QUOTE OF THE MONTH

‘Lord Mandelson, speaking now from his ivory tower, is suggesting that those currently striking in response to Brown’s broken promise of “British jobs for British workers” should hop on a plane and look for work on the other side of Europe.

Lord Mandelson is, of course, right to point out that it is not just foreign workers who find jobs here; many British workers have found jobs on the Continent. Most don’t come with the perks enjoyed by Mandelson and his friends, the Kinnocks, who are now extremely rich socialists, but I am told there are jobs in Poland for British plumbers - as long as they are willing to work like Poles for Polish wages.

Working in Europe was all very well for Mandelson. He took a ticket to Brussels, got rich, stacked up a pension most people can only dream about and made friends with plenty of jet-setters with luxury villas and yachts into the bargain.

But to suggest that the unemployed should leave their families behind to hop on a budget flight to work thousands of miles away is daft.’

Norman Tebbit, writing in the Daily Mail.