Labour List: Peter Mandelson vs The Ranting Penguin

I like Derek Draper's new 'Labour List' blog. It has annoyed just about every gibbering right-wing loon on the whole of the internet, and some of the contributors look like they will have interesting things to say when they get round to writing something.

But my favourite bit so far, by far, has been the exchange this morning between Lord Mandelson and The Ranting Penguin.

Lord Mandelson wrote an article about new media and how it changes the way that parties communicate, to which The Ranting Penguin replied:

"Your claims to have blogged before and enjoyed it are a little inflated, surely? The realm of the blog, unlike simply having an article published in a newspaper, is that it is interactive. To do it right you need to engage with those who comment, and to be willing to support your initial argument or statements when they are questioned. I look forward to this, but suspect there's more chance of photographing pigs flying in formation."

To which Lord Mandelson replied:

"You couldn't be more wrong "Mr. Ranting Penguin"? I am enjoying reading the comments and once I have attended the government's job summit this morning I will be responding to them, even from those people with rather odd names..."

Twelve hours later, The Ranting Penguin came back with a very witty joke after there had been no further reply:

"Sadly, seems the great and the good such as Lord Peter of Mandleson have far too much to do than to honour their word.

Not surprised, they don't even honour manifesto commitments."

Touche. Over to you, Lord Mandleson...

Even Chris Morris or Armando Ianucci at the height of their powers would have struggled to come up with a more wonderfully satirical idea than Peter Mandelson rushing back from a government jobs summit in the midst of an economic crisis so that he could write a reply on the internet to a man who calls himself "The Ranting Penguin".