The press will continue to speculate about policy differences and rivalry between the two Eds. That’s what they do, and, let’s face it, Labour fed their frenzy for years. But it isn’t like that now. Sure there may be differences of view about economic policy. We have made it clear where we stand on the […]
Posts Tagged ‘Ed Balls’
Labour’s economic policy: forget the personalities, the party should decide
Jan 21st, 2011 by Jon Lansman.
Ed Balls is the right choice for Shadow Chancellor
Jan 21st, 2011 by Michael Meacher.It seems that Alan Johnson has resigned for genuine personal reasons, and we must wish him well in handling whatever those are. His successor, Ed Balls, is the right person for the job on several grounds. He has great experience and a long track record in finance and, unlike his predecessor, will not need to bone […]
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Balls to the Economy
Jan 20th, 2011 by Jon Lansman.Ed Balls is now Shadow Chancellor in a move which will delight most of the Left and considerably improve Labour’s performance, whatever the “personal reasons” for Alan Johnson’s departure. Moving Yvette Cooper to Home affairs and Douglas Alexander to Foreign Affairs minimises disruption of the Shadow Cabinet. It is interesting that whilst Brown himself failed […]
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Amidst lies and midwinter madness, the VAT bombshell strikes
Jan 4th, 2011 by Jon Lansman.Today, VAT rises from 17½% to 20%. Nick Clegg warned of a “Tory VAT Bombshell” back in April but then made it happen anyway. In the same month, David Cameron denied it, telling Jeremy Paxman “we have absolutely no plans to raise VAT.” As he’d said of VAT rises a year earlier: “it’s very regressive, […]
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Wanted: A (new) Labour General Secretary
Nov 25th, 2010 by Mark Seddon.Labour’s new leader has been in office barely two months, yet this hasn’t stopped a motley collection of ex Ministers, frustrated David Miliband supporters and it would seem some party officials, from moaning in the ear of one Dan Hodges, who last week launched into print in the New Statesman, giving vent to their – […]
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Alan Johnson: could do better?
Oct 21st, 2010 by Jon Lansman.The most repellent aspect of watching the Chancellor yesterday was the schoolboy cheering as he finished. A new era of austerity ushered in by the Bullingdon bovver boys. Alan Johnson did respond: Members opposite are cheering the deepest cuts in public expenditure that have taken place in living memory. For many of them, this is […]
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Ed Balls reminds Labour that Ramsay McDonald also said there is no alternative to cuts
Sep 29th, 2010 by Jon Lansman.In his address to conference, after another hard-hitting attack on Michael Gove and Coalition education policy (it was, after all, the Education session), Ed Balls set out his economic alternative to their cuts agenda — “put growth and jobs first”. And in a coded warning to the cuts enthusiasts in the hall, he reminded conference that […]
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Ed Balls uniquely qualified to be Shadow Chancellor
Sep 26th, 2010 by Jon Lansman.There have been two important outcomes from the debate over the last few months: Ed Miliband has come from behind to win support for change in the party. And Ed Balls has, in beginning to turn public opinion on the deficit back towards Labour, demonstrated his unique qualification to be Ed Miliband’s shadow chancellor.
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But what if David Wins?
Sep 22nd, 2010 by Andy Newman.Voting is almost over, and in reality I am sure that there are few punters cool enough, or indecisive enough, to be casting at this eleventh hour. At the outset of the contest Jon Cruddas made the wise observation that even though he had known all the candidates personally for 20 years, he didn’t really […]
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YouGov Poll on Leadership: treat with caution
Jul 30th, 2010 by Jon Lansman.The YouGov poll for the Sun on the Labour Leadership election provides the best detailed data on the election to date. Above all, this poll demonstrates conclusively that this is ultimately a race between the brothers Miliband. The headline findings are that David Miliband leads on first preferences amongst party and trade union members as […]
