# Mandelson & The Perverted Fantasies of New Labour Liberalism | Ash Sarkar Meets Maurice Glasman Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICgQoS0tUKs Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/ICgQoS0tUKs Generated: 2026-02-15T19:30:26.513+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview Maurice Glasman argues that the Labour Party has been taken over by the graduate middle class, leading to an ideological void where working-class interests are ignored, a situation he critiques as a 'new labor reverse takeover' that is an 'extremely confused' and outdated modernist agenda failing to address the current era's realities concerning sovereignty and working-class disaffection. **Key Points:** - Glasman asserts the Labour Party is 'taken over by the middle class' and 'particularly taken over by the graduate class,' making working-class members feel unwelcome. - He views the current Labour leadership's embrace of New Labour as an 'extremely confused' and 'outdated new labor agenda' that is no longer speaking to the 'zeitgeist of the time.' - The biggest determinant for voting Labour is now whether one went to public school, indicating a massive class shift away from its traditional base. - Glasman identifies the Brexit vote as the 'decisive moment' signaling a new era focused on the nation-state and sovereignty, which New Labour utterly rejected. - He criticizes potential Labour leaders like Wes Streeting and Angela Rayner for lacking a coherent ideological bearing, stating Streeting is 'up to his neck in new labor,' while reserving specific interest for the patriotic and diligent Shabbana Mammud. - Glasman links the moral degradation of New Labour—its 'worship of money' and 'relaxed attitude' toward corruption—to 'perversion and pedophilia,' citing Peter Mandelson's association with Epstein as an example of broken morality. - He advocates for a return to strong community ties, morals, and a socialist political economy based on the labor value of production, contrasting it with the isolation and commodification driven by globalization and administration. **Context:** This interview features Ash Sarkar meeting with Maurice Glasman, Baron Glasman, an academic and proponent of 'Blue Labour,' to discuss the ideological state of the Labour Party following recent political turmoil, including the resignation of Morgan McWeeny and ongoing scrutiny of Keir Starmer's team regarding figures like Peter Mandelson. Glasman presents himself as a materialist who believes in the sacred and seeks to supply the Labour Party with an ideology rooted in strong community, morals, and working-class interests, contrasting sharply with what he sees as the liberal, globalist agenda of New Labour. ## Detailed Analysis Maurice Glasman passionately critiques the contemporary Labour Party, declaring it has suffered a 'new labor reverse takeover' orchestrated by the graduate middle class, making the traditional working class feel alienated; he notes the strongest predictor of a Labour vote is now private school attendance. Glasman argues that the current leadership, by reverting to New Labour, fails to grasp the 'very very different era' marked by Brexit, sovereignty concerns, and working-class disaffection, contrasting this with the de-industrialization and hyperliberalism of the New Labour era which he views as determinist and historically concluded. He expresses concern over potential successors, finding them ideologically adrift except for a qualified interest in Shabbana Mammud's patriotic and civic focus, while dismissing Wes Streeting as a New Labour product who failed to act during a 'golden moment' of political opportunity. Furthermore, Glasman elaborates on his controversial statement linking New Labour's worship of money and success to moral 'perversion and pedophilia,' explaining that this economic philosophy dissolves ordinary constraints and dignity in labor, using his mother's reaction to Gordon Brown prioritizing the global banking system over labor causes as a personal catalyst for his Blue Labour focus. He champions an ethical life built on relationships, solidarity, and resisting the commodification driven by capital and the isolation driven by the administrative state, referencing historical Labour successes in brokering unity across religious divides to resist capital as the model for genuine political action. ### Critique of Labour's Class Base - Party taken over by graduate class - Working class feels unwelcome and insulted - Biggest determinant for voting Labour is now public school attendance ### Analysis of Political Eras - New Labour emerged from de-industrialization and globalization - Brexit vote signaled a distinct change of era focusing on the nation-state - Current leadership embraced an outdated New Labour agenda ### Assessment of Leadership Candidates - Starmer's chances are 50/50 for the next election - Shabbana Mammud shows strong understanding of the new era but avoids defining it fully - Wes Streeting is deeply mired in New Labour ideology; Andy Burnham offers coherent points on FPTP but still drifts ### Moral and Ideological Corruption - New Labour's worship of money leads to contempt for the poor and relaxed attitudes toward corruption ('perversion and pedophilia') - This moral failing is linked to its political economy where capital is supreme ### Blue Labour Philosophy - Distinctive Labour values root in relationships that strengthen an ethical life - Advocates for solidarity over diversity, resisting commodification - Politics begins with building genuine bonds, exemplified by early community organizing success across faith lines