This is a Global Player Original podcast.

Good morning. It is three minutes after ten, and I hope this doesn't come as a major surprise to you.

You are listening to James O'Brien on LBC.

It's quite nice some mornings to have the live cover.

It doesn't happen very often.

It's a mark of how significant a moment is.

And then, of course, you have the little voice in your head that starts wondering how

significant a moment this actually is. And then you have, the problem I have now is Natasha

Clark is in the studio. Nothing personal, Natasha, but when the political editor arrives here,

it is evidence that in Westminster,

this is huge. And I need a little bit of help from Natasha imminently to make sense of exactly

what has happened this morning. But the question I have for you is an amalgam. What do they

call it, the young people, a mash-up. If you were to take Friday's show and

yesterday's show and do what the young people will call a mash-up, push. I don't know if that

sound effect is appropriate or accurate, and frankly, who cares? You do a mash-up, a Friday's show, a

Monday show. You're left with a slightly odd question given the amount of coverage, airtime and

attention that this story continues to receive. I, am I embarrassed to tell you? No, I'm not

embarrassed to tell you this. I'm quietly proud of my honesty. I don't know how important

this story is anymore. I have been blown around like a feather in a Morrison's shop doorway.

I have no idea how important this story is anymore.

The question of whether or not Peter Mandelson should have been sent to Washington in the first place

is actually not answered by the events of this morning or yesterday or Friday and isn't

...