Back from the dead

The return of Peter Mandelson and Margaret Beckett to Cabinet is not just a lurch to the Blairites (at least in the case of Mandelson), but a step back in time. These are figures from the past - and not exactly the greatest of the great past cabinet ministers either. Beckett is safe but uninspiring; Mandelson is synonymous with spin and scandal. This presents us with a real opportunity to advance the message of change, and to position ourselves as the future against Labour as the past.