandelson, the brilliant but temperamental former media boss, by now an MP. Once fixated by Gordon Brown, he was adored by Blair and returned the sentiment.' Strong words, Andrew.

For a final bit of fun, see LABOUR OF LOVE