Political analysts have been frustrated by the mass redactions in the Mandelson files published on Monday: with so much obscured, many serious questions remain unanswered.
But step aside from the vetting debate, and the files do shed light on another matter: how Peter Mandelson wields power, and how effectively he uses communication as a tool for maintaining it. Over the many years of retirement that lie ahead, the former ambassador might easily reshape them into a manual for his would-be successors.
