![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
Jane Merrick
Jane Merrick is the Political Editor of the Independent on Sunday. She has been a political journalist for seven years, previously working at the Press Association and the Daily Mail
The best story of the day, probably the week, is Peter Mandelson's "who the f*** is he?" tirade against Howard Schultz, the chairman of Starbucks after the coffee boss said the UK "is in a spiral" economically.
Mandelson's remarks came at a cocktail party in New York, after Schultz had appeared on CNBC and while he has let it be known he perhaps shouldn't have used the f-word, he is standing by his general sentiment. (I love the idea that Mandelson's rant came at a "cocktail party" - do they still have those?)
Three cheers for the Business Secretary for standing up for Britain, letting rip in such an un-diplomatic way and for having a go at Starbucks, a company which deserves a bit of a kicking (mainly for its awful coffee and enforced use of pseudo-Italian which makes me demand the opposite, such as a "regular white coffee" - before you get into the environmental and fair trade issues).
Lord Mandelson has an apparent history of espressophobia: it is thought he was behind fears that Tony Blair's heart arrhythmia was because the then PM was drinking too much strong, European black coffee.
He is right to defend the British economy, especially on US soil. But the strength of his words in the outburst - he is not exactly renowned for using the f-word - could be because Schultz's remarks are on the money. Consumer confidence is collapsing. These are desperate times, not just for the identikit coffeeshop market. Schultz hit a nerve and Mandelson's outburst shows the strain Gordon Brown and his Cabinet are under.
Mandelson's remarks came at a cocktail party in New York, after Schultz had appeared on CNBC and while he has let it be known he perhaps shouldn't have used the f-word, he is standing by his general sentiment. (I love the idea that Mandelson's rant came at a "cocktail party" - do they still have those?)
Three cheers for the Business Secretary for standing up for Britain, letting rip in such an un-diplomatic way and for having a go at Starbucks, a company which deserves a bit of a kicking (mainly for its awful coffee and enforced use of pseudo-Italian which makes me demand the opposite, such as a "regular white coffee" - before you get into the environmental and fair trade issues).
Lord Mandelson has an apparent history of espressophobia: it is thought he was behind fears that Tony Blair's heart arrhythmia was because the then PM was drinking too much strong, European black coffee.
He is right to defend the British economy, especially on US soil. But the strength of his words in the outburst - he is not exactly renowned for using the f-word - could be because Schultz's remarks are on the money. Consumer confidence is collapsing. These are desperate times, not just for the identikit coffeeshop market. Schultz hit a nerve and Mandelson's outburst shows the strain Gordon Brown and his Cabinet are under.
